Starting The Game
With /join four or six players can join the game. With /start the game begins. Alternatively, you can use the Game Tool!
This page provides information on how to use the online interface. For more information you can download the original rules (in German) for Dog and Dog Royal as a PDF file.
Ebenso für die Black Dog Veriante
Object of the Game
Dog isn't simply an expanded version of "SORRY". The added twist of cards and playing in teams brings its own unique flair which will have you coming back again and again.
Game Board
- Own hand
- Indicator for cards to swap
- Start area
- Starting space
- Goal
- Number of discarded cards
- Discard pile
- Deck (with number of cards)
- Indicator of the starting player
- Player display with card counts
Flow of the game
The game generally follows the idea of "Sorry" or similar parcheesi-like games: Each player tries to get his pieces out of his home and run them around the board until they finally reach their goal area. This, however, is a partnership game, with blue and yellow teaming up against green and red. While joining, the first two and the last two players joining will be put together as teams.
The Cards
Cards are used instead of dice to move the pawns. In the first round each player gets six cards, in the subsequent rounds they get one card less, thus 5/4/3/2 cards each. They then start the round with 6 card each and so on. The starting player moves clockwise each round.
At the beginning of each round, each player swaps one card with his partner. To do this, you click on the desired card in the card indicator (1) on the left. Until all players have chosen cards to swap, the choices can still be revised. You can see which players have chosen their card already in the player dashboard (10).
Even though it should be self evident in all games which do not specifically allow this: any kind of consultation between players, or exchanges which cards you have, want to have or want to be played is against the rules.
The cards are either blue number cards or red special cards. The blue cards simply indicate the number of spaces a piece is moved forward.
Basic rules for moving:
- The movement number must be used completely, it is not allowed to move fewer spaces.
- Pieces can only be moved forward (exception: the four card)
- You can leap over occupied spaces, but they count as spaces moved.
- You may not leap over other pieces in the goal area.
- If you end on an occupied space, that piece is put back into its start area - even if it is one of your own.
To move one of your pieces, you just pull the card you'd like to play onto the target piece (drag & drop). Whenever two pieces are close to each other, watch for the one that brightens when the card shrinks - that's your indication that it's the target piece.
To move a pawn from your home to the game board, you need one of the two start cards with a little arrow on it.
If you play one of these cards, you can move a piece from the start area to the starting space. On your own starting space, your piece is protected, no other piece can kick it out, leap over it or swap position with it - not even one of your own or your partner's.
If you can't - or don't want to - move a piece to the start space, you can use these cards for normal movement. The 13 allows you to move 13 spaces forward; the 11 allows you to move either 1 space or 11 spaces.
The exchange card allows a player to exchange one of their own pieces with a piece of a another player, either partner or opponent. Pieces in their start areas, goal areas or on their starting spaces after leaving home may not be exchanged.
+/-4 is the only card which allows backward movement. This can come in handy, for example, when you're standing on the starting space. You can move your piece backward and in the next round, if you have the right cards, move it forward into your goal area. When you play the card, you get a choice to either move 4 spaces forward or backward.
With the 7, you may divide the movement points among several of your own pieces. You can for example decide to move 2 spaces with one piece, 4 with another and 1 with a third. You have to use up all 7 points. Exception: If you use a 7 to move your last piece into your home column, you can use the leftover points to help your partner. (See END OF THE GAME.)
Another feature of this card is that it "burns" pieces that are leapt over. They are returned to their home areas - even if they are your own.
The wild card can be used instead of any other card - for example as a starting card.
To play the wild card, simply click on it. A selection of the available cards opens and you can click on the desired card in order to drag it to the piece normally.
Reaching the goal
When a pawn has gone round the board (or is close to home after having used special cards like the exchange card or the 4), the following points should be considered:
- You have to move into the goal area via your start space: The start space counts normally. If you reach the start space exactly , you may not move on to your goal. You have to make another run round the board.
- You can only move forward into the HOME area.
- You have to move into your HOME exactly. You should play a card that enables you to reach one of the four (Available) spaces in your HOME, leftover points are not allowed. You may not leap over pieces in your HOME! You have to move them first in order to free spaces for your other pawns. If you have only high cards (with too many movement points), then you will have to go round again.
