CODE

PROGRAMMING GAME SERIES

ON THE BRINK
//

Instruction Manual AGES 8

to Adult
 CODE
Game Boards
ON THE Beginner

BRINK
There are 40 different Game Boards within
CARDS USED

the Challenge Booklet which contains leveled

Move Foward Turn Right

x4 x1
FINISH

PROGRAMMING GAME SERIES // challenges fom Beginner to Expert. Each Game

START
Turn Left

Board consists of a path made up of a combination

x1

Coding is like a superpower. It might be the reason you can make a robot of red, blue, orange, and white squares.
work. It might even help you do something really big for the world, like
send a rocket to Mars. One thing is for sure, if you learn to code, you will Control Panel Code1-1901-ControlPanel01.pdf 1 2/16/17 11:29 AM
Game Board
never be out of things to do with your new super skill. The Control Panel consists

© 2017 ThinkFun Inc. MADE IN CHINA, 150. #1901. ControlPanel01.

ON THE BRINK is the first in a series of games designed to build the of three colored panels
mental skills needed to fully grasp the concept of coding. All of the games which correspond with the
are screen-free for a unique, unplugged play experience. Take them colored squares on the
Game Boards. Each panel
anywhere you go, and before you know it, you’ll be ready to CODE! Red Panel Blue Panel Orange Panel
holds two Movement Cards.
Control Panel
Visit www.thinkfun.com/learn-coding for video instructions, solution
strategies, and more great resources from the inventor! Movement Cards
The two Movement Cards placed into each
Includes colored panel of the Control Panel combine rwa
rd
Turn
Right
Turn Left

//
Fo
ve
Mo

Code1-1901-ControlPanel01.pdf 1 2/16/17 11:29 AM

into a list of simple instructions which together Mo
ve
Forw
ard Move Ba
ck Move
Righ
t
Mo
ve
Le
ft

form a Procedure. For the Robot to move to Long

Turn Right
90º Long Turn Left Long
Mo
90º

ve Fo
rward

another square, it must execute a complete

© 2017 ThinkFun Inc. MADE IN CHINA, 150. #1901. ControlPanel01.

90º
90º 90º
90º

Procedure, following all the instructions listed

90º
90º 90º 90º

in the chosen color panel of the Control Panel. 90º

90º

Control Panel 1 Robot See the next page for a breakdown of the Movement Cards
Move Forward Turn Right Turn Left
Movement Cards.

CODE
PROGRAMMING GAME SERIES
ON THE
BRINK
//
Robot
Move Forward Move Back Move Right Move Left

90º 90º
Activate your Robot to execute the proper
CHALLENGE Procedures and move along the colored paths
BOOKLET on the Game Boards from START to FINISH.
Long Turn Right Long Turn Left Long Move Forward

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

See page 10 for a Sample Challenge

that shows how a Robot executes the
90º 90º

40 Game Boards 18 Movement Cards Procedures outlined in the Control Panel. Robot Token
2 3
 Movement Cards How to Play
// //
Beginner Set Your Robot must navigate a treacherous path from START to FINISH - and
it needs your help! Your Robot moves by following instructions; for each
Move Forward Turn Right Turn Left
move, instructions are based on the color of the square where the Robot
is currently standing. The specific instructions are contained in the two
Movement Cards placed into the color panel that matches the color of the
90º 90º
square where the Robot is located.

(4) Move Forward • (1) Turn Right • (1) Turn Left • (3) Double-Sided X Cards The only problem is...the Control Panel starts out empty with no
instructions.
(“X” Cards are “Pass” cards; they are placeholders that mean no movement)

Challenges 1-20, use the Gray Beginner Card Set to build Procedures out of Your Goal
simple instructions. Place the six Movement Cards into the six slots in the three color panels
of the Control Panel to build Procedures and activate the Robot so it will
Advanced Set move from START to FINISH without falling over the brink.
Move Forward Move Back Move Right Move Left

Set-Up
Step 1: Select a Challenge.
90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

Step 2: Gather the six Movement Cards listed under “Cards Used.”
Long Turn Right Long Turn Left Long Move Forward Note: Expert Challenges 31-40 do not list “Cards Used.” Choose from the
complete Advanced Card Set to build your procedures.

