Puluc Game Rules

How to Play Puluc

Objective

Puluc, also called Boolik, or Bul, is a two-player war game played in Guatemala (Central America). The board contains a track with 9 slots with one home slot for each player at the two ends of the track. Each player plays with 5 pieces of his/her color. The objective of the game is to kill all of opponent pieces.

Gameplay

• The first player is decided randomly. In this version white start first.
• The game is played by rolling 4 casting sticks which are marked on one side. The number of marked sides is counted as the rolled value. If all sides show blank, then the rolled value is counted as 5.
• All pieces are placed in the player's respective home slot at the beginning.
• Players take turn to move one piece in each turn by the number of rolled value. A piece in the home slot can enter track and move by the number of spaces equal to the rolled value. A piece already on the track can move forward by rolled value.
• A piece can not land on top of its own kind unless that piece is captive of the opponent.
• A piece can land on opponent piece and hold opponent piece captive in the process. If opponent piece had captive pieces, those pieces are freed and become companion to its own piece. All those pieces in one slot are moved together along with the captor.
• When a piece lands on opponent home slot or passes it (meaning the rolled value takes the piece beyond the home slot), then that piece returns back to its home slot along with its companions if any. If the piece had opponent pieces as captives, those pieces are killed and removed from the board. Landing on opponent home slot does not make opponent piece captive, neither does it kill any opponent piece.
• The first player to kill all opponent pieces wins. The game ends as soon as any player has all of his/her pieces either killed or held captive by the opponent.

Reference rules: Cyningstan