Mr. Jackdaw Company

Pounce Help

The rules, the three ways to play, and fixes for when something looks wrong.

How to play

Line up your tiles before your opponent does.

Win

Be the first to line up 4 tiles in a row on the 5 × 5 board, or 6 on the 7 × 7 board. A line runs across, down, or diagonally.

Your turn

Place a tile on any empty cell, or make a pounce. X moves first.

The pounce

Leap your tile over an opponent's tile to convert it to your own. To pounce, tap your tile, then the gold cell.

Pounce limits

Each player gets a fixed number of pounces: 2 each against the AI, or 1, 2, or 3 in Pass & Play and online games, set in Pounces per player.

Blocked tiles

Blocked tiles close some of your paths to a winning line before the first move, since nobody can place on them or pounce over them. Switch them on in Blocked tiles.

Draws

A game is a draw when the board fills without a winning line.

To see the rules again in the app, tap Help in the menu bar.

Three ways to play

Choose one in Game → Game mode.

vs AI

You play X against the AI, at Easy, Intermediate, or Hard.

Works offline

Pass & Play

Two players share one device and take turns as Player 1 and Player 2.

Works offline

Online

Play another person through Game Center, one turn at a time.

Needs a Game Center sign-in and a second player

Find your way around

Look & Feel

Changes apply straight away, without a new game.

Tile style
  • Classic
  • Elements
  • Creatures
  • Celestial

The pair of marks on the tiles: X and O for Classic. Choosing one also sets the background that suits it. Tile style is Classic by default.

Background
  • None
  • Slate
  • Forest
  • Ember
  • Void

None follows your device's light or dark appearance. Background is Slate by default.

Celebration
  • Tiles
  • Confetti
  • Off

What bursts from the winning line when you win on this device. Reduce Motion skips it. Celebration is Tiles by default.

Sound
  • On
  • Off

The place, pounce, flip, and win sounds. See I can't hear any sound. Sound is on by default.

Haptics
  • On
  • Off

The taps you feel on each move and at the end of a game. Haptics are on by default.

Game

Changing a rule starts a new game when you close the panel; hints apply straight away, and switching mode picks up that mode's game.

Game mode
  • vs AI
  • Pass & Play
  • Online

Online appears only while you're signed in to Game Center. Game mode is vs AI by default.

Open Settings

Appears with Sign in to Game Center in Settings to play online. when you're signed out, and opens Pounce's page in the Settings app. See Online isn't in the game modes.

Board size
  • 5 × 5
  • 7 × 7

Board size is 5 × 5 by default.

Blocked tiles
  • On
  • Off

Blocks one random cell in every row but one at the start of each game. Blocked tiles are off by default.

Tile shimmer
  • On
  • Off

Lines one move from finished shimmer: your opponent's in every mode, your own too against the AI on Easy, and both players' in Pass & Play. Tile shimmer is on by default.

Pass & Play and Online

Pounces per player
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

Each player gets 2 pounces by default.

Your record

Statistics

Opens your record, a card each for Against the AI, Online, and Pass & Play. Reset statistics at the bottom sets every win, loss, draw, and run back to zero once you confirm.

Achievements

Opens your badges and progress in Game Center. Appears while you're signed in, and Reset statistics leaves earned badges in place.

vs AI only

Difficulty
  • Easy
  • Intermediate
  • Hard

Difficulty is Easy by default.

Show my threats
  • On
  • Off

Marks where the AI could win next turn. Show my threats is on by default.

vs AI on Easy only

Show winning squares
  • On
  • Off

Marks where your next move wins, including the tile a pounce would take. Show winning squares is on by default.

Online only

Play someone new

Joins a match where another player is waiting, or starts one.

Invite a friend

Invites someone from Game Center to a match.

Your matches

Every online match, marked Your turn, Their turn, or Finished.

Resign this match

During an online match. Ends it as your loss once you confirm.

Help

Opens full screen.

Shows how to play, the same screens you saw on first launch. The pounce screen asks you to make one, and Show me plays it for you. Skip or Done closes it.

New game

The round button at the end of the bar. Starts a new game straight away, without asking.

Matches

During an online match the same button returns to the Online screen, and the match waits in Your matches.

Troubleshooting

Still stuck? Write to support@mrjackdaw.com or visit mrjackdaw.com/contact.