Ready for an Amazing Adventure? Introducing Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension Game Rules

Hey there! Are you in the mood for a mind-bending, interdimensional experience? Well, have I got a game for you! I’m here to introduce you to the incredible world of Gravwell: Escape from the 9th Dimension. Get ready for an adventure like no other!

Gravwell is a thrilling board game that will take you on a journey through the cosmos. Are you curious about the rules? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Let’s dive right in!

In this game, you find yourself trapped in the 9th dimension, far away from home. Your mission? Escape! But be careful, because gravity is a fickle thing in this dimension. You’ll need to navigate your spaceship using the pull of nearby objects. It’s a race against time as you try to outsmart your opponents and make your way back to safety.

How to Play:

1. Each player starts with a spaceship and a set of cards.

2. On your turn, you’ll play a card from your hand. Each card has a letter on it, representing the type of object you want to move towards. The object could be a planet, a star, or even another spaceship.

3. Once all players have played their cards, the objects move towards each other based on their gravitational pull. This is where things get interesting! You’ll need to strategize and predict where the objects will end up to plan your moves.

4. If you’ve successfully maneuvered your spaceship closer to the exit point, congratulations! You’ve made progress towards your escape. Keep playing and try to be the first one to reach safety.

Key Tips:

– Pay close attention to the cards played by your opponents. Their moves will affect your own strategy.

– Don’t get too comfortable in your approach. Each game is unique, and you’ll need to adapt to the ever-changing gravitational forces.

– Be aware of any black holes. They can seriously throw off your plans by reversing the direction of movement.

– Keep your eye on the escape point. Remember, that’s your ultimate goal!

So, are you ready to embark on this thrilling adventure and escape from the 9th dimension? Put on your thinking cap, strategize your moves, and let gravity guide you to victory. Get ready for a game that will challenge your mind and keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s time to play Gravwell!

Imagine this: you and three other ships have managed to survive a trip through a black hole. But here’s the twist – everything you thought you knew about space and physics has completely changed. You find yourself in a whole new dimension, where even gravity doesn’t play by the rules.

In order to survive, you have to mine asteroids and collect elements from space dust that you’ve never encountered before. With these resources, you can give your spacecraft a little boost and move around. But here’s the catch – the nearest object might not be where you expected it to be. Sometimes you’ll move forward, sometimes you’ll move backward. It’s a real brain teaser!

Time is of the essence. You need to save your crew and your ship before it’s too late. As you navigate through this strange new dimension, you can’t help but be reminded of the failed attempts of others. Frozen, lifeless spacecrafts serve as a haunting reminder of what could happen if you don’t make it out.

If you play your cards right, you can zoom past those empty spaceships and leave your competition behind. Your goal is to be the first one to escape from the Gravwell!

The Components:

• 1 Game Board
• 4 Emergency Stop! Cards
• 1 Round-Tracking Pawn
• 26 Fuel Cards
• 6 Spaceship Miniatures with bases
• 1 Rulebook

The Goal of the Game:

Your mission is to be the first player to reach or pass the Warp Gate at the end of the Gravwell spiral arm, marked as space #54 on the game board. It’s not necessary to land exactly on the Warp Gate to escape.

If, after 6 rounds of playing, no player manages to enter the Warp Gate, the player nearest to it – the furthest one from the starting point called the “Singularity” – will win the game. Remember, only one player can escape the Gravwell. Will it be you?

Game Setup:

Let’s start by setting up the game! Find a spot in the middle of the table and place the game board there. Now, it’s time to position the derelict ships. Look for the yellow spaces on the board, specifically spaces 26 and 36. Put the two derelict ships on those spaces. But wait, if you’re playing with just two players, you’ll need to make a small change. Instead of adding both ships, just put one of them on space #36. Lastly, grab the round-tracking pawn and place it on the “Start” bubble of the Round Tracker located at the bottom of the game board. We’re all set and ready to begin!

Hey there! Let’s get ready to play a cool space game called Singularity. First things first, we need to choose our spaceships. Pick your favorite color and place your spaceship in the center of the board, which we call the Singularity.

Now, grab the “Emergency Stop!” card that matches your ship’s color. Place it in front of you, with the text facing up. These cards have colors on them to remind everyone which spaceship belongs to each player.

Okay, now it’s time to shuffle the 26 Fuel Cards. Take some cards and put them face down on the side of the board. The number of cards you need is the number of players multiplied by 3. For example, if we’re playing with 3 people, we’ll need 9 cards. Remember to put each pile of cards face down.

