BACKGAMMON
CARTRIDGE INSTRUCTIONS
(For 1 or 2 Players)

INTELLIVISION BACKGAMMON is identical with the board game. You can play against
the built-in computer at two different skill levels, one for beginners or
intermediates, another for experts! You can sharpen your game, become a player of
championship caliber! If you like, two players can compete against each other.
All the strategy, luck and suspense of today's most popular board game are at
your fingertip, electronic control!

PART 1

THE CONTROLS

This first part of the instructions is for those who already know how to play
Backgammon. If you have never played or want to brush up on the rules, please
begin with Part II.

1. THE DICE

Press [1] through [6] to move your piece that number of points.

2. SELECT GAME

You can play BACKGAMMON three different ways. One player can compete against the
computer at two different skill levels, or two players can compete against each
other. The computer is a good player, but it is not unbeatable. At Level 1 it
plays a "safe", conservative game, a good choice for beginning or intermediate
players. At Level 2 the computer plays a more sophisticated, daring game, a
challenge for advanced players.

Press [7] to play a two player game.
Press [8] to play a one player game at Level 1
Press [9] to play a two plauer game at Level 2

3. [CLEAR] -- Press this key if you change your mind about a move you have made.
Your pieces will then be returned to the positions they were in at the start of
your turn (you must press [CLEAR] before pressing [ENTER]).

MOVE TWO -- If you roll "doubles," you can move two pieces at the same time by
pressing MOVE TWO [0] before pressing the [1] through [6].

[ENTER] -- Press this key after you have made all your moves on each turn. This
will cause the dice to roll for your opponent's next turn. Even if you're unable
to move any pieces on a particular turn, you must press [ENTER] to make the dice
roll. If you are playing against the computer, the dice will roll automatically
for your turn after the computer has made its moves.

MOVE CURSOR -- Press this disc to move the "cursor" along ("brown ring"
indicator). The cursor designates which piece you want to move. Each time you
press the disc the cursor will move to your next moveable piece. (Be sure to
press lightly so that the cursor does not go past your intended piece -- if this
should happen continue pressing until the cursor arrives back at the piece you
want to move -- you cannot move the cursor backwards.

PIP COUNT -- Press either top side button to see the "pip count," which is a
running score of the game. The pip count is found by multiplying the number of
pieces on each point times the value of that point. The lower your pip count, the
better. (For more about the pip count, consult a book on the complete rules of
backgammon.)

HOW TO PLAY

1. Turn Master Control Switch ON, insert cartridge, put BACKGAMMON overlay in
your Hand Controller, and press RESET. You will see the title "BACKGAMMON" appear
on your screen.

2. Now press the Disc on your Hand Controller to begin play. The BACKGAMMON board
will appear.

3. Select Game

Choose the way you want to play. Press Level 1 [8] or Level 2 [9] to play against
the computer, or TWO PLAYER [7] for competition between two players. Selecting
the game will also produce the first roll of the dice.

4. When the Dice Roll

The dice will appear on your screen to the right of the board. When a die is
rolling it is blue in color. As soon as it comes to rest its color changes to
white or black depending on whose turn it is. When playing against the computer,
your dice (and pieces) are white. The computer's dice (and pieces ) are black.

The first roll of the dice is to determine who moves first. As the rolling blue
dice come to rest one will turn white and the other black. Whichever color is the
higher number wins the first turn, and both dice will then turn the color of the
higher die. The player who gains the first turn combines the two dice to make his
first moves. For instance, if you are playing against the computer and on the
first roll the black die comes up 5 and the white die 3, then the computer wins
the right to move first and both of the dice will turn black. The computer can
then use the 5 and the 3 for its moves.

Important: Each of the dice will also turn blue after a player has used that die
to make a move. Thus a stationary blue die indicates a move that has been used
up.

5. Choose the Piece You Want To Move

The cursor (brown ring) will automatically appear on the first moveable piece of
whichever player has won the roll of the dice. If you don't want to move your
first piece, move the cursor along with the MOVE CURSOR Disc to whichever piece
you prefer to move.

6. Now Move Your Piece

After you've chose the piece you want to move, press the [1] through [6] on your
Hand Controller corresponding to which ever of the two rolled dice you want to
use first. Your piece will move to the point you have chosen. Note: If you roll
"doubles," four dice will appear. Remember a die turns blue after you've used the
move indicated by it.

If you change your mind about your move, press [CLEAR], then move again.

7. Roll the Dice Again

After you've used all your available moves on each turn, press [ENTER] to roll
the dice for your opponent's next turn. After the computer moves, the dice roll
automatically for your next turn.

8. Stacking Pieces

If you run out of room on a point and must stack you pieces, each stacked piece
will be indicated by a dash (black or orange). Thus, a piece showing one dash
means that one piece is stacked on top of another. A piece showing two dashes
means that two pieces are stacked on top of another for a total of three pieces.

9. Hitting A blot

If you have left a "blot" (single piece) on a point and your opponent "hits"
(lands on) it, your piece will automatically be placed on the "bar" in the center
of the board. On your next turn the cursor will automatically appear on your hit
piece. You must re-enter that piece before moving any other.

10. Bearing Off

The first player to bear off all his pieces will be greeted by a "victory" tune
(you must press [ENTER] after bearing off your least piece). If the computer
wins, it will blow its own horn (no need to press [ENTER]).

11. Resigning

If you think your situation is hopeless and you want to move on to the next game,
you can resign by pressing the Level 2 key [9] twice. This will produce a victory
tune for your opponent. (If you don't care to hear the tune, just press RESET.)

