The basic game of Vortex is Crossing, in which the main objective is to reach the opposite side as quickly as possible with all your coloured routers.
Rotate the towers on the dynamic board to move the routers towards your goal. Outsmart your opponents but beware… every player has his own strategy! It will take all your tactical skills to reach your goal.
Thanks to the dynamic board, every game is unique. Together with your opponents you determine where the start and finish positions are. When you play the game with 2 or 3 players, you‘d probably play solo, when you play with 4 or 6 players it is advised to team up, also see manual ‘advanced & more’… for plenty of variety!
Video Tutorial Start Positions Manual (PDF)
As the name suggests, Crossing Advanced is slightly more advanced than the basic game. The coloured controllers are used more and create unexpected twists during the game.
Rotate the towers on the dynamic board to move the routers towards your goal. With the coloured controllers you can control the towers, leaving your opponents unable to rotate them.
It is also possible to capture a tower of one of your opponents. You will find that this game variant of Vortex requires a great deal more tactical insight.
Together with your opponents you determine where the start and finish positions are. When you play the game with 2 or 3 players, you‘d probably play solo, when you play with 4 or 6 players it is advised to team up… plenty of variety!
Video tutorial Start Positions Manual (PDF)
Especially for younger players, a cat-and-mouse game has been developed for the dynamic Vortex game board, fun for all ages. Do you fancy being the cat or the mouse…?
So you’re the mouse? It is your goal to get in the cupboard behind the grey controllers. As a mouse you can run around as much as you like, until you meet a cat.
So you’re the cat? It is in your nature to try and stop the mouse from reaching the cupboard. Fortunately, you’re not alone, and with four cats on the game board it should be easy to capture the mouse. However, you may only rotate one tower one position ahead per turn. If the mouse always outsmarts the foursome, call for help from a fifth cat.
The game ends when the mouse has reached the cupboard or has been cornered and probably….
Video tutorial Start Positions Manual (PDF)
The dynamic board of Vortex offers tactical challenges for up to 6 players, but for a single player Solitary will prove to be a quite challenging game.
In this game variant all 7 colours are used. The objective is simple: reassemble all the coloured routers around their own tower… However, this might be a little more complex than it looks.
The routers are placed on the dynamic board randomly. Solitary looks a little like Rubik’s Cube. This perhaps serves to illustrate the complexity of the game variant.
Video tutorial Finish Positions Manual (PDF)
These games are basically playable with the content of the first Vortex box, they’re meant to illustrate the wide range of possible games and trigger the enthusiast player to try and create his own!.
Get your King, the grey router with black controller or the yellow router with orange controller, between respectively the grey controllers or the yellow ones, beware however not to get enclosed by your opponent.
In general each player has three moves, for example rotate three towers over one position or one tower over three positions, clockwise or counter clockwise. Equal to Crossing there is a 1-2-3 start-up sequence. You are only allowed to rotate a tower when you outnumber your opponent, being equal will not do!
The grey and yellow routers including the Kings count as one, the black and orange routers as two.
Start Positions
Amazing is actually a maze, try not to get lost…
Your goal is to position the red router between the red controllers in as little rotations as possible. Black towers and routers cannot move, green towers rotate only one or two positions to the right, the yellow ones only one or two positions to the left and the red towers only one position either to the left or to the right.
You may use the same tower several times, however only when alternated by another.
Start Positions
Gathering is based on the same principal as Crossing.
Your starting positions can be random or prefixed symmetrically, your goal would be to gather all of your routers in one cluster, touching (both) your tower(s).
Start Positions
… watch and follow us, or … let us know your own ideas!
Apart from the game variants already mentioned, the Vortex game board can also be used to play some other variants, which will be available as extensions. Below are some examples of extension kits to be added in the near future.
This game variant uses adjusted fields. You no longer play with routers, but instead with tails and heads.
The goal of the game is to reach a final situation and finish without loose tails or heads on the game board. Snakes can also be played as a puzzle.
Challenges Manual (PDF)(date of release: November 2017)
This game variant also uses adjusted fields.
The goal of the game is also to reach a final situation in which there are no loose pieces on the game board.
Challenges(date of release: ?)
Wisps’S (S’mple) is a fairly complex puzzle, solve it by turning all the towers.
You may rotate the pieces in- and outside the centre. The solved puzzle has to be in the centre, a future extension allows you to use the whole board.
Challenges Manual (PDF)(date of release: November 2017)
Wisps’X (X’tra) is an even more complex puzzle, solve it by turning all the towers.
You may rotate the pieces in- and outside the centre. The solved puzzle has to be in the centre.
Challenges Manual (PDF)(date of release: January 2018)
Numbers is meant to challenge both the counting skills and the control of board dynamics.
In the first variant you match only the given total amounts on the orange towers, in the second, more complex variant, you need to match the green towers as well.
Challenges(date of release: ?)
Calculus is the superlative degree also challenging your mathematical skills.
The outcome of the calculations around the orange towers have to match the number on top. For example 4 + 6 / 3 = 6, of course you have to calculate 4 + (6 / 3), being the correct scientific way, to get the right outcome.
Challenges(date of release: ?)
Curves is a nice puzzle, solve it by turning all the towers.
You may rotate the pieces in- and outside the centre. The solved puzzle has to be in the centre, an extension allows you to use the whole board.
Challenges(date of release: ?)
Hives is a nice puzzle, solve it by turning all the towers.
You may rotate the pieces in- and outside the centre. The solved puzzle has to be in the centre, an extension allows you to use the whole board.
Challenges(date of release: ?)
Gems is a nice puzzle, solve it by turning all the towers.
You may rotate the pieces in- and outside the centre. The solved puzzle has to be in the centre, an extension allows you to use the whole board.
Challenges(date of release: ?)