Next, let’s deal the same number of cards face up. Put one face-up card on top of each face-down card. This way, we’ll have some hidden and some visible Fuel Cards to use during the game.

So here’s what happens: I end up with a bunch of cards. But they’re not just random cards – they’re Fuel Cards. And these Fuel Cards are the key to the game. Let me break it down for you. I take two cards and stack them together. The bottom card is facedown, and the top card is face-up. It’s like a little pool of Fuel Cards, ready to be used in the first Round. The rest of the cards, the ones I don’t use, I keep aside and facedown. It’s important that nobody sees these cards during the Round. They should stay a mystery until later. Got it? Good. Let’s play!

Fuel Cards: Your Key to Space Travel

Did you know that there are 26 different Fuel Cards in the game? Yep, each one is special and has a unique letter, from A to Z. These cards represent the different elements you and your crew have collected from dust clouds and asteroids. And let me tell you, these elements are crucial for fueling your spaceship!

But here’s the thing: you’re not the only one out there in space looking for these precious elements. You’re in a race with other players to gather the best elements every Round. So, you better be strategic and quick!

Alright, let’s talk about the “Movement Phases.” In each Round of the game, there are six of these phases. At the beginning of each phase, you get to choose one Fuel Card from your hand. Simple, right? Place it face down in front of you, keeping your choice a secret. Once everyone has done the same, it’s time to reveal the cards!

Now, here’s the cool part: the order in which the cards resolve depends on their letter. The closer a card is to the letter A, the sooner it gets resolved. Let’s say you’re playing with two other players. In this case, three Fuel Cards might end up face up, like this:

Alright, let’s talk about playing Fuel Cards in this game. Each player has a Fuel Card, and we resolve them based on the letters of the alphabet. Whoever has the Fuel Card closest to A goes first, then the next closest to B, and so on until we reach Z. The first letter of the element’s name is what determines the order.

But here’s the thing: you don’t have to play your cards in alphabetical order. You have the freedom to choose the order that suits your immediate needs.

Each round, during the six Movement Phases, every player gets to play just one Fuel Card. The other cards in their hand stay hidden until everyone is done resolving their Fuel Card.

Now, let’s talk about the numbers on the Fuel Cards. Each card has a number that represents how far your spaceship will move. Usually, the numbers range from 1 to 10. So, all you have to do is move your spaceship the exact number of spaces shown on the card.

However, there’s a twist here. You always move toward the nearest spaceship, and you might even go past it. Moving can get a bit tricky, but we’ll get to that later.

Some Fuel Cards have a special symbol by their number. The first symbol is called Repulsor Movement. You can tell if a Fuel Card has Repulsor Movement by its purple color and the three Repulsor lines next to the number.

Instead of moving towards the closest spaceship, you will move away from it by the amount shown on your card.

The other special Fuel Card is called a Tractor Beam. You can recognize a Tractor Beam by its teal color and the inward lines on each side of the number. A Tractor Beam doesn’t move your ship. Instead, it moves all the other spaceships.

So, these ships move towards you a number of spaces equal to the number on your card. Start by moving the nearest spaceship to you, and then move to the ones farther away, including the derelicts.

Hey there! I’ve got something really interesting to show you on the board. Take a look at this awesome graph that breaks down the movement values from A to Z.

Let’s Get Started!

Now, the competition in the game kicks off with the Fuel Cards that were put on the table earlier. In the first round of each game, the person who’s the youngest gets to make the first draft. After that, drafting continues in order from youngest to oldest player. As for rounds 2 to 6, we’ll talk about the draft order for those later.

When you’re drafting, you get to choose a stack of two cards and put them right in front of you. After that, you can go ahead and take a peek at the card that’s face down. Keep in mind, though, that the other players can only see the card you drafted face up. So once you’ve had a good look at both cards, place them both face down in front of you.

When we play this game, we start by taking turns picking cards from stacks of cards, starting with the youngest player and moving to the oldest. In a game with 3 players, the first person to draft will pick cards 1, 4, and 7.

When it’s your turn to draft, you grab one stack of cards at a time. After all the stacks have been drafted, you’ll have six cards in front of you.

Now it’s time to play your cards.

Each round of the game is divided into six Movement Phases, which match the six cards you have in your hand. At the beginning of each Movement Phase, each player chooses one card from their hand and puts it face down in front of them.

Now, when you choose your card, you have to think about what’s happening around you and what you think the other players might do. This will help you make the best choice.

