Knockout (board game)

Knockout was a board game manufactured by Milton Bradley in 1980's and again by Hasbro in the 1990's. The game itself is not that dissimilar to Don't Break the Ice.

Before the game begins, a wall of 24 bricks (plus one "Knockout" brick) is constructed. A template is provided to assist where the bricks should be placed in the wall. These bricks can be 1, 2, or, 3 blocks wide. The bricks are made of clear colored plastic. The 25th brick, also known as the "Knockout" brick (colored solid black in the Milton Bradley version and solid blue in the Hasbro version) is three blocks wide, and is placed on the top of the wall, directly in the middle. The template shows exactly where to place this brick as well.

Players first must roll a special die that has four colors on it and two stars. If a color is rolled, the player must knock out a brick of that color, out of the wall. If the player rolls a star, the player may knock out any brick they wish (with a few exceptions, see below). Players take turns using a motorized hammer known as the "Rammer Hammer", in an attempt to knock out the specified brick out of the wall, without making the wall collapse, OR making the "Knockout" brick fall off the wall. If a player is successful in knocking out the brick, without the wall collapsing, or the "Knockout" brick falling off the wall, they must put the brick back, on the top of the wall. Each player thereafter must accomplish the same task.

The rules for hammering are:

* You CANNOT touch the wall in any way, except with the hammer
* Once you begin to hammer a brick out of the wall, you CANNOT change your mind, even if it becomes obvious that hammering the brick any further, will make the wall collapse.
* You CANNOT hammer any brick on the same row or a row higher than the "Knockout" brick

A player IS ALLOWED an attempt to make the wall more stable by using the hammer to stabilize the wall BEFORE they commit to hammering out a brick, but once a player starts to hammer a brick out of the wall, they can not change their mind.

If at anytime during a player's turn, the wall collapses, or the "Knockout" brick falls off the wall, that player is eliminated from the game, the wall is rebuilt, and play starts again with the next player in line.

The last player standing, wins the game.