Gemlok Game Instructions | Family Board Games

PLAYERS

Recommended for 2 to 4 players, ages 7 to Adult. Accommodates individual players or two teams of two.

One Game Board
2 Dice
32 Pawns (8 blue, 8 red, 8 yellow, 8 green)
One Instruction Booklet with Color Game Play Illustrations
One Score Pad

OBJECT

Players compete for high score by moving their eight pawns onto gems across the game board. Players try to move their pawns onto the highest value gems. Upon completion of the game, players add up the total points under their eight pawns, and high score wins.

Players may “bump” each other in an effort to take gems away from each other. Players may also “bump” themselves in a repositioning strategy. Once positioned on a gem of their choice, players will hope to roll a “Gemlok” and lock in their fortune.

Generally, players will move toward the center of the game board, trying to land on the higher value gems.

Each of the nine gems are worth different point values, varying from one to nine points. They are as follows:

Diamond 9 points
Emerald 8 points
Ruby 7 points
Sapphire 6 points
Jade 5 points
Opal 4 points
Topaz 3 points
Citrine 2 points
Amethyst 1 point

PREPARATION

Players select their individual color of pawn. They place their eight pawns on the outermost row of the game board nearest to them on any of the fourteen blank squares they choose – one pawn per square. If playing with 3 or 4 players, do not place pawns on any of the four corner squares of the game board. The pawns should be placed on the game board with the “GEMLOK” symbol facing down.

To determine who begins play of the game, players should take turns rolling one die until a player rolls a “GEMLOK”. The first player to roll a “GEMLOK” starts the game and thereafter, play is clockwise.

GAME RULES

Each player takes turns rolling the two dice. After they roll the dice, the player will move their pawns according to the patterns shown on the dice. See “Dice Pattern Movement Illustrations” below. A player may move two separate pawns, one following the pattern on the first die and a second pawn following the pattern on the second die OR a player may move a single pawn following the pattern on the first die, followed by the pattern on the second die. If the pattern shows diagonal, the player must move diagonally; if it shows straight, the player must move straight. The player may move in any direction (forward, backward, left or right), but must follow the exact pattern on the die. The players will want to move their pieces toward the higher valued gems, hoping to land on them in order to score higher points at the end of the game.

As players take their turns, one player should track the number of rounds as they are completed onto the score sheet. See “END OF GAME” section.

Only one pawn is allowed on each square of the game board at one time. Players may move over the top of existing pawns while completing their pattern, but they must either complete their pattern onto an empty square, or if an “unlocked” pawn occupies the square they are moving to, they may “Bump” the pawn according to the “BUMPING PAWNS” section. A player may not move onto a square containing a “locked” pawn (one with the “GEMLOK” symbol facing upward).

There is a “GEMLOK” on one face of each of the two dice. When a player rolls a “GEMLOK”, they must lock in one of their pawns on a square (with or without a gem). Players will generally try to lock in their pawns on the highest point value gem that they occupy at the time. If a player rolls a “GEMLOK” on one die, and a pattern on the other die, they may move one pawn following the pattern on the one die prior to locking in a pawn by using the “GEMLOK”. This may allow the player to move one of their pawns onto a higher scoring gem before locking in a pawn. If a player rolls two “GEMLOK’s” during their turn, they must lock in two pawns on two separate squares, and are not allowed to move any pawns during their turn.

When locking in a pawn, the player will simply flip over the pawn so the “GEMLOK” logo is facing up. This will signify that the square is locked and belongs to the player for the duration of the game, and the player's pawn must remain on that square for the duration of the game. No other player may “bump” them from the square. A player may be fortunate enough to lock a pawn on a higher value gem, or they may be less fortunate and forced to lock a pawn on a low value gem or a blank square. They will of course want to lock a pawn on the highest value gem available.

The only exception to the required lock when rolling a “GEMLOK” is during a player’s first turn. During all players’ first turns, they may re-roll a “GEMLOK” until they roll a pattern. After the first turn, when a “GEMLOK” is rolled, players must lock in a pawn on a single square for each “GEMLOK” rolled.

BUMPING PAWNS

Players will want to take advantage of the “bumping pawns” strategy during the game. Players may bump another player’s pawn, or may bump their own pawn during their turn.

