Der Herr der Wichtel
Der Herr der Wichtel Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About the Game
A card game for 3-5 players. You will need a six-sided die and pen and paper to play the game.
During the course of this game, you take the role of a candidate for the vacant post of chieftain in your tribe. You try to gather "your" team of four leprechauns out of a group of possible followers, the team that makes you the best choice for chieftain.
A supervisor finally decides which of the candidates is really the most worthy representative of the tribe.
But beware! If you wait too long, someone else might win the contest. Not because he has stronger followers but only because his gang of four was assembled long before your own.
Components
55 cards:
- Cover card (with scoring table)
- Wahlleiter card ["Supervisor"]
- 32 Leprechauns ("Wichtelkarte"):
- 6 Familie cards ["Family"]
- 6 Holzschieber cards ["Wood hauler"]
- 4 Holzfäller cards ["Wood cutter"]
- 2 Vorarbeiter cards ["Foreman"]
- Meister card ["Master"]
- 5 Keulenschwinger cards ["Club swingers"]
- 3 Speerwerfer cards ["Spear throwers"]
- 2 Waldwebel cards ["Sergeant"]
- General card ["General"]
- Hexendoktor card ["Witch doctor"]
- Häuptlingswitwe card ["Chieftain's widow"]
- 21 Events ("Aktionskarte"):
- 15 Rindentaler cards ["Bark coins"] from 2 to 6
- Der bin der Beste! card ["He's the best!"]
- Ich bin der Beste! card ["I'm the best!"]
- Komm mal her! card ["Come here!"]
- Komm mal zurück! card ["Come back!"]
- Stehenbleiben! card ["Stand still!"]
- Ich guck nochmal! card ["I'll have another look!"]
- Nix da! card ["No way!"]
Game Preparation
Lord of the Leprechauns is played in several rounds.
At the beginning of each round the Leprechauns and Events are shuffled as two seperate stacks.
Every player receives four Leprechauns which he keeps hidden from the prying eyes of his rivals (these cards are called his Retinue).
After that, three, four or five further Leprechaun cards (as many as players participate in the game) are placed side by side onto the table, picture side up; these cards make up the so-called Village Square which is used by Leprechauns walking by during the game.
One more Leprechaun card is placed beside the last card of the line, this time with its back side up and without any of the players being able to take a look at it; it starts the discard stack.
Any remaining Leprechauns form a drawing stack at the other side of the Village Square.
The Supervisor is placed beside the drawing stack, the side reading Wo isser denn? ["Where is he?"] facing up.
Additionally every player receives four Event cards. Remaining Event cards are placed aside as a duscard stack for used Event cards.
The player to the left of the dealer receives the die and starts the game with his first move.
Leprechaun Walk
At the beginning of each move the Leprechaun next to the discard stack has to leave the Village Square (he or she is turned around and placed face-down on said discard stack).
All other cards then "walk" up to the discard stack, the first place in the line being filled by a new Leprechaun from the drawing stack.
As said before, the number of Leprechauns on the Village Square corresponds to the players participating in the game.
After the last Leprechaun from the drawing stack has reached the Village Square, the line starts to move back (the former discard stack becomes the new drawing stack).
By use of so-called Village Square cards (see below) this part of the move can be influenced.
Making a Move
Every player makes his move by either calling a Leprechaun, exchanging a Leprechaun or enlisting a Leprechaun.
A player must take one of these actions; he cannot forfeit his move. These actions change the candidate's Retinue (most of the time).
After finishing his move the player hands over the die to his neighbor to the left who continues with his own move.
Calling a Leprechaun
The player puts a Leprechaun from his hand – face down – onto the discard stack and draws another card from the drawing stack which he takes onto his hand.
Exchanging a Leprechaun
The player hands one of the Leprechauns from his Retinue to another player. The "receiver" hands back one of his own Leprechauns. Both cards are not to be looked at during the exchange.
Refusing to exchange a Leprechaun is not allowed.
Enlisting a Leprechaun
The player puts the die on any Leprechaun on the Village Square and tries to enlist him for his Retinue.
The other players can now try to win the Leprechaun for themselves by playing Bestechung ["Bribe"] Event cards. Every player may place one card – face down – onto the table, starting with the player next to the one making his move and proceeding clockwise from there. Nobody can be forced to make a bribe.
After all players had their chance to participate, all Bribes are revealed at once.
Only the highest Bribe is used and goes to the discard pile after that; all other cards return to their owners and can be played again. The ranking list of the Bribes is as follows:
- (a) 2 Rindentaler
- (b) 3 Rindentaler
- (c) 4 Rindentaler
- (d) 5 Rindentaler
- (e) 6 Rindentaler
- (f) Ich bin der Beste!
