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Side to Side
Rules & Instructions

Game Summary

Side to Side is a classic schoolyard game for Telepaths. It is played on a square board and consists of 2 Players and 7 Pieces per team. The Pieces are dressed uniformly, traditionally one in white & one in grey, though any obvious different color/style will suffice. The Players, each assigned either the white or grey team, send directions telepathically to one piece per turn. The goal is to get 1 piece to the other team’s end. Any gameplay done without telepathy is grounds for forfeiture.

Basic Gameplay

The board is any square area. In our example photo, you’ll see boys in an Indian school using an interior courtyard as their game board.

Before the game is played, the 2 Players decide which two sides of the square board will be the designated Ends. They then decide, via coin flip, which will be team White and which Team Grey. The 14 Pieces then take up their positions, 7 in a line in front of each End. Pieces are played by other students.

White moves first. Each turn comprises up to two Actions. The first Action is always the player relaying, via telepathy only, either the number 1 or the number 2 and a move directive. Each directive allows the piece to move 3 paces. Paces can be made in one of four directions – Forward, Backward, Starboard, Port. The second Action in a turn, if it is required, is an Encounter (see below).

Grey moves next. Teams then alternate, back & forth, until 1 piece reaches the other team’s End. A Piece can never move through another Piece, so a Forward move cannot be used if a Grey piece blocks a White or vice versa.

Pieces can be removed from the board after an Encounter. An Encounter occurs when the moving team moves adjacent to a defending Piece and uses one of its 3 moves to engage. Encounters, then, are decided by odds & evens. Each piece in the Encounter announces whether it was assigned, on this turn, a 1 or a 2. The numbers of both Pieces are added. If the result is 2 or 4, the defending Piece wins the Encounter, and the attacking Piece is removed from the board. If the result is a 3, the attacking Piece wins the Encounter, and the defending Piece is removed from the board.

It is typical for the Pieces, after long bouts of standing still, will grow restless. Students are still children, after all. It is an important part of the Side to Side game for the Player to maintain order in his ranks. Telepathic communication of orders, strategy, encouragement and the like are huge components of a winning team. Players with a good report among the Pieces will find victory easier to obtain.

Notes for Teachers

Side to Side is an excellent way to teach strategy, cooperation, team-building and leadership all in a setting that forces students to exercise their telepathic abilities. The ITEC (International Telepathic Education Council) strongly advises the game be implemented in students at or before age 8, and used throughout their schooling days.