Step 3: Place your Robot in the space marked “START,” facing the direction
90º 90º
indicated by the arrow.
Example of four Robot orientations:
(1) Move Forward • (1) Move Back • (1) Move Right • (1) Move Left
• (2) Long Turn Right • (2) Long Turn Left • (1) Long Move Forward

Challenges 21-40, use the Gold Advanced Card Set to build Procedures out of
simple and compound instructions. START

START

START
START
• Solutions at the back of this book
4 5
 Movement Cards, Instructions, and Procedures ∙ For the earlier Challenges, you may find that the first color
on the path is a good place to start building Procedures.
// ∙ For the more advanced Challenges, you may find that a Procedure for a
Each move your Robot must make is determined by the colored square that
the Robot is on to begin that move; if the Robot is resting on an orange color in the middle of the path may be the easiest to figure out.
square, the next move will follow each of the instructions contained in the * As you test out your Procedures for each color, make sure to follow the
two Movements Cards located in the orange panel of the Control Panel. Movement Rules on pages 7 & 8.
Taken together, the instruction set contained in these two Movement Cards
is called a Procedure. Movement Rules
To move from one square to another, your Robot must execute all of the //
1. The Robot must remain on the path of a Game Board at all times,
instructions contained in the Procedure, while staying on the path and not traveling only over white, red, blue, and orange squares. Don’t let your
going over the brink at any time. Robot fall off the brink!
Once a Procedure has been fully executed, the Robot will have moved to a 2. The Movement Cards show movement relative to the direction the Robot
different square. The Robot’s next move with follow the Procedure specified is facing. For example, a “Move Forward” instruction moves the Robot
by the Movement Cards in the color panel that corresponds to the color of forward one square in the direction the Robot is facing.
this new square.
Move Forward

Strategy Tips and Hints for Building Procedures

// ∙ For the first 10 Challenges, orange squares do not appear on the path.
Fill both spaces in the orange section of your Control Panel with “X”
Cards, which are placeholders that mean no movement.
Note: All the examples above use a “Move Forward” Procedure to move the
∙ I f using the Turn Left or Turn Right Cards, always include another Robot to the next square.
Movement Card in the Procedure; otherwise the Robot will just turn in
place, never reaching the finish line. 3. Once the Robot begins performing the Procedure associated with a given
color, it must finish that Procedure.
∙ T o use a single movement in a Procedure (i.e. “Move Forward” only or
“Move Left” only), fill the second space in the Control Panel with an “X” This means:
Card, which is a placeholder that means no movement.
∙ Your Robot may pass over the Finish Line while performing a
∙ S urvey the entire path and play out in your head your Robot’s various Procedure, but it is not a win until it lands on the Finish Line at the
movement options. Then choose a color and begin to build a Procedure. end of a Procedure.
6 7
 Move Forward Move Forward Executing the Procedures
// Once your Control Panel has been filled, see if your Robot can successfully
FINISH
reach the Finish!
1. Make sure your Robot is at the Start position and pointing in the same
direction as the arrow.
2. B eginning at Start, execute the Procedures laid out in your Control Panel.
Note: In the example above, if the blue squares were given the Procedure “Move
Forward,” then “Move Forward,” again, your Robot would pass over the Finish ∙ Start by executing the Procedure that is the same color as the Start
until it reaches the red square.
location. Make sure to follow the instructions on both Movement Cards
∙ If your Robot is in the middle of performing the Procedure for for that color Procedure.
one color and you pass over another color, you must finish the ∙ Next, execute the Procedure for the color you just landed on.
Procedure for the first color; do not switch to the Procedure for the
second color. ∙ Continue this process until you land at the Finish. If at any point your
movements lead you to land on a white space at the end of a Procedure,
or move off the path, there is an error in one or more of your Procedures.
Move Forward Move Forward

Rearrange two or more Movement Cards to correct the Procedure(s).

IMPORTANT: Procedures are not executed in the order of the Control Panel. You might
first execute an Orange Procedure, and then a Blue Procedure. You might also execute
an Orange Procedure multiple times in a row before executing a Red Procedure. It all
depends on where the Robot lands.

 ote: In the example above, if the orange squares were given the Procedure
N
3. If you execute the Procedures determined by the colored squares along
“Move Forward,” then “Move Forward,” again, your Robot would pass over the path and arrive at the Finish-YOU WIN!
the blue square until it reaches the next orange square. It would NOT stop to
execute the Blue Procedure. IMPORTANT: It does not matter which direction you are facing when you land at the
Finish.
4. No movements are associated with white squares. Your Robot can pass
over these, but if your Robot lands on a white space at the end of a
Procedure, your Robot is now stuck. This means the Control Panel has
one or more mistakes and you must rearrange one or more cards to
debug your Procedure.

