18 Ghosts
18 Ghosts Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal of the Game
Both players try to help their ghosts escape from the castle.
In order to win the game, be the first to have a red ghost, a blue ghost, and a yellow ghost outside the castle.
When this happens, the game ends immediately. That player is the winner.
Components
"18 Ghosts" includes:
- A board depicting an old Scottish castle with 25 rooms (5×5) and one large dungeon.
- 18 ghosts in 2 types and 3 colors (3 for each color and type).
- 3 portals, one of each color.
Setting Up
Place the game board in the middle of the table between the two players.
Place the three portals in their designated chambers. The open side of each of the three portals starts facing the outer wall of the castle. (Source prints "each of the the three"; the duplicate "the" is corrected here.)
Each player gets a set of 9 ghosts of the same type (3 of each color).
Placing the Ghosts on the Board
Determine the starting player ("Player A").
He takes one of his ghosts and places it in any empty chamber that has a carpet whose color matches the ghost's color.
For example: A red ghost has to be placed in a red chamber (a chamber with a red carpet).
Then player B has to place two of his ghosts, following the color rule.
After that, the players take turns placing one of their ghosts on the board, until all 18 ghosts (9 from each player) are placed inside the castle. Each ghost should be in a chamber matching his color, and the rooms with mirrors should be empty.
Rules
Player A begins; then the players take turns.
On your turn, you must take one of the following 3 actions:
a) Move a ghost to an empty chamber
You can either move one of your ghosts 1 space orthogonally (not diagonally), or from one mirror chamber to another mirror chamber. With the single-step movement, you may either move into a mirror chamber, or into a carpeted chamber, but the color of the carpet doesn't matter.
You may never move your opponent's ghost.
b) Fight a ghost in an adjacent chamber
Move one of your ghosts 1 space orthogonally into a chamber with another ghost in it (yours or your opponent's) to pick a fight with it. The ghost must be a different color! Ghost fights are over instantly: The winner stays in the chamber, but the loser immediately goes to the dungeon. The winner is determined as follows:
- Red ghosts beat blue ones.
- Blue ghosts beat yellow ones.
- Yellow ghosts beat red ones.
You are welcome to beat up your own ghosts, and you are equally welcome to pick a fight that your ghost will lose.
For example: Player A moves his blue ghost into a chamber with a red ghost of his opponent. The blue ghost is beaten. The blue ghost still would have lost even if both ghosts belonged to player A.
Remember, when a ghost loses a fight, the ghost goes to the dungeon. It is not out of the game.
c) Release a ghost from the dungeon
This is how you get your defeated ghosts back into play. Take one of your ghosts from the dungeon, and give it to your opponent.
Now, your opponent has to place the ghost on the board, in a chamber whose carpet is the same color as the ghost.
You may not release a ghost from the dungeon if there are no empty chambers of his color.
The Portals
A ghost can leave the castle only through the portal that matches his color, and only when the ghost can find an opening; however, when the opportunity arises, the ghost won't hesitate! He'll slip out without even waiting his turn.
The position of the open side of each portal changes throughout the game.
The rule is:
Every time a ghost is beaten, the portal that is the same color as the defeated ghost will turn 90 degrees clockwise.
Escape!
Whenever a ghost is in the chamber that the open side of the portal faces, and the ghost is the same color as the portal, he automatically and immediately escapes from the castle. This doesn't count as an action, and happens regardless of whose turn it is.
Place the escaped ghost off the board, in front of the player whose ghost it is. That ghost is never going back into the cold castle, nor its dreadful dungeon! It's a free spirit now!
End of the Game
The game ends as soon as one player has one (or more) of each of his color of ghosts outside the castle. He is the winner.
Variant for Shorter Play
For a shorter game, you can agree that you win by getting any three of your ghosts outside the castle, regardless of their color.