Passing
If a player is unable to move any piece, he has to discard all his cards and pass for the rest of the round.
End of the Game
If a player has moved all four pieces into his goal, he uses his cards to help his partner. On his turn, he moves one of his partner's pieces normally, using his own cards. The game ends when one team has reached the respective goals with all eight pieces.
Game Options
Black
Mit dieser Option kann man Black Dog spielen. Bei Black Dog gelten die Regeln des Grundspiels mit folgenden Änderungen:
- Der Aufbau des Spielfeldes ist leicht abweichend da das Start/Zielfeld "verschoben" ist.
- Eine schwarze Figur, der Black Dog, der jede Figur schlägt auf oder über die er zieht.
- Eine Scheibe die sich bei Betreten der mit Pfoten markierten Feldern in eine vom aktiven Spieler bestimmte Richtung um 90 Grad dreht und alle darauf befindlichen Figuren "mitdreht".
- Es gibt neue Karten, die teilweise die Karten aus dem Originalspiel ersetzen. Das Fragezeichen gibt es bei Black Dog nicht.
Mit der 5 und der 6 zieht man einen seiner Pöppel 5 bzw. 6 Felder weiter. Im Anschluss zieht der BlackDog ebenso 5 oder 6 Felder und "frisst" dabei alle Figuren an denen er vorüberzieht, oder darauf landet.
Mit der 1-7 darf man mit einem Pöppel zwischen einem und sieben Felder vorwärts ziehen. Übersprungene Pöppel werden dabei nicht geschlagen. Im Anschluss zieht er den Black Dog die selbe gewählte Anzahl von Feldern.
The copy card copies the previously played card. The copy card can not be played as the first card in a round.
The magnet card pulls a pawn to the space directly behind the next pawn on the board. The magnet cannot be used to pull a pawn into the goal area.
Mit der 4 darf man hier nicht rückwärts ziehen, dafür darf man aber die 4 Punkte beliebig aufteilen und dabei auch mit den Pöppeln des Partners ziehen. Nachdem ein Spieler alle 4 Pöppel im Ziel hat, dürfen die Spieler dieses Teams die 4 Bewegungspunkte sowohl auf die Eigenen als auch auf die Pöppel der Gegner aufteilen (auch komplett).
Die vollständige Black Dog Regel findet ihr auf der Seite des Schmidt Verlags: Black Dog Regeln
Royal
With this option you can play the game Dog Royal. The rules of the basic game apply, with the following changes:
- At the beginning of each round, each player receives five new cards.
- Before the game begins, each player (starting with the first player) must place one of his pawns on his starting space.
- Each of the four pawns has a rank. The highest ranking pawn is the King, followed by the Knight, the Citizen and the Jester. To pass another pawn these ranks must be respected. It is only allowed to pass an equal-rank or lower-rank pawn. However, rank does not apply when capturing (exception: a King can only be captured by another King).
- When a pawn lands on one of the four special spaces, the player immediately gets an additional card (unless the pawn got there with the exchange card, or the special teleport of the Citizen.
When a pawn lands on a special space, the player immediately gains an additional card, unless it got there by using the exchange card or the special ability of the citizen.
- Each of the four pawns has a special ability:
King: The king can only be captured by another king (unless the king is standing on another player's starting space, then it can be beaten by any pawn of the other player).
The king may only be moved with cards of value 1 to 7, an exchange card, or a magnet card. However, it can be taken out of the home area with either 13 or 1/11.
Knight: The Knight is the only pawn that may move past your own or other players' blocked start spaces, provided he respects rank.
Citizen: When the citizen lands on a special space he may , after drawing a card, jump to the next unoccupied special space. For this jump it does not need to observe ranking rules or blocked starting spaces.
Jester: The jester may, when moving to the goal area, forfeit up to 2 points of the played card's value.
- There are additional cards, which replace some of the cards from the original game. The question mark (wild) is not used in Dog Royal.
With 10 and 4 you can pass another pawn, even when the ranks do not have normally allow it.
With the 1-7 card, a pawn may move between one and seven spaces. Other pawns that it passes during this move are not captured.
The copy card copies the previously played card. The copy card can not be played as the first card in a round.
The magnet card pulls a pawn to the space directly behind the next pawn on the board. The magnet cannot be used to pull a pawn into the goal area.
