1. About the Game
Blockade is a strategic board game designed by Grow, where players navigate a challenging path filled with advances and barriers. The core objective is to outmaneuver opponents by strategically choosing between moving your pawn or placing barriers to obstruct their progress. Success in Blockade requires unique strategies, anticipating opponent's moves, and surprising them with well-placed obstacles. Each game is a test of intelligence and foresight, with victory going to the player who successfully crosses the board first.
Image 1.1: Front view of the Grow Blockade game box, showcasing the game board and pieces.
2. Components
- 1 Game Board
- 4 Pawns (one for each player, in different colors)
- 20 Wooden Barriers
- Colored Adhesive Tapes (for board marking)
- Instruction Manual
3. Setup
- Prepare the Board: Before the first game, apply the colored adhesive tapes to the edges of the game board as indicated in the instructions. These tapes will permanently mark the starting positions and opposite objectives for each pawn in all future games. For example, the green pawn's objective is the blue tape, and vice-versa. The yellow pawn's objective is the red tape, and vice-versa.
- Distribute Barriers:
- For a 2-player game: Each player receives 10 wooden barriers.
- For a 3 or 4-player game: Each player receives 5 wooden barriers.
- Place Pawns: Each player selects a pawn of their chosen color. Place your pawn in the middle of your designated starting line (marked by the colored tape), ensuring there are four empty spaces on either side of your pawn along that line.
- Determine First Player: Players decide among themselves who will take the first turn.
Image 3.1: The game board with colored tapes applied to its edges, indicating player starting lines and objectives.
Image 3.2: A close-up of the game board showing pawns and barriers in play, illustrating possible moves and placements.
4. How to Play
The game can be played by 2, 3, or 4 participants. On each turn, a player has two possible actions but must choose only one:
- Move your pawn.
- Place a barrier.
4.1. Moving Your Pawn
Pawns can only be moved one square at a time, either forward or sideways. Diagonal movement is not permitted under normal circumstances.
- Jumping Over Opponents: If an opponent's pawn is directly in front of or to the side of your pawn, you are permitted to jump over it to the empty square immediately behind it.
- Diagonal Movement Exception: If your pawn is directly in front of an opponent's pawn, and there is a barrier immediately behind the opponent's pawn, you may move your pawn diagonally to an adjacent empty square.
4.2. Placing a Barrier
Barriers can be placed anywhere on the board, but certain conditions must be followed:
- A barrier must always occupy two squares on the board. It cannot occupy three squares.
- Barriers can be positioned either vertically or horizontally.
- Crucial Rule: You cannot place a barrier in a way that completely blocks an opponent's path to their objective. Every player must always have at least one open path to reach their designated goal line.
Once you run out of barriers, your only remaining option on subsequent turns is to move your pawn. Use your barriers wisely to create strategic advantages and hinder your opponents without completely trapping them.
Video 4.1: Official video demonstrating the rules and gameplay of Grow Blockade, including pawn movement and barrier placement examples.
5. Winning the Game
The first player to successfully move their pawn from their starting line to the opposite side of the board (their objective line) wins the game.
6. Safety Information
Warning: Not recommended for children under 3 years of age due to small parts.
7. Specifications
| Manufacturer: | GROW |
| Brand: | Grow |
| Model Number: | 4408 |
| Material: | Paper (Game board and barriers are primarily paper-based materials) |
| Genre: | Strategy Board Game |
| Number of Players: | 2 to 4 players |
| Product Dimensions: | 16.6 x 11.3 x 0.25 cm; 390 g (Box dimensions) |
8. Support and Additional Resources
For further details, frequently asked questions, or to access online rules and tutorials, please visit the official Grow website or scan the QR code found on the game box:
Image 8.1: Back view of the Grow Blockade game box, showing the QR code for online rules and additional game information.
