Amazing Jungle Run
Amazing Jungle Run Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective and Setup
OBJECTIVE: Be the first player to score 9 points by finding and collecting "point" cards. (2-player game)
SETUP: Shuffle the RESOURCE cards, and PERIL cards and put them in reach of all players.
JUNGLE cards are dealt into 4 equal decks of 8 cards each. (2-player game)
The high-point JUNGLE cards (3-point Shaman and all four 2-pointers) will need to be "seeded" in the first 16 cards dealt, so players can prepare for their appearance later in the game. Sixteen more cards will be dealt on top of the first 16. When set up properly, no 2-point cards or the Shaman will appear in the first four cards revealed in any JUNGLE deck.
The top cards in each pile are turned faceup, and the play area will look like this example. (The source shows an example layout as an image.)
Overview
There are 3 "phases" to a player's turn.
- ACTION PHASE: each player starts their turn with 2 actions.
- Taking a RESOURCE card counts as 1 action.
- Peeking at the bottom of a main deck stack counts as 1 action.
- Taking a PERIL card counts as 2 actions.
(It is best to keep RESOURCE and PERIL cards where only you can see them.)
Use these actions as needed to best suit your strategy and circumstances at the time.
- Manipulation and collecting PHASE:
During this phase, the player can manipulate decks by spending certain RESOURCE and PERIL cards. (More details on this are discussed in the description of cards in the section below.) When ready, the player can then collect common cards without rolling dice (these include the tiger, hippo, and toucan cards), OR they can choose to go for a card that requires dice rolling.
NOTE: A player gets two dice rolls, and can "lock in" dice they wish to keep from the first roll. Also, the player must CALL which card they are going for prior to rolling the dice.
JUNGLE cards successfully collected are placed face-up in front of the player (public knowledge), and can be organized by card type for easy viewing.
After collecting JUNGLE cards, reset for the next player by flipping the top cards faceup in the decks that had cards removed.
- DEFENSE PHASE: after completing the first two phases, a player can play RESOURCE or PERIL cards to hinder their opponent's progress.
Players take turns going through these phases until someone collects 9 points and is declared the winner! (There is one "SHAMAN" card worth 3 points, four cards worth 2 points each, and six cards worth 1 point each.)
Common Cards
"COMMON CARDS" and how they work. The 2-player game uses 18 main deck cards we will refer to as "commons". These include six each of tiger, hippo, and toucan cards. Some of these cards also have a "RESOURCE" or "PERIL" icon, which provides a bonus when a player takes the card. Only two cards have the "arrow" which means a player takes the card beneath it as a bonus also.
If a player decides to take a tiger, hippo, or toucan, they can take ALL matching cards that are showing. No dice rolling is required to take these cards. For example, if there are two toucans showing, the player can take them both. If three or even four are showing, the player could take them all. When a player has collected three of a kind of any type (tiger, hippo, or toucan), they can discard the set of three for special effects, which include a) drawing a PERIL card, b) removing an "ongoing" card (Man-Eating Plant or Escape card).
Special Power Cards
THREE "SPECIAL POWER" CARDS - In the main deck, there are three cards that can be collected for use on a subsequent turn. Each requires a roll of two black symbols. They are the King (lion), the Gorilla, and the Hyena. These cards are discarded after use.
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The "KING" - Once you possess this card, it can be used on a later turn to collect a top JUNGLE deck card AND the one directly beneath it without having to roll dice.
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GORILLA - Just like the KING, but you only collect the top card, not the one beneath it.
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HYENA - Once you possess this card, it can be used on a later turn to collect a bottom JUNGLE deck card without having to roll dice. After you collect the bottom card, you can peek at the new card.
Example of a Player's Turn
EXAMPLE OF A PLAYER'S TURN: Let's say player one starts the game looking at the following set-up after the shuffle and dealing of cards. (The source shows this set-up as an image.)
PHASE 1: Using two actions. Remember, drawing a RESOURCE card counts as an action, and peeking at the bottom card in any deck counts as one action. Drawing a "PERIL" card counts as 2 actions. In this case the player decides to draw two RESOURCE cards. They draw the (change to black) and (bottom feeder) cards.
PHASE 2: Playing for main deck cards. They see they can pick up 3 tiger cards, and in doing so they will also get an additional RESOURCE card and a PERIL card. They decide to do this, and proceed.
The player picks up the 3 tiger cards and places them in front of him/her, as well as the bonus RESOURCE card and PERIL card as shown on the tiger cards for their "hand". Then the three facedown cards are flipped faceup.
Phase 3: The player now can play "defense" by playing RESOURCE or PERIL cards if desired. For example, some cards allow a player to bury a top card under a deck (hideaway), place a card off limits (alligator card), or force opponent to play for a specific card (quicksand card).
EXAMPLE 2 of a player's turn-
It's your turn again. From the above example, you have a "black mystic dice-changer" RESOURCE card and a "BOTTOM FEEDER" RESOURCE card in your hand. The following cards are showing in the JUNGLE decks: KING, one-point papaya, tiger, toucan with resource icon. (The source shows this layout as an image.)
For PHASE one, you decide to draw a PERIL card for your action.
For PHASE two, you announce you are rolling for the KING. Since you have a "black mystic dice changer", achieving the required "2 black" result should be pretty easy. You roll twice, locking in a black from the first roll. You don't get a black on the second roll, but use your dice-changer to achieve the desired result and take the KING card for use on a later turn.
