POISON POT™ • Stock #3716 • Suggested Retail Price $19.99 OFFICIAL RULES Updated 7/8/04 Note: The rules on this page reflect the most current version available, and may differ slightly from previously printed rules. For 2 or 3 Players. Ages 10 to adult. Equipment   36 light Cauldrons -12 Cauldrons topped in each of Red, Blue and Yellow 1 dark Cauldron - the POISON POT. The playing board     Object of the Game   To end with the largest group of touching cauldrons of your own color which are NOT CONNECTED to the POISON POT. Example showing one player's Cauldrons, and the POISON POT.   In the preceding example the Cauldrons are in three groups:   A) 4 Cauldrons in the upper left,   B) 2 Cauldrons in the upper right, and   C) 6 Cauldrons in the front.   The six Cauldrons (C) in the front also touch the dark POISON POT, so they do not count.   Therefore the largest counted group of Cauldrons for this player is 4. This group would be compared with the other players' groups to see who has the largest overall. To Start   Take the 36 light cauldrons off the playing surface, place them color-side downwards, and mix thoroughly.   Place the POISON POT (dark cauldron) on the center circle of the playing surface.   Players each choose one of the three colors and decide who starts.     The Play   A turn has two parts.       FIRST   A player moves the POISON POT, or ANY other cauldron already on the playing surface, any number of empty spaces and in a straight line.   It cannot pass through a cauldron already on the board, or through the POISON POT    Above: a few examples of the move part of a turn. (Move just one piece.)         SECOND   The player turns up one of the face-down cauldrons, and places it in an empty circle on the playing surface, color-side up.   It may be that the cauldron picked up is your own color, an opponentís color, or, with two players, neutral. (For example, with 2 players, when one player is red and the other blue, the yellow cauldrons are neutral.)   You must place the cauldron that you take, irrespective of its color.       NOTE WELL!   At the end of the game, groups of cauldrons that touch the POISON POT do not count.   It sometimes pays to sacrifice the location of one or more of your own pieces to draw your opponent out of position.     End of the Game   Players take turns performing each of the above actions, in the stated order, until all cauldrons have been placed.   The Winner is then the player with the largest group of connected cauldrons that does not touch the POISON POT.    Example: The group of 4 in the upper left wins. The group of 9 across the center is neutral. Both groups of 6 in the lower left touch the POISON POT.   Example with the POISON POT in the middle. In this case the group of 3 in the lower right is the largest that does not touch the POISON POT.     Resolving Ties   The player who ended the game scores an extra 1/2 pot.   The second-to-last player deducts 1/2 pot.       Enjoy your game!