Original rules · personal tabletop play
Gremulaxi — the complete play collection
Six original mini-games, with the setup, a normal turn and a clear ending for each. Use ordinary materials and agree any house variation before starting.
Game 1
Colour Courier
Gremulaxi · illustrative tabletop scene
3–6 players · about 20 minutesPass a colour clue around the table without naming the colour. The last guess decides whether the whole courier chain scores.
- 01
Set the route
Choose six clearly different colours using paper or spare tokens. Each player takes a turn as the first courier; keep a shared score sheet.
- 02
Pass the clue
The first courier secretly chooses a colour and writes a three-word clue without colour names. Pass it to the next player, who rewrites it in three new words. Continue around the table without showing earlier clues.
- 03
Make the delivery
The final courier guesses from the six colours. A correct guess gives the group one point. Reveal the original clue, laugh at the detour and rotate the starting player. Play one round per player and try to beat your previous group total.
Game 2
Pocket Orchard
Gremulaxi · illustrative tabletop scene
2–4 players · about 25 minutesBuild a tiny orchard from shared paper tiles. Matching neighbours are valuable, but a varied final row can change the result.
- 01
Prepare the tiles
Cut 36 squares and mark 12 with apples, 12 with pears and 12 with plums. Shuffle them face down and reveal a market of four. Each player will build a three-by-three orchard.
- 02
Choose and place
On your turn take one market tile and place it orthogonally adjacent to one of your existing tiles, keeping within a three-by-three area. Refill the market while tiles remain. Your first tile may be placed anywhere in your own grid.
- 03
Count the harvest
When every player has nine tiles, score one point for each matching orthogonal pair and three points for each row containing all three fruits. Highest score wins; a tie is shared. The central trade-off is between long matches and mixed rows.
Game 3
Common Ground
Gremulaxi · illustrative tabletop scene
3–8 players · about 15 minutesFind the word that connects two unlikely prompts. The group succeeds when it can explain a link everyone understands.
- 01
Make a prompt pile
Everyone writes four ordinary nouns on separate scraps of paper. Mix them in a bowl. Set aside any prompt that would make a player uncomfortable.
- 02
Build a connection
Reveal two prompts. Each person silently writes a linking word, then everyone reveals together. Discuss the connections without voting on the person who wrote them.
- 03
Score shared understanding
If at least two players chose the same word, score one point. Otherwise the group may agree on one convincing link for a rescue point. Play six pairs; a perfect game needs no rescue. There is no individual winner.
Game 4
Last Seat
Gremulaxi · illustrative tabletop scene
3–5 players · about 20 minutesSpend your numbered cards to claim places in a row. High values help now; a carefully held low card can finish a sequence later.
- 01
Lay out the row
Draw five seats numbered one to five. Each player makes a hand of five cards numbered one to five and takes five personal markers.
- 02
Bid for a seat
Starting at seat one, everyone secretly chooses a card and reveals together. The highest unique number claims the seat. If all high bids tie, use the next highest unique bid; if no unique bid exists, the seat stays empty. Discard all played cards.
- 03
Finish the arrangement
Repeat for each seat. Each claimed seat scores its printed number. A player with two adjacent claimed seats gains two extra points for each adjacent pair. Add scores after seat five; ties share the result.
Game 5
One More Word
Gremulaxi · illustrative tabletop scene
4–8 players · about 15 minutesBuild a ridiculous sentence one word at a time. Remembering the whole thing is a shared challenge, not a speed test.
- 01
Agree the tone
Choose a friendly theme such as an impossible picnic. Players may pass or ask to replace a word without explanation. Put ten counters in the middle.
- 02
Add the next word
The first person says one word. Each following player repeats the sentence so far and adds one word. The group may offer one hint per turn; there is no timer.
- 03
Bring it home
Whenever the sentence reaches a complete ending, take one counter. Begin a new sentence with the next player. After ten sentences, read back the favourites from optional notes. The aim is a shared collection of stories, not elimination.
Game 6
The Shared Map
Gremulaxi · illustrative tabletop scene
2–6 players · about 30 minutesDraw a route together while each person protects a different landmark. A finished map needs everyone’s priorities to fit.
- 01
Draw the landscape
Make a six-by-six square grid. Each player chooses a different edge square as a landmark and marks it. Place a start in the centre and agree a destination on an unclaimed edge.
- 02
Take turns drawing
Each turn adds one orthogonal line segment between adjacent squares. The route may revisit a square but cannot erase a segment. A player may instead spend a turn asking the group to plan three moves together.
- 03
Complete the journey
The group succeeds if the route visits every landmark and reaches the destination in 18 segments or fewer. Count the final length and try another map if you want a tighter route. Planning and discussion are part of the game.