Let’s look at an example game round and some movement examples:

Movement Phase 1: moving out of the singularity

Hey there! Let’s talk about ships in the Singularity. You see, when a ship is in the Singularity (right in the middle of the board), it doesn’t create a Gravwell. Cool, right? Now, the player who manages to get out of the Singularity first gets pulled out by the nearest ship. At the beginning of the game, that ship happens to be the derelict on space #26.

Now, let’s take a look at your hand. You’ve got six Fuel Cards:

Hey there! So, I’m the Blue Player in this game, and I’ve got an idea. I think I’ll play Hydrogen to bring all the cards that weren’t used this round closer to the common discard pile. After the first Movement Phase, this is what the board looks like:

Step 2: Head towards the closest spaceship

In the second phase of movement, I decided to use the Phase 2 Fuel Card. I picked Yttrium, a card that will definitely get me moving before everyone else:

So, here’s what happened: Yellow went first and played his Boron card. After his turn, the board looked like the picture above. Now it’s Red’s turn, and he has to decide what to do with his Iridium card. The spaceship nearest to him is Yellow, which happens to be behind him. So, what does Red do? He moves backward, six spaces to be exact.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Since Red was only on the #6 space to begin with, his backward movement takes him all the way back to the Singularity. Imagine that! You make a move in this game, and it’s like you’re traveling through time and space.

Okay, let’s talk about your turn. Right now, you’re way out in front. You’ve zoomed right past the other spaceships, leaving them in your cosmic dust. And guess what? That means the nearest spaceship to you is behind you. It’s Yellow, the same one that Red just passed. But don’t worry, you’ve got this. You’re determined to keep your lead. So, you move forward, past Yellow, eight spaces in total. You’re making great progress!

Now, it’s time for the third phase of movement: Repulsor Movement.

Picture this: you’re way out there in front, leaving everyone else in your stellar wake. And that means the spaceship closest to you is miles away, still struggling to catch up. It’s Yellow’s turn now, and you’re hoping beyond hope that he’ll use your gravity and move ahead of you. Fingers crossed!

But here’s the thing, you don’t have a ton of options when it comes to those pesky late-letter cards. You’ve got the Xenon card, for instance, which has a pretty interesting effect. When you play it, you actually move away from the nearest spaceship on the board. Sounds a little counterintuitive, right?

Well, here’s how it works. When you play the Xenon card, you’ll actually move forward on the board towards the Warp Gate. That is, unless the Yellow ship manages to get ahead of you before your X resolves.

Now, let’s say that Yellow is indeed the nearest ship when your Xenon card resolves, and to make things even trickier, let’s say it’s actually ahead of you. In this case, you’ll actually move away from that ship, but in a backwards kind of way!

Hey there! Let’s talk about Xenon, a really cool Repulsor card. So, imagine this: you’re playing a game against two opponents, and they’ve both made their moves before you. But guess what? The spaceship closest to you is still behind you! Now, here’s where the Repulsor Movement comes in. It basically moves your Blue spaceship forward 3 spaces, all the way to space number 15. How awesome is that?

Now, Hold on Tight! Movement Phase 4: Emergency Stop!

So here’s the situation: you’re in the lead right now, but you don’t have another Repulsor Movement card in your hand. It’s a bit of a dilemma, but don’t worry, I’ve got a plan. I’ll play my Lithium card and hope that one of the other players surpasses me before my turn comes around again.

But, oh no! My opponents play their Plutonium and Thorium cards, which means my Lithium card will take effect first. Since the closest spaceship is behind me, I’ll end up moving backwards. That’s definitely not what I want. But don’t panic just yet – I’ve got an ace up my sleeve in the form of my Emergency Stop! card.

Okay, time to put my Emergency Stop! card into action. I’ll flip it over, discard my Lithium card without making any movement, and completely halt my progress. Meanwhile, my opponents can still go ahead and resolve their own cards as usual.

Movement Phase 5: In The Middle

And there you have it – now I find myself surrounded by my opponents! The tables have turned, and the game just got a lot more intense.

As I approach the end of the game, I have only two cards left in my hand. I decide to play my Argon Fuel Card because I want to go first and move just 1 space. When I play my A, I move forward 1 space.

When I land on the Red spaceship, I get to move an extra space. This is because there can only be one spaceship per space.

But wait a minute — weren’t the spaceships in front and behind your spaceship at the same distance? When there’s a tie for the nearest spaceship when your Fuel Card is used, we break the tie by counting the total number of spaceships, including the derelicts, on each side of the surrounded spaceship.

In this situation, there are two derelict spaceships ahead of you, on spaces #26 and #36. Therefore, the majority of the gravitational pull is in front of you this turn. Keep in mind that a “surround” can happen even when the nearest spaceship in front and behind you is not right next to you. They could be 5 spaces ahead and 5 spaces behind!

