We've received a request to locate gemstones in Orapa Mine. By sending ultrasonic waves deep into the ground and analyzing the returned signals, we can determine the position of the gemstones. Although signals sometimes return abnormally, as experts, we will use logic to find the gemstones--just as we always have.

Objective

This game combines Battleship, Mastermind, and laser reflection puzzles. Locate the position and orientation of gemstones in the Orapa Mine by either sending ultrasonic laser waves and analyzing the results OR pinpointing gem positions. The first player to deduce the layout of gemstones on their grid wins.

Setup

Unlike the board game, BGA determines each player's gem layout randomly. The player's area consists of a gridded map where you investigate and analyze the solution, a collection of gemstone overlay pieces, and the game log.

• Grid depicting a map of the mine. This is where you place guesses and ultimately submit your solution to the gemstone placement. The four corners have helpful UI tools.
  • Save the current solution layout
  • Clear the grid.
  • Show/hide gemstone overlays
  • Show/hide gemstone overlay controls (e.g., trash, rotate)
• Collection of gemstone overlay pieces to put on your grid while determining solutions. Pieces may be dragged onto the suspected/known orientations of the gemstones, as well as empty spaces.
• Game log

Gameplay

On your turn, you may do one of the following actions:

• Send Ultrasound Wave
• Ask About Specific Position
• Submit Answer

Send Ultrasound Wave

Choose a position on any side of your grid from which to send an ultrasound wave. The wave will emit in a straight line into the grid. The results contain A) its exit location B) its exit color, which indicates which color(s) gemstones it reflected against.

Interpreting Ultrasound Wave Results

• The result color does not change if a wave hits more than one instance of the same gemstone. For example, if a wave hits 2 white gemstones and 1 red, the result will be pink.

Placement Rules

Pieces have been placed on the on mine board according to the following rules:

• The corners of pieces align with the grid points on the board, and the lines within each piece match the grid lines.
• Pieces may touch the edge of the board, but cannot be placed outside the grid.
• The edges of two pieces cannot directly touch but they may touch corner to edge or corner to corner.
• No piece can be completely hidden behind other pieces when viewed from the board’s edge.
• Two white gems cannot be placed in a perfectly symmetrical arrangement along the vertical or horizontal direction.

Ask About Specific Position

Select a specific space on the grid. BGA will tell you what color gemstone (if any) occupies that space, but not its shape or angle.

Submit Answer

Once the grid is valid (has all the gemstones placed), the player may submit it to see if it's correct. If so, the player wins. If not, the game continues. A player only gets 2 chances to submit an answer. If the second guess is incorrect, the player is out of the game.

Variants

Diamond Expansion

This variant increases difficulty by adding a transparent gemstone piece. The transparent gem reflects ultrasound waves like other gemstones, but does not affect the resulting color. For example, if a wave hits a red gemstone, white gemstone, and a transparent gemstone, the result will be pink.

Blackbody Expansion

This variant increases difficulty by adding a black gemstone piece. The black gemstone does not reflect ultrasound waves. In this case, the result will be "the signal was absorbed" instead of an exit point or color.