Overview

Bausack is a dexterity and negotiation game in which players build precarious towers from oddly shaped wooden blocks. On each turn, a player either auctions off a block (Build) or forces another player to accept one (Push). Players bid with a limited pool of tokens and must carefully balance their tower while managing their resources. The last player with a standing tower wins.

Components

• 70 wooden building blocks (various unusual shapes)
• 1 bean sack
• 1 height measurer
• Tokens (10 per player)
• Instructions

Setup

1. Place all 70 wooden pieces on the table within easy view and reach of all players.
2. Give each player a pool of 10 tokens, which must remain plainly visible to all players.
3. Each player should have a flat, stable play area roughly 2 feet square.
4. The youngest player goes first; play proceeds clockwise.

Turn Structure

On your turn, you have two options: Build or Push. Once the action is resolved, the turn passes to the next player clockwise.

Actions

Build

1. Select a piece from the central pile. You may pick up and examine any piece(s), but you may not touch your tower or anyone else’s tower with them.
2. Choose an opening bid, which can be zero.
3. Starting with the next player clockwise, players may either pass or set a higher bid (up to the number of tokens they have remaining).
4. If a player passes, they may no longer bid on that piece.
5. The highest bidder pays that amount to the bank and immediately places the piece on their tower.
6. If the piece is the player’s first, it becomes their foundation.
7. If the active player is outbid, they must either choose another piece to Build or switch to a Push action.

Push

1. Select a piece from the central pile. You may examine pieces but may not touch any tower.
2. The piece goes to the next player clockwise, who must either:
   • Accept the piece and immediately place it on their tower, OR
   • Pay 1 token to the bank to pass it to the next player.
3. Each time the piece is passed, the cost of passing increases by 1 token:
   • 1st pass: 1 token
   • 2nd pass: 2 tokens
   • 3rd pass: 3 tokens
   • And so on.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• The winner is the player whose tower is the last one standing, even if only briefly before it collapses.
• If all pieces have been successfully placed and more than one player remains, the game ends in a draw.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Foundation and Tower

• The first piece placed is the foundation and is the only piece allowed to touch the table surface.
• All subsequent pieces must be balanced on the foundation or on another piece in the tower.

Placing Pieces

• Once you accept a piece, you must place it before play can proceed.
• You may not touch your tower or move pieces already placed.
• However, you may use an accepted piece to adjust the position of pieces already on your tower.
• Once you let go of a piece, it is placed and cannot be picked up or adjusted (except by using a subsequent accepted piece).

Tower Collapse

• A tower has collapsed if, at any time and for any reason, a piece other than the foundation touches the table surface. This includes pieces being placed.
• When a tower collapses, that player is eliminated: all their pieces return to the supply and all tokens return to the bank.
• If a tower collapses on a player’s turn before they choose a piece, they may use the newly available pieces.
• A collapsing tower may knock into another player’s tower and cause it to collapse as well.

Token Pool

• Players start with exactly 10 tokens and do not gain any more during the game.
• Spent tokens go to the bank and are not recoverable.

Player Reference

Action	Description	Cost
Build (bid)	Auction a piece; highest bidder places it	Bid amount in tokens
Build (zero bid)	Take a piece for free if no one outbids	0 tokens
Push (accept)	Accept a pushed piece and place it	Free
Push (pass, 1st)	Refuse a pushed piece	1 token
Push (pass, 2nd)	Refuse a pushed piece	2 tokens
Push (pass, nth)	Refuse a pushed piece	n tokens

Win condition: Last tower standing wins. If all pieces placed with multiple towers standing, it is a draw.