Camper Tour
Camper Tour Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 100 wooden "camper tokens"
- 72 square cardboard "track plates", including 12 special plates
- 4 round cardboard place markers
- 4 wooden campers in different colours
- 2 dice
Object of the Game
Make the "longest" journey, having spent all of the camper tokens available to you and having returned to the starting point.
Setup
- Punch out the 72 track plates and the 4 place markers.
- Roll a die to decide who plays first; the other players follow in clockwise order.
- The first player chooses a colour and takes the matching camper. The other players do the same, one after another.
- Give each player the place marker of the same colour as their camper, and 25 camper tokens.
- Place the players' campers to the side of the table, lined up at the "start".
- Shuffle the 72 plates carefully, keeping them face down on the table. Then stack them and place the stack within reach. (If the stack is too tall and unstable, you may divide it into two or more smaller stacks.)
- Take the dice and give them to the first player, who starts the game.
How to Play
All players follow the same route. The game has two stages: an outward journey ("aller") and a return journey ("retour"). The length of the outward journey depends on each player and on the strategy each has chosen to win, but in every case the outward journey must not go beyond the 72 track plates. On any turn, each player is free to interrupt their outward journey to begin the return journey, and that choice does not have to influence the others' choices. Each player is also free to continue their outward journey regardless of the decisions made by the others.
Each player's turn proceeds as follows:
- The player announces the number of track plates they intend to move their camper along (from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 10), then rolls the dice.
- If the score is equal to or lower than the number the player announced, their turn ends without any movement.
- If the score obtained with the dice is higher than the number announced, the player must move their camper along the route by the same number of plates as announced. (Note: the movement is always equal to the number announced by the player, and not to the score obtained with the dice.)
- To complete the movement, the player must draw the necessary number of plates from the stack and place them on the table, following the path of the road printed on each plate, and then move their camper. The first player to move must necessarily place the number of plates announced for their movement; the others act according to the position of their camper and the plates already placed. The first plate placed on the table is called the "starting plate". (Printed text reads "mise sur la plaque"; the sense of the sentence is that it is placed on the table, as in step 4 above.)
- At the end of the movement, the player must get rid of a number of camper tokens equal to the difference between the score obtained and the number announced. For example: I announce that I want to move 6 plates, and I roll 10 on the dice. I move my camper 6 plates and I must get rid of 4 camper tokens (10 − 6 = 4).
- If the arrival plate is one of the special plates (described below), the player carries out the action described there. Otherwise, the turn passes to the next player, clockwise.
Movement Limits
During the game, the movement of the campers is limited by a single rule: there can never be more than one camper on the same plate, regardless of the direction in which it is travelling (that is, whether it is on the outward or the return journey). The movement announced by the player during their turn must never cause them to break this rule.
The Return Journey
When a player judges that it is time to undertake their return journey, they must announce it at the start of their turn and place their place marker on the plate occupied by their camper. The place marker indicates the point of the route reached and will therefore determine the winner.
The camper must be turned around to face the opposite direction of travel and, from that moment on, will head towards the starting plate (the first one placed at the start of the game).
Once a player announces that they want to begin the return journey, they cannot change their mind; from that moment on, their camper travels exclusively towards the starting plate.
The movement rules for the return journey are exactly the same as those explained for the outward journey.
Returning Home
The ultimate goal of the game is to return to the starting plate, that is, the first one placed at the start of the game, having got rid of all of your camper tokens and having completed the "longest" possible journey. Since the movement of the campers always depends on the announcements made by the players, each player must work out how they intend to return to the starting plate with a precise movement. If the starting plate is a special plate, it is not considered as one.
It is not permitted to announce a movement that would take a camper beyond the starting plate.
Once a camper reaches the starting plate, it is immediately removed from the game and that plate becomes available for another camper.
The Camper Tokens
Camper tokens are a kind of "fuel" that is used during the journey. They are not ordinary fuel, however, but something very particular. The camper tokens represent, in an abstract way, what each of us expects from our journey, but which cannot be quantified exactly. A journey is made up of many elements and many experiences, and "winning" does not only mean making the "longest" journey; it also means succeeding in getting back home in time. The "perfect" journey is one that ends by arriving at the starting plate having "consumed" exactly all of its camper tokens. If this happens, then the "length" of the journey will also have been ideal. But what happens if, on the other hand, we do not manage it?
Remaining Tokens
If, at the end of our journey, after reaching the starting plate, we still have one or more camper tokens, it means that we have left something behind and that we are not entirely satisfied with our journey. For each camper token remaining, we must therefore move our place marker (which we had previously placed on the last plate reached by our camper) back by one plate.
Running Out of Tokens
If, during our journey, on the other hand, we have consumed all of our camper tokens before reaching the starting plate, it means that we should have returned sooner. From the moment the camper tokens run out, movement continues as usual, but for each camper token that we should have "consumed", we must instead move our place marker back by one plate.
End of the Game and Declaration of the Winner
The game ends when a player reaches the starting plate and their place marker is also the furthest ahead on the route (naturally after applying any modifications provided by the rules at the end of their last turn, that is, after moving the place marker).
If this happens, the game ends and the player in question is declared the winner.
Therefore, if only one player remains on the journey, this means that they are the potential winner (otherwise the game would already have ended). To win, however, they too must first reach the starting plate, but they must submit to another special rule. To complete their journey, they may use as many turns as they wish, but if, during their turn, they obtain with the dice a score equal to or lower than the number announced (and therefore remain motionless), they are immediately eliminated from the game. The winner then becomes the player who, up until that moment, was in second position.
If two players have the same number of points, the one who returned last wins.
Special Plates
Along the route, a player may end up on a special plate, identifiable from the others by a symbol and a number. The player who lands on one of these plates must follow the rules below.
Unexpected Comforts
(Flavour text: A campsite you had misjudged offers you unexpected comforts: clean toilets, a very good supermarket and dreamlike scenery.)
On your next turn, stay still to enjoy the tranquillity of this relaxing place. You may recover or get rid of 3 camper tokens.
Mechanical Problem
(Flavour text: You discover that your gas cylinders are empty; it is late, and the only restaurant, which is also very expensive, is 50 km away. As you drive towards the restaurant, you also think about the night without heating that awaits you.)
If you are on your outward journey, stay still for one turn and lose a number of camper tokens equal to the number of points you obtain by rolling a die. On the return journey, treat this plate as a normal plate.
The Village Festival
(Flavour text: You decide to stop at the village festival to buy some local products.)
Roll a die: if you obtain 4, 5 or 6, you gain the same number of camper tokens as the score obtained; otherwise, stay still on your next turn.
No Parking
(Flavour text: You arrive at the place where you thought there was a service area, but it is no longer possible to park there. Fortunately, you remember having seen one earlier.)
Roll a die and move back the same number of plates as the score obtained. If the arrival plate is occupied by another camper, roll the die again. If the arrival plate is a special plate, ignore its contents and treat it as a normal plate. Under no circumstances may you go beyond the starting plate; if there is no possible move, you lose 3 camper tokens.
Note
It may happen that there are not enough tokens to take. In this case, take those you can. The total number of tokens constitutes a limit that must not be exceeded. If a player runs out of camper tokens before undertaking their return journey, they are eliminated from the game.