If I find myself in a situation where the spaceships ahead and behind me are equidistant and there are an equal number of spaceships on both sides, I’m stuck! It doesn’t matter if there’s one spaceship 4 spaces behind me and another 11 spaces ahead of me. The closer spaceship behind me doesn’t make a difference. And I don’t consider a spaceship in the Singularity when dealing with equidistant spaceships or breaking a tie.

Now, let’s talk about the Tractor Beam in Movement Phase 6. The Tractor Beam is a powerful tool that allows me to manipulate the position of other spaceships. With the Tractor Beam, I can choose a spaceship and move it up to 2 spaces in any direction! It’s important to keep in mind that I cannot move a spaceship into the Singularity or onto a Black Hole. So, if I want to strategically position spaceships or create obstacles for other players, the Tractor Beam is the way to go!

Hey there! Looks like you only have one Fuel Card left, and it’s time to play it in Movement Phase 6. Here’s what’s going to happen: your Jakarium, which is a brand new element, will be resolved first. Its Tractor Beam ability will come into play and move every spaceship on the board closer to you. Each spaceship will be moved 2 spaces closer to your position.

So here’s the deal: we’ve got a bunch of spaceships, and we need to move them around. We start by moving the spaceships closest to us and work our way out. If two spaceships are the same distance away, we move the one that’s closest to the Singularity first. And by the way, no using the Emergency Stop! to get out of this.

The Red spaceship is the closest, so we move it 2 spaces towards us. But hold on, if we do that, it’ll end up landing on our space. So instead, it slides over and goes ahead of us into the next empty space.

Next up is the Yellow spaceship. It’s not as close as the Red one, but it’s still pretty near. It moves 2 spaces towards us. And here’s the tricky part: the derelict spaceship moves 2 spaces towards us too. But don’t worry, we’ll keep track of which spaceships we’ve moved already by turning them 90 degrees. Remember, each spaceship can only be moved once this way.

When I activate my Tractor Beam, I can bring the derelict ship at position #36 closer to me. It’s like a magical force pulling it towards me, almost as if I’m using a superpower. The derelict ship starts moving, shifting its position on the game board, and it’s quite fascinating to watch.

Now we move on to the next phase as usual. You need to pay attention to what your opponents do when they resolve the Fuel Cards they played. If the Yellow ship is the next one to move, it will be stuck because there are other ships equidistant ahead and behind it, and there is an extra ship on each side. Your Blue ship is positioned behind the Yellow ship, and there’s another abandoned ship further ahead.

Finishing a Round

A Round comes to an end when each player has used up all six of their Fuel Cards. This is when everyone reveals their Emergency Stop! card and keeps it face up. You can use this card again in the next Round. Make sure to shuffle all 26 Fuel Cards together before starting a new Round.

The round-tracking pawn is moved forward by one space to the next highest number. If the pawn is currently on Round 6 or lower, it’s time to begin a brand new Round!

Choosing Cards in Rounds 2 to 6

Alright, here’s the deal. I’m going to explain how the draft works in this game called Fuel Cards. Pay close attention, because it’s a bit different than what you might expect.

So, we start by shuffling all 26 Fuel Cards. Then, we deal them into stacks. Each stack has one face-down card and one face-up card. We make as many stacks as there are players times 3. Got it so far?

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The draft order in Rounds 2 through 6 doesn’t depend on the player’s age. Instead, it’s based on the position of your spaceship on the board.

The player who is farthest from the Warp Gate gets to draft first. Makes sense, right? And the player who is closest to the Warp Gate gets to draft last. We call this draft order “Last place to first place”. The order of drafting is solely determined by your position on the board. Pretty cool, huh?

Oh, and one more thing: If there are multiple players in the Singularity at the start of a Round, they will draft in age order. The younger player goes first.

Let me explain a bit more:

What happens when your Fuel Card is resolved?

Hey there! I want to give you a friendly reminder rather than a boring rule. In this game, the other spaceships move just as unpredictably as yours does. So, the key is to try and anticipate where the nearest spaceships will be when your Fuel Card kicks in.

Now, here’s an interesting tip for you. If you choose a card that begins with a letter close to A, you’ll get to move early in the round. This means you’ll make your move before the other spaceships around you. It’s a great way to avoid being thrown off by their sudden new positions. On the other hand, if you play a card close to the letter Z, you’ll likely move after the other players make their moves.

Oh! And here’s a little secret about derelicts. They’re much easier to predict since they don’t move on their own. So, when you’re deciding which Fuel Card to play, you don’t need to worry about calculating where you’ll end up in the end. You won’t even know which direction you’ll be moving until your Fuel Card takes effect!