8 9
 x4 x1

Sample Challenge Move Forward Move Forward

//

START
Below is a sample Challenge and a completed Control Panel. Turn Left

Beginner x 1
START
START START

START

START

START
CARDS USED START START
1. The Robot starts on a Blue square, so the Robot begins by following instructions
in the blue section of the Control Panel (Blue Procedure). The Robot would Move

START
Forward, then Move Forward again, landing on the Red square.
Move Foward Turn Right

Turn Left x4
Move Forward x1

START

START
Beginner
START

START
90º
Turn Left

CARDS USED
x1
2. Next, since the Robot is standing on the Red square,
START
it follows the Red

START
Procedure. It would Turn Left, then Move Forward, landing on the Orange square.

START
Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward Turn Right Move Forward START

Turn Right Move Forward

Move Foward Turn Right

x4 x1
FINISH

Beginner START
90º 90º

90º
START

START

START
Red Procedure Blue Procedure Orange Procedure

START
CARDS USED
3. Standing on the Orange square, the Robot follows the Orange Procedure.START
Turn Left

Control Panel x 1 then Move Forward, landing on the Blue square.

It would Turn Right,

To navigate across the path from Start to Finish, your Robot will execute Move Foward
Move Forward
Turn Right
Move Forward

the movements shown on the next page. x4 x1

FINISH

START START

START

START

START

START
4. Now, standing on another Blue square, the Robot follows the
Turn Left
Blue Procedure START
START
1 It would Move Forward, then Move Forward once more, reaching the Finish
xagain.
– YOU WIN!
10 11
 Message for Parents and Educators The goal of the player is to create a Procedure for each color on a path so
that when the Robot encounters the color, it will automatically follow a
// determined series of movements. Players need to look ahead and exercise
The idea that all kids should acquire coding skills is one of today’s fastest
critical thinking skills as they develop each Procedure. They need to think
growing educational movements; however, the act of learning to code
like programmers to develop Procedures that can be executed multiple
still feels intimidating to many. Our goal is to expose parents and kids to
times, in different contexts as the Robot navigates the board and performs
coding concepts in a fun, non-conventional way so that it becomes more
the program dictated by the Control Panel. As players journey through the
approachable and feels like play.
puzzles they will see sophisticated patterns emerging from these basic
The ThinkFun //Code Programming Game Series elements. Some pretty amazing stuff is happening, but when you break it
This Programming Game Series is designed to take players on a grand tour down, it’s so simple. This is what computer science is all about.
of the big ideas in computer science. If you play all the games in our series,
you will develop a love for concepts such as Procedures, if/then statements, About the Inventor
while loops, for loops, state machines, logic gates, and Boolean satisfiability, // Mark Engelberg is the inventor of ThinkFun’s award-winning coding game
while learning how to mentally evaluate logical expressions and control Code Master as well as one of the challenge developers for ThinkFun’s
structures the way computers do. Most importantly, these games will start blockbuster game Rush Hour®. To create Code Master™ and the //CODE
you on a fun and thrilling journey into the realm of computational thinking. Programming Game Series he drew on his experience as a programmer of
Enjoy the ride! virtual reality simulations for NASA, as well as his many years of experience
A Closer Look at ON THE BRINK as a teacher of computer science and mathematical logic. Mark believes
that kids of all ages can and should learn how a computer executes
The true beauty of coding lies in its simplicity. It’s pretty remarkable that a
programs - entirely through play!
binary code of 0’s and 1’s can generate the many complex outputs that you get
from a computer. Who would have ever imagined that these two digits strung
together in different ways could hold such power? Here lies probably the most
important concept in computer science--that of building reusable components
out of very simple instructions. ON THE BRINK exposes players to this
critical computational thinking skill by letting them have fun with building
Procedures.
Players begin by building Procedures out of three simple instructions: Move
Forward, Turn Left, and Turn Right. In later puzzles, players use Advanced
Movement Cards to build more complex Procedures. These Cards are actually
Procedures themselves comprised of the same simple instructions. For
example a “Long Turn Left” is Move Forward, Turn Left, and Move Forward.
12 13
 Solutions Beginner Challenge 05
//
Beginner Challenge 01 Move Forward Turn Right Move Forward Turn Left

Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward

90º 90º

Beginner Challenge 06
Beginner Challenge 02 Turn Right Move Forward Move Forward Turn Left

Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward

90º 90º

90º

Beginner Challenge 03 Beginner Challenge 07

Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward
Turn Right Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward

90º

90º

Beginner Challenge 04 Beginner Challenge 08

Turn Right Move Forward Turn Left Move Forward Turn Right Move Forward Move Forward

90º 90º 90º

14 15
 Beginner Challenge 09 Intermediate Challenge 13
Move Forward Move Forward Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward Turn Right Move Forward Turn Left Move Forward

90º 90º 90º

Beginner Challenge 10 Intermediate Challenge 14

Move Forward Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward Turn Right Move Forward Move Forward Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward

90º 90º 90º

Intermediate Challenge 11 Intermediate Challenge 15

Turn Right Move Forward Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward Turn Right Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward Turn Left

90º 90º 90º 90º

Intermediate Challenge 12 Intermediate Challenge 16

Move Forward Turn Right Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward Turn Right

90º 90º 90º 90º

16 17
 Intermediate Challenge 17 Advanced Challenge 21
Turn Right Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward Turn Left Move Forward Long Turn Right Long Move Forward

90º 90º 90º

Intermediate Challenge 18 Advanced Challenge 22

Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward Move Right Move Back Move Left

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

Intermediate Challenge 19 Advanced Challenge 23

Move Forward Turn Right Move Forward Turn Left Move Forward Move Forward Move Forward Move Left Long Turn Left

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

Intermediate Challenge 20 Advanced Challenge 24

Move Forward Move Forward Turn Right Move Forward Turn Left Move Forward Long Turn Right Long Turn Right Long Move Forward

90º 90º 90º 90º

18 19
 Advanced Challenge 25 Advanced Challenge 29
Move Forward Long Move Forward Move Right Move Back Move Left Move Forward Move Left Move Back Long Turn Left Long Turn Left Long Move Forward

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

Note: You may reverse the cards in the Red Procedure.

Advanced Challenge 26 Advanced Challenge 30

Move Forward Long Turn Left Move Back Long Turn Right Long Move Forward Long Turn Right Move Right Long Turn Right Long Move Forward Long Turn Left Move Back

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

Advanced Challenge 27 Expert Challenge 31

Move Forward Long Move Forward Long Turn Right Long Turn Left Move Back Long Turn Right Long Move Forward

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

Note: You may reverse the cards in the Red Procedure.

Advanced Challenge 28 Expert Challenge 32

Move Right Move Back Long Turn Right Long Move Forward Move Forward Move Back Long Turn Left Move Left

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

20 21
 Expert Challenge 33 Expert Challenge 37
Move Forward Move Right Long Turn Left Move Back Move Left Move Back Long Turn Right Move Forward Long Turn Right Long Turn Left

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

Expert Challenge 34 Expert Challenge 38

Move Forward Long Turn Right Long Turn Right Long Turn Left Move Back Long Move Forward Long Turn Right Move Forward Long Turn Left Long Turn Left

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

Expert Challenge 35 Expert Challenge 39

Move Forward Move Back Long Turn Right Long Turn Left Long Turn Left Move Forward Move Left Long Turn Right Move Back Long Move Forward

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

Expert Challenge 36 Expert Challenge 40

Move Left Long Turn Right Move Forward Long Move Forward Move Back Move Forward Long Turn Right Move Back Long Turn Right Long Turn Left Move Left

90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º 90º

22 23
 ThinkFun’s Mission is to
Ignite Your Mind! ®

ThinkFun® is the world’s leader in addictively fun games

that stretch and sharpen your mind. From lighting up
young minds to creating fun for the whole family,
ThinkFun’s innovative games and mobile apps make you
think while they make you smile.

www.ThinkFun.com

© 2017 ThinkFun Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MADE IN CHINA, 150. #1901. IN01.