Monad Game Rules

Welcome to the world of Monad! In this exhilarating game, you are about to embark on an adventure filled with mind-bending challenges and endless possibilities. As you dive into the captivating realms of Monad, be prepared to unravel the mysteries and conquer the complexities that lie ahead.

Let’s get started by exploring the important rules of the game. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!

1. Objective: Your main goal in Monad is to complete each level by reaching the exit portal. Sounds simple, right? Well, not quite. Each level is designed to test your mental agility and problem-solving skills. Prepare to be challenged!

2. Movement: To navigate the world of Monad, you will use the arrow keys on your keyboard. Use the up arrow to jump, the left and right arrows to move left and right, and the down arrow to crouch or descend ladders.

3. Gravity: In Monad, gravity is your friend and your foe. You will need to understand the nature of gravity to overcome obstacles and progress through the levels. Remember, what goes up must come down!

4. Elements: The levels in Monad are filled with various elements that can help or hinder your progress. Keep an eye out for switches, platforms, springs, and more. Experiment and use these elements wisely to your advantage.

5. Gems: Along your journey, you will come across shimmering gems. Collecting these gems is not only satisfying but also essential for unlocking hidden secrets and additional levels. Keep your eyes peeled for these precious treasures.

6. Enemies: Beware of the enemies that roam the world of Monad! From menacing creatures to cunning traps, you will encounter a variety of challenges that require quick reflexes and clever tactics to overcome.

7. Checkpoints: The journey through Monad can be tough, but fear not! Checkpoints are strategically placed throughout the game, allowing you to respawn at a specific point when you fail. Embrace them as beacons of hope on your adventure.

8. Exploration: Monad is a vast and immersive world. Take your time to explore every nook and cranny, for hidden secrets and surprises await those who are curious enough to seek them out. Who knows what wonders you may discover!

Now that you know the rules of the game, it’s time to unleash your inner adventurer and dive into the captivating world of Monad. Get ready to challenge your mind, conquer your fears, and uncover the mysteries that await. Good luck, and may the force of Monad be with you!

Hey there! Have you heard about the fascinating game called Monad? It’s a game of skill that can be played by 2 to 4 players. In this game, you’ll need to do some advance planning because the goal is to strategically trade, buy, and leap your way from the lowest cards to the highest.

Trading is one way to move forward in the game. It allows you to take small steps towards your ultimate goal. On the other hand, buying lets you advance faster, but it requires more cards than trading. And if you want to bypass some steps, you can choose to leap, although it usually comes with a cost.

As you play, you’ll need to make skillful decisions to race against other players and collect the required number of valuable Monads. Whoever achieves this goal first will be the winner of the game!

Components

• 58 Card Deck (7 sets of 6 colors plus Identity and Bonus cards)
• 10 Monad Disks
• Rulebook

Cards

The deck of playing cards is divided into seven sets with a total of 58 cards. Each set consists of six different colors – three warm colors (red, orange, and yellow) and three cool colors (purple, blue, and green).

There are also Bonus cards that display three combinations of colors – red/purple, orange/blue, and yellow/green. The other cards each feature one of the six colors from the sets.

The Common, Bi, Tri, Quad, and Quint cards have a point value displayed in the middle, while the Bonus and Identity cards are for reference only and do not have point values.

When it comes to Trading, Buying, or Leaping, cards have different ranks: Common (lowest), Bi, Tri, Quad, and Quint (highest).

Setting Up

The number of Bonus, Common, and Identity cards used in a game depends on how many players are playing. Once you have sorted the deck into sets, you need to remove certain cards from the game:

• For 2 Players: Remove 2 Bonus cards, 12 Commons (two of each color), and 4 Identity cards (any colors).
• For 3 Players: Remove 1 Bonus card, 6 Commons (one of each color), and 3 Identity cards (red, orange, and yellow).
• For 4 Players: Remove 2 Identity cards (yellow and green).

Okay, here’s what we need to do. First, we have to remove some cards. Then, we’ll put a Bonus card in front of each player, face up. Keep the rest of the cards separate, and place an Identity card next to each player’s Bonus card.

Now, let’s arrange the Bi, Tri, Quad, and Quint cards in columns on the table. You can check the picture to see how they should look. On the right side of the Quint cards, stack the 10 Monads, which are these disc-shaped objects, face up.

Finally, we’re going to deal six Commons to each player. Remember, we’ll do it one card at a time, and they should be face down.

Before the first play, there are no Commons on the table. The first player will create the discard pile. The drawing deck is created when a player “flips” the discard pile during their turn.

Each player starts with a hand of six Commons, and the game begins. The player to the left of the dealer goes first, and then play moves clockwise.

Let’s Play

The goal of the game is to progress from the Commons cards to the Monads cards by trading, buying, and leaping. During your turn, you can make as many trades, buys, or leaps as you want.

(All the transactions are done with the table, not with other players). If you don’t want to or can’t make any of these plays, you can use your turn to either draw from or “flip” the Commons, or you can pass.

Trading

Trading is how I make progress in the game. When it’s my turn, I can exchange two cards from my hand for the top card in the column above. To make a trade, one of the cards I give away must be a warm color, like red, orange, or yellow, and the other one must be a cool color, like purple, blue, or green.

To help me remember which colors are warm and cool, I look at my bonus card. On the right side of the card, there are warm colors marked with a “w,” and on the left side, there are cool colors marked with a “c”.

I can trade two cards of the same set to get a higher set. For example, I can trade two common cards for a Bi card, or two Bi cards for a Tri card. If I have two Quint cards, I can trade them to get a Monad card. But remember, I can only make a trade if there are cards of the next higher set available on the table. If there aren’t any, I have to wait for my next turn to trade.