I know it can be frustrating when the other player’s movements mess up your plans, but don’t worry! That’s why you have the Emergency Stop! card.

Now, when you pass or go over another spaceship, you still count their space. For example, if you move 8 spaces and after moving 3 spaces you enter another spaceship’s space, you just count their space as one of your 8 and keep moving past them.

That’s the whole point of Gravwell – you use other players and the derelicts to pull you towards victory, like a slingshot.

But here’s an important rule: if your spaceship is still moving and you land on another spaceship, you don’t get a free move to an empty space on the other side of them. That only happens when you finish your move on another spaceship.

Oh, and don’t forget about the derelicts!

When spaceships get trapped in the powerful force known as the Gravwell, they become motionless wrecks. But don’t let that discourage you because these derelicts actually serve a purpose. They supply the gravitational pull necessary for your spaceship to reach the Warp Gate and find your way back home. It’s like turning their misfortune into our advantage!

Now, the derelicts don’t just move on their own. They require the help of a Tractor Beam card to shift them around. And here’s an important rule: your spaceship can’t share the same space as a derelict. So, if you happen to end up on a derelict while moving forwards or backwards, you’ll have to keep going until you find an empty space to land on. It’s kind of like a cosmic game of leapfrog!

The Singularity

But not all areas of space are affected by the Gravwell. Inside the Singularity, you’re free from its grasp. Any movement card you play will push you forward and launch you out of this strange realm. However, if you play a Repulsor Movement card while in the Singularity, you’ll stay put. It’s like the Singularity is saying, “Nope, I’m not letting you go anywhere!”

On the other hand, if you decide to play a Tractor Beam card while in the Singularity, things get interesting. The Tractor Beam will attract spaceships from outside the Singularity towards you, including those derelicts. It’s like creating your very own gravitational pull, pulling in everything around you. Talk about a space party!

Emergency Stop! Card

I have something important to share with you. It’s about this incredible tool called the Emergency Stop! Card. I’m here to tell you all about it, so let’s dive in!

Picture this: you’re in a dangerous and urgent situation, and you need help immediately. That’s where the Emergency Stop! Card comes in. It’s like having a lifeline in your pocket.

When you carry the Emergency Stop! Card with you, you have a way to communicate your distress quickly and easily. In those critical moments, every second counts, and this card can make all the difference.

Now, you might be wondering, “How does it work?” It’s simple. The Emergency Stop! Card has essential information on it that can help emergency responders understand your situation better and provide the right assistance.

On this card, you can write down critical information like your name, address, and any medical conditions or allergies you may have. You can also include emergency contacts, so the authorities know who to reach out to in case of an emergency.

What’s great about the Emergency Stop! Card is that it’s small and lightweight. You can easily carry it in your wallet, purse, or even attach it to your keychain. That way, you’ll always have it with you when you need it most.

Remember, emergencies can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. By having the Emergency Stop! Card, you can be prepared and confident that you have a way to communicate your needs effectively.

So, I encourage you to consider getting an Emergency Stop! Card for yourself or a loved one. It’s a simple yet powerful tool that can make a real difference in an emergency situation. Stay safe and be prepared!

Hey there! Let me tell you about this awesome card called the Emergency Stop! card. It’s a special card that serves two important functions during the game. First, it helps you and the other players keep track of which color spaceship you’re playing with. And second, it can actually save you from making a move that might not be so great for your ultimate goal of reaching the Warp Gate.

So, here’s how it works. At the beginning of each Round, you place your Emergency Stop! card face up in front of you. It stays there throughout the game. Now, during the Movement Phase, when it’s your turn to play your Fuel Card, you have a special option. Instead of using your Fuel Card, you can choose to flip your Emergency Stop! card face down instead.

By doing this, you prevent your spaceship from moving during that particular Movement Phase. Your Fuel Card is discarded like normal, and you can just take a break from moving forward. It’s a pretty clever move that can help you avoid any unfavorable backward movements at a bad time. Nobody wants that!

But here’s the thing: moving backward isn’t always a terrible thing in this game. In fact, the player who’s at the back of the pack actually gets the advantage of choosing cards first in each round. So, there might be some situations where moving backward can actually be a good strategy. It’s definitely something to keep in mind!

After every Round, when you reach the end, turn your Emergency Stop! card around and keep it handy for the next Round.

Remember, there are no extra goodies or rewards for not utilizing your Emergency Stop! card. You can’t hold onto it to employ it twice within a single Round.