Overview

Kulami is a two-player abstract strategy game where players place glass marbles on a field of interconnecting wooden panels. Each player tries to control as many panels as possible by having a majority of their colored marbles on each panel. The player with the most points from controlled panels wins.

Components

• 17 wooden panels of various sizes: 4x6-field panels, 5x4-field panels, 4x3-field panels, 4x2-field panels
• 28 red glass marbles
• 28 black glass marbles

Setup

1. Arrange the 17 panels into a game field. Two standard layouts exist:
   • Closed square: equal rows with 8 fields per row
   • Irregular: extended area with a maximum of 10 fields in any direction
2. Each player selects a color (red or black) and takes 28 marbles.
3. Determine first player: one player hides a red marble in one hand and black in the other; the opponent picks a hand to reveal the first player’s color.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns, each placing one marble on any available space following the placement rules.

Actions

Placement Rules

1. First marble: Place anywhere on the field.
2. Subsequent marbles: Must be placed in one of the two rows (horizontal or vertical) that intersect with the position of the previous marble.
3. Off-limits rule: Cannot place on the same panel as the previous marble, NOR on the panel used the turn before that (the two most recently used panels are off-limits).
4. Rows continue across gaps or holes in the field.

Key Terms

• Panel: A single wooden piece (2, 3, 4, or 6 fields)
• Field: A single circular space on a panel
• Row: A horizontal or vertical line across the game field (can cross panel boundaries and gaps)
• Chain: A straight line of same-colored marbles
• Area: A contiguous group of same-colored marbles (orthogonal adjacency only, not diagonal)

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Basic Scoring

1. Disconnect the panels for easier counting.
2. Each panel where one player has more marbles than the other is won by that player.
3. A won panel scores points equal to the total number of fields on that panel (not the number of marbles placed).
4. Panels with a tied number of each color are excluded from scoring.
5. Winner: Most total points.

Advanced Level 1

Score panels as normal, then also score the largest contiguous area of each color (orthogonal adjacency only, not diagonal). The player with the larger area earns bonus points equal to the difference in area sizes.

Advanced Level 2

Score panels and largest area as in Level 1, plus score chains of 5+ same-colored marbles in a straight line:

• 5 marbles = 5 points
• 6 marbles = 6 points, etc.

All bonus points are added to panel points. Highest total wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Game end: When all marbles are placed, OR when a player cannot legally place a marble (both valid rows are fully occupied, or the off-limits rule prevents placement in any available space).
• Off-limits: Only the two most recently used panels are blocked. Panels used earlier can be used again.
• Rows span gaps: A row continues across any holes or missing panels in the field.
• Panel scoring: The full field count of the panel scores, regardless of how many marbles are actually on it. A 6-field panel always scores 6 points if won.

Player Reference

Placement: Must go in a row intersecting the last marble’s position, but NOT on the last 2 panels used.

Scoring: | Panel Size | Points if Won | |————|—————| | 6 fields | 6 | | 4 fields | 4 | | 3 fields | 3 | | 2 fields | 2 |

Win condition: Most points from controlled panels (+ bonuses in advanced modes).