Then, reveal a new card where the KING was. In PHASE three, you can play defense with cards like OFF LIMITS, QUICKSAND, TRANSPORT or HIDEAWAY before relinquishing your turn.
Then, the next player's turn begins. Play continues until someone wins with nine points!
Details of Resource Cards
BOTTOM FEEDER: This card allows a player to play for a bottom card of one JUNGLE deck on their turn. It can be a "common" card which requires no dice roll, or a card that does require a dice roll. If a card that requires a dice roll is not successfully taken, it goes back under the same deck it came from. After successfully using this card, a player can peek at the new bottom card.
HIDEAWAY: Allows a player to place a top card under the JUNGLE deck it came from.
GIRAFFE: Allows a player to move a card from bottom of a JUNGLE deck to the top of that deck.
ELEPHANT: Allows a player to look at the bottom card from two JUNGLE decks.
NOT TODAY! : Allows a player to counteract an "OFF LIMITS" or "QUICKSAND" card, but not both in the same turn.
EXPLORE! There is only one explore card. It comes in handy, sometimes greatly so, near the end of the game. It allows its possessor to "fill in" any empty spaces from one of the four decks that has been depleted with top cards from the other decks. This can reveal bigger point cards to go after. The card is "ongoing" and can be used from turn to turn. An opponent can take this card out of play by spending 3 matching "common" cards, or by playing the "BROKEN BINOCULARS" PERIL card (on their own turn).
RHINO RUN: Important card that allows a player to go for common cards on their turn, followed immediately by going for a card that requires a dice roll (points cards or one of the 3 special power cards). Rhino Runs can only be used for cards on the top of the JUNGLE decks.
SWARMING ANTS: This card allows you to discard one bothersome man-eating plant.
MONARCH: This card allows a player to take a FACEDOWN "JUNGLE" deck card after their collecting phase (phase 2). It can be used to great effect if you have previously learned what the facedown card is!
PEACOCK: Allows the player to peek at the top RESOURCE card, and top PERIL card. It can be used at a key time to determine your best choice.
SCORPION: The one and only scorpion card can be used to great effect at a key time. When your opponent draws a peril card on their ACTION phase, slap down the scorpion to discard the peril.
DICE CHANGER CARDS: These cards allow you to change the color of dice results to the color shown on the card.
Details of Peril Cards
DETAILS OF PERIL CARDS - These cards cost 2 actions at the beginning of your turn (phase 1), or can be acquired when you pick up common cards during your turn if the symbol indicates it. Additionally, you can trade in 3 commons to draw a peril card.
OFF LIMITS: Place this card on top of a JUNGLE deck you don't want your opponent to have access to for that turn. This deck can't be played for or peeked at by an opponent. They can, however play their own "off limits" card at the end of their turn.
QUICKSAND: Place this card on a JUNGLE deck to force your opponent to play for the top of that deck (and only for that card, on that turn). A sidenote to this card is that when it is played against someone, they cannot voluntarily "skip" their turn (to get rid of a man-eating plant) since they are being forced to play.
TRANSPORT: Play this card to move the top card of one JUNGLE deck to the top of another JUNGLE deck.
MAN-EATING PLANT: Play this card on your opponent to take away one of the two actions they get at the beginning of their turn. This card has an "ongoing" effect, and stays with your opponent until they rid themselves of it by trading in a set of 3 commons (3 tigers, 3 hippos, or 3 toucans), playing the "swarming ants" resource card, or voluntarily skipping their entire turn. It is possible to hinder your opponent with 2 man eating plants, which takes away both actions at the beginning of their turn.
NOTE: Voluntarily skipping your turn only gets rid of ONE Man-Eating Plant.
BROKEN BINOCULARS: May be played ON YOUR TURN to force opponent to discard the "explore" RESOURCE card.
SCAVENGER: The one and only scavenger card (for 2-player game) allows a player to take one common card (tiger, hippo, or toucan) from your opponent's stash ON YOUR TURN. A set of 3 matching common cards are exempt from this, and considered "safe" from the scavenger card.
How to Use Sets of 3 Common Cards
Remember, the common cards are the JUNGLE tigers, hippo, and toucan cards. A set of 3 matching common cards can be discarded for the following:
- To draw one PERIL card
- To discard a bothersome man-eating plant
- To force opponent to discard the "explore" RESOURCE card
A player may choose to save their sets of 3 commons to discard later in the game.
Some Fine Points
a) When cards are placed on the bottom of a deck by using a "hideaway" card, they are placed facedown.
b) When a transport card is used (moves a top card from deck to another) it stays faceup, as does the card beneath it. In some cases this means a "Jungle Run" could be played vertically, because both cards are eligible (face-up).
c) All PERIL and RESOURCE cards are discarded after use except for Man-eating plant and Explore cards, which are marked as "ongoing". Also, the three special main deck cards (King, Gorilla, and Hyena) are discarded after use, as are sets of three common cards.
d) A player can use more than one OFF LIMITS card on their turn if desired.
e) Multiple RESOURCE and PERIL cards can be played at any time during your turn. For example, you could use a "hideaway" (RESOURCE card), then a "transport" (PERIL card) to get at what you need. Then, you could still use an "Off Limits" as defense later (phase 3) of your turn.
f) When using "The KING", you collect a top card free, and the one beneath it. If the "one beneath" is a card with the arrow icon, the "arrow" is in effect. This allows you to collect the next card as well (the 3rd card).
The game provides many twists and turns, as well as opportunities for planning ahead. A vivid imagination is rewarded. Have fun, and be wary of pitfalls because: "It's a Jungle out There".