With a limit, a bar runs down on the player's card; when it runs out the game throws or makes a sensible move for them. Each player's clock always shows their total time.
How to play
Throw the four cowries. Count the shells lying mouth up: 1, 2 or 3 moves that many. All four up is chowka (4), none up is bara (8), and both give you another throw.
Tap the shells to throw straight away, or hold Shake to rattle them in your hands first: the moment you let go decides how they land. Every shell is still an even chance either way up.
When you stop throwing, spend each throw on one pawn: pick a number, then tap a pawn. Different throws can move different pawns.
Pawns start on your home square (the cross on your edge). They go round the outer ring anticlockwise, then the inner ring clockwise, then into the centre.
Land on the other player's pawn to capture it: it goes back to its home and you get another throw. Squares with a cross are safe: no captures there.
Pairs (jodi): two of your pawns on one square can move together on an even throw (2, 4 or 8), each going half of it. Pick the even number and tap Move pair, or just tap the pair when only the pair can use the throw. A moving pair can land on the other player's pair and captures both.
You can't go into the inner ring until you've captured at least once. Until then your pawns keep going round.
The centre needs an exact throw. A throw no pawn can use is lost. First to bring all four pawns to the centre wins.