12. Starting Over

To start a new game, press game selector or RESET.

BUZZ!! If you try to make a move that isn't allowed, you'll hear a loud buzz.
This will occur when:

* you have tried to move to a point that isn't open--
* you have tried to move a different number of times than the dice indicate --
* you have tried to use a die that has already been used (blue die) --
* you have tried to bear off before all your pieces are in your home table --

All set?!! Now enjoy INTELLIVISION BACKGAMMON

PART 2

HOW TO PLAY BACKGAMMON

Backgammon is a game played by two players (in INTELLIVISION BACKGAMMON the
computer can be one of the players). Each player has 15 pieces. The object of the
game is to be the first to move all your pieces completely around and finally off
the board. Moving your pieces off the board is called "bearing off". The first
player to bear off all his pieces is the winner.

Each player moves in a direction beginning from his opponent's Home Table and
coming around to his own Home Table. Thus one player always moves clockwise and
the other always counterclockwise.

Following is a glossary of the main terms used in Backgammon:

1. Bar -- the blank space running vertically through the center of the board.

2. Bearing Off -- moving all your pieces off the board after they have completed
their course to your Home Table.

3. Block -- when your opponent has two or more pieces on a point; you cannot move
to that point.

4. Blot -- a single piece on a point. Can be "hit" at any time.

5. Doubles -- two dice with the same number of spots. Doubles your moves.

6. Hit -- landing on an opponent's blot. A hit piece is moved to the bar.

7. Points -- triangular spaces 24 in all. You move your pieces from point to
point.

8. Re-Enter -- to move a hit piece from the bar back into play. A player must re-
enter a hit piece(s) before he can move any other pieces. The hit piece must be
re-started from an open point in the opponent's Home Table.

9. Table -- a portion of the playing board. Before beginning to bear off, you
must bring all your pieces around to your Home Table.

A player can move his piece to any one of the "points" so long as that point is
not occupied by two or more of his opponent's pieces -- then it is "blocked".
Whether a player can actually move to an open point depends upon a roll of the
dice. Pieces move according to the count of the dice.

A single piece on any point is called a "blot". a blot can be "hit" -- that is,
if you land on your opponent's blot, his piece must be removed from the point and
placed on the "bar" in the center of the board. He then cannot move any other
pieces until he re-enters into play his hit piece. If he does not get a roll of
the dice that allows him to move his hit piece from the bar to an open point in
his opponent's Home Table, he must surrender his turn without having moved.

The players take turns rolling two dice (except at the start when each player
rolls one) and each can move his pieces according to the numbers on the dice.

You can move any piece at the head of a point as follows:

. . . you can move the same piece twice in succession, once for the number on one
of the dice, and again for the number on the other, provided that each of the two
numbers thrown can move the piece to unblocked (one or no opponent pieces)
points.

. . .if you can use only one of the dice to move, then the other one is ignored
and your opponent takes his turn after your one move.

. . . if you are unable to move with either one of the dice, you must surrender
your turn.

. . . if there is a move available, you must make it.

In the event that a player rolls two matching dice, this is called "doubles" and
entitles the player to a double move. If, for instance, you roll two fours, you
can then move one piece 16 points, or two pieced 8 points each, or four pieces 4
points each, or any combination of moves in multiples of 4. (INTELLIVISION
BACKGAMMON will automatically show four dice if you roll doubles.)

There is no limit to the number of your own pieces that you can have on the same
point at the same time. If you run out of room on any point you can "stack"
pieces one on top of the other.

Before you can begin to bear off any of your pieces, you must have moved all your
pieces into your Home Table. You can then bear off according to the count of the
dice. If you roll a number higher than the number of points needed to bear off a
piece, you can still use that roll to bear off provided that the piece in
question is your first available move. For instance, if you roll a six but your
first moveable piece is on the 4 point in you Home Table, you can use the six
roll to bear off that piece.

At the start of play each player rolls one die to determine who has the first
turn (INTELLIVISION BACKGAMMON automatically rolls one die for each player). The
higher die wins (repeat in case of a tie), and the winning player combines both
of the dice to make his first moves.

Imagine Your Starting A Game: White vs Black. Each throws one die. The white
comes up 5 and the black, 3. So White, with the higher roll, gets the first turn.
Combining the two dice, he can move one piece 5 points and another piece 3
points, or he can move one piece 8 points provided the individual moves of 5
points and 3 points are both open. Suppose White decides to move one piece three
points, and the second piece five points.

Black then rolls the dice, and comes up with a 2 and a 4. He chooses to move one
piece two points, and with the remaining 4 he moves another piece to "hit" the
"blot" left by White on his previous move. White's hit piece must be removed from
the point and placed on the bar.

White must re-enter his hit piece from the bar (by getting a roll of the dice
that allows him to land on an open point) before he can move any other piece. If
a player has more than one of his pieces on the bar, he must re-enter all of them
before he can move any other pieces.

There are many subtle aspects to Backgammon, such as different strategies that
call for "forward" aggressive play or the "back" game that involves more
defensive, calculated play. In some instances it may be unwise to hit an
opponent's blot if it leaves you vulnerable to being hit upon his re-entry and
thereby set further back in your game.

Here you are provided with the basic rules of the game, but INTELLIVISION
BACKGAMMON makes it possible for you to practice and quickly develop your skill.
For more about the finer points, why not try a little library research!

Now return to Part 1 of the Instructions, and enjoy amazing INTELLIVISION
BACKGAMMON!!

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(c)1979, 1997 Intellivision Productions Inc.