When I play Traded Commons, I put them face up in the discard pile. Other cards that I trade go to the bottom of their columns, also face up, so I can see the symbols. I take the top card from the next higher set and add it to my hand. I also place a Monad card on the table next to my Bonus card.

Let me give you an example. Imagine I’m the first player and I decide to trade two Commons – a yellow one and a blue one. The yellow is a warm color and the blue is cool. I trade them for the top Bi card, which happens to be blue. Then, I trade two more Commons – a red one and a green one – for the top Bi card, which is now yellow.

Now, let’s say I want to trade those blue and yellow Bi cards for the top Tri card. If there are no Tri cards on the table, I won’t be able to make that trade. But if there are, I can go ahead and make the exchange.

Now, let’s talk about Bonus Play.

If you trade two cards and the colors match one of the three combinations on the Bonus card, you get a bonus. The combinations are red/purple, orange/blue, or yellow/green. Your bonus includes the top card from each set lower than the traded cards, including a Common card from the drawing deck.

If any of the sets are not on the table, you lose that part of your bonus. You cannot take a Common card from the discard pile. Trading Commons does not give you a bonus. You can only take one bonus per turn.

If you don’t take your bonus right after the trade, you lose the entire bonus. However, it might be a good idea to skip a smaller bonus if you can trade for a bigger one later in your turn. To show that you have taken a bonus, flip your bonus card face down on the table. At the end of your turn, flip the card face up again.

Example: So, let’s say I trade a green and a yellow card for a higher-level card called a Tri. This Tri card gives me a bonus – an extra card that I can draw from the deck. But here’s the interesting part: instead of taking this bonus right away, I decide to wait. You see, later in the game, I plan to trade a purple and a red card for an even higher-level card called a Monad. And guess what? The Monad card gives me an even bigger bonus – four cards: a Quad, a Tri, a Bi, and a Common. So, why settle for a smaller bonus when I can wait and get a much bigger one?

Wild Cards

Now, let’s talk about wild cards. They’re like a secret weapon that can help you in trading. Your Identity card tells you which cards – Bi, Tri, Quad, and Quint – you can use as wild cards. A wild card can act as a substitute for a card from a different set, usually a higher-level one. But remember, you can only use one wild card per trade, and you need to make sure that one of the cards you’re trading is a warm color and the other is a cool color.

But here’s the catch: when you use a wild card, you can’t collect a bonus, even if the colors match a combination on the Bonus card. So, it’s a bit of a trade-off. You get to trade for a higher-level card, but you miss out on the bonus. It’s up to you to decide what’s more important in that moment.

Here’s an example: I have a yellow Identity card, and I also have a purple and a green Quint along with a yellow Bi. With my Bi as a wild card and one of the Quints, I’m going to trade for a Monad. Just so you know, if I trade the green Quint and the yellow Bi, I won’t get any bonus.

Time to Buy

Buying comes in handy when you’re having trouble getting cards for trading. When it’s time to buy, you only need to consider the point value in the center of each card.

To buy the top card from a column, you simply have to play any two or more cards that have a total point value equal to or greater than the value of the card you want to buy. But keep in mind, none of the “played” cards can be the same as or higher than the card you’re trying to buy.

In the game, I can buy a Monad if the total value of my cards is 80 points or more. Once I play a card, it goes to the bottom of its respective column, which is called Commons. If I decide to buy a Monad, it goes into my hand, unless it’s a Monad card itself, in which case it goes on the table next to my Bonus card.

Just a heads up, no matter how high the value of the cards I play, I won’t get any change in return.

For example, let’s say I traded some Commons for Bi cards and ended up with two warm Bi cards. Since I can’t trade anymore, I can buy the top Tri card by using my two Bi cards and one Common. The total value of the cards I played is 7, which is the same as the value of a Tri.

Let’s Talk About Leaping

Leaping is a way to skip one or more sets and go straight for the Monads. To be able to leap, I need to “prepare” first by making at least one other play in that turn, whether it’s trading or buying. When I decide to leap, I have to play four, five, or six Commons of different colors all at once.

In return for four Commons of different colors, you can take a Tri card. And if you have five Commons, you can get a Quad card. Finally, if you have six Commons, you can grab a Quint card.

Drawing and Flipping

If you don’t want to trade, buy, or jump, you have the option to either draw from or “flip” the Commons on your turn. The main purpose of drawing is to add more cards to your hand.

If there is a deck for drawing Commons, you can simply draw the top card on your turn.

If there is no drawing deck available but there is a discard pile, you can “flip” the discard pile. This means you turn it face down without changing the order of the cards, and it becomes a new drawing deck. Doing this uses up your entire turn.

Passing

When playing the game, you are allowed to pass if you cannot make any trades, draw cards from the deck, or “flip” the Commons. Another option to pass is if you cannot buy a card or Monad using two cards of the immediately lower set and enough additional cards to reach the required total.

To pass, you must show your hand to prove that you are unable to do any of the above actions.

Let me give you an example. Imagine you have a Bi and four Commons in your hand. At the moment, there is no Bi card on the table, but there is a Tri card. Since there is neither a drawing deck nor a discard pile, you can show your hand and pass. However, if you had two Bi cards and four Commons, you would be forced to buy the Tri card.

The Game’s End

The number of Monads needed to win depends on the number of players. The first player to obtain the required number of Monads will win the game:

• 2 Players – 5 Monads
• 3 Players – 4 Monads
• 4 Players – 3 Monads

Rules for Playing as a Team

If you and three friends want to play as teams, here’s how it works: your partner sits across from you. The game is played just like normal, and the first team to get 5 Monads wins!