The opportunity for bumping pawns will occur when a player is moving their pawn according to the pattern on a die, and the pattern ends on the square of another player’s unlocked pawn. In this situation, in order for the player to occupy this square, they would bump the opponent’s pawn and place their own pawn onto that square. When a player exercises the bump, they will also move the opponent’s pawn within three connecting squares of where the bump occurred. The bumped pawn can be placed one, two or three squares away, in any direction, including straight, diagonal, or a combination of straight and diagonal. The only condition is the player must place the pawn that they bumped onto an unoccupied square (it cannot be occupied which would result in a secondary bump). Only single bumps are allowed during the game. When bumping an opponent’s pawn, a player will likely place the opponent’s pawn in a direction away from the center of the game board where the higher value gems exist. This strategy will place the bumped player at a temporary disadvantage.

A player may also bump their own pawn. This is a very successful strategy that allows a player to place their own bumped pawn onto an unoccupied square closer to the center of the game board where the higher value gems exist. The bumped pawn may be placed on any unoccupied square within three connecting squares of where the initial bump occurred. Unlike the strategy of bumping an opponent’s pawn, in this situation the player will usually place their own bumped pawn closer to the higher value gems, and may be fortunate enough to actually place it on a high value gem.

See “Bumping Pawns” examples below.

END OF GAME

The game ends when one of two actions occur. The first action is when a player locks in all eight of their pawns. Once this occurs, the game ends immediately. There are no additional turns by any player.

The second action may only occur after ten complete rounds of play. After ten rounds have been completed, any player may take their turn and immediately state that they are “ending the game”. A player will end the game when they believe they have the high score based on the gems they currently occupy (some locked, some unlocked). When a player ends the game under this action, all other players receive one more turn. The player who ended the game does not receive an additional turn. The other players have one more chance to “bump” the highest scoring players from their “unlocked” gems in an effort to reduce the leading player’s final score and increase their own score. Players cannot be bumped from their “locked” squares, since they “own” these squares for the remainder of the game.

Once the game is ended under one of the above two actions, players will count the total points of the gems that their pawns are sitting on. Players have eight pawns each, so will add up the total point values of the gems under their eight pawns. Some pawns will likely be sitting on blank squares and these squares will count as zero. Players should state their total points to all players. High score wins.

A score sheet has been provided to keep track of the number of rounds as they occur (top half of score sheet). The score sheet also allows for players to play multiple games of Gemlok, recording the score from each game onto the score sheet (bottom half of score sheet). Once players have completed the total number of games they intend to play, they simply add up the totals from each game to arrive at a grand total for the series of games. The person with the highest grand total score wins the series. Gemlok plays quickly so it is common to play two to four games at one sitting.

GAME STRATEGIES

Several strategies to consider during the game are as follows:

Strategy #1: Always try to keep at least one or two pawns on a higher point value gem. By doing so, if a player rolls one or two “GEMLOK’s”, they will have a higher point value gem to lock in. Especially at the beginning of the game, players should try to place a couple of pawns on gems quickly so they can score some points if they roll a “GEMLOK”.

Strategy #2: When a player is able to execute it, the “bumping opponent’s pawn” strategy can be very effective for placing a pawn on a higher point value gem while bumping the opponent’s pawn toward the edge of the game board, away from the higher value gems. It is most effective for a player to place the opponent’s pawn on a blank square where they score zero points. See “BUMPING PAWNS” section.

Strategy #3: When a player is able to execute it, the “bumping my own pawn” strategy can be very effective for placing their own bumped pawn onto a more favorable square, closer to or on a higher point value gem. See “BUMPING PAWNS” section. This strategy in effect gives the player an extra move.

TEAM PLAY

Gemlok is a great game to play with two teams of two players. All four players will play their individual eight colored pawns. Players may try to execute some great strategical moves to “bump” their partner’s pawns into a more favorable position, closer to the higher value gems. There should be no discussion about strategy between team members during play. The recommended play is for team members to lock in their own pawns when rolling a “GEMLOK”. However, as a variation, players may decide to allow locking in either team member’s pawns when rolling a “GEMLOK”.

Upon completion of the game, team members will add up the values under their combined sixteen pawns in arriving at their total score. High team score wins the game.