- (g) Der bin der Beste!
If several players play the same Bribe, the last one to be played counts as the highest ranking card.
When card (f) or (g) comes into play, the Leprechaun is taken by that player without the need of a dice roll (in case of card (g), he has to hand the Leprechaun over to another player; see below).
If one of the Rindentaler cards comes into play, the die is rolled to check how many Bark Coins the enlisting player has in his pockets. He has to roll as many pips as the Bribe in Bark Coins to receive the Leprechaun in question; if he doesn't succeed, the bribing player receives the card from the Village Square.
Whoever receives the card, has to lay a different card from his hand into the free space on the Village Square, picture side up (putting a Leprechaun just enlisted down again is not allowed).
By the way, if no one wants to play a Bribe, the player nevertheless has to roll the die; if he rolls a One, the courted Leprechaun is so insulted by the lousy offer that he refuses to join the player's Retinue.
The Wahlleiter ["Supervisor"]
As mentioned before, the Wahlleiter must be present to decide upon the election's results (that is, to finish a round of the game).
But at the beginning of each new round the Wahlleiter is "abducted" by the card dealer and is laid all tied up beside the drawing stack (grey side up).
At the end of each turn the player can "liberate" the Wahlleiter by turning the card around so that the coloured side with the caption Da isser ja! ["There he is!"] is turned up.
From this moment onward each player can finish the round by placing himself and his Retinue in front of the Wahlleiter and letting him decide upon the outcome (in game terms, his hand is being scored; see below).
Liberating the Wahlleiter and finishing the round in one single move is not allowed (so, if someone turns the card around someone else might beat him to finishing the round).
Finishing a Round
Every time a player receives a new Leprechaun for his Retinue he can finish the round (even when it's not his own turn but only if the Wahlleiter is liberated before).
All players now place their respective Retinues onto the table, and Scoring begins (see below). The points are noted, and if no winner could be determined another round of play starts.
Scoring
First of all, every player receives points for the cards in his Retinue (the value of each card is mentioned after "Wert:" at the bottom of the card; if there is a "(!)" behind the number there are special rules which affect scoring).
After that, every player checks if he could achieve one of the Titles mentioned below (these are especially respectable Retinues).
It's important to note that the player must have the cards mentioned under the header Compulsory in his Retinue; the other cards must be several of those that are mentioned as Rest (only the shorthands for the cards, as seen in their corners, are given here for brevity's sake).
If he can meet these requirements the player is awarded the number of points given under Value.
Example: To gain the title of Master, a player must have a Vorarbeiter and a Holzfäller in his Retinue (they are Compulsory); the Rest can be either Holzfäller or Holzschieber cards. But if you have (for example) a Familie or a Keulenschwinger in your Retinue you haven't won the title of Master (in fact, you haven't achieved any title at all).
The titles, as printed (Title / Compulsory / Rest / Value):
Title .................. Compulsory .. Rest .......... Value
Family Assessor........................... FA FA (-5)
Civil Careers
Wood cutter.................................HS HS,FA (+3)
Foreman......................................... HF HF,HS,FA (+8)
Master .....................................VA,HF HF,HS (+13)
Power behind the throne.... ME,VA VA,HF (+23)
Military Careers
Spear Thrower ............................ KS KS,FA (+5)
Sergeant ......................................SW SW,KS,FA (+10)
General ............................... WW,SW SW,KS (+15)
Wood Marshal..................... GE,WW WW,SW (+25)
Chieftain Careers
Wood-Chief ............HW,HD,ME,VA - (+40)
War-Chief.............HW,HD,GE,WW - (+45)
Chieftain ................. HW,HD,ME,GE - (+65)
The player with the best overall score receives another five points.
The player with the worst overall score receives one point, out of sheer pity.
Please note: The backside of this game's cover card sports another scoring table for your convenience. Unfortunately, a former employee, known as the Bogenschütze (BS in short, "Bow man" in English), has crept into this table, although he was fired before and should have been exchanged for the lovely and talented Speerwerfer ("Spear Thrower" in English, SW in short). If you make this exchange yourself, you can use the table nevertheless, despite the inexcusable behavior of this irresponsible individual.
Finishing the Game
A new Lord of the Leprechauns is crowned when one of the candidates has reached 99 points (this corresponds to the points for the Title of Chieftain).
If this doesn't happen after just one game (which is probably the case) the cards are shuffled once again, and a new round begins.
The Leprechauns
Familie ["Family"]
Families consist of Leprechauns who take care of the village and who are not particularly interested in political machinations. They don't mind their lack of influence, and so, in the eyes of those with their minds set on their own might, they are but cannon fodder or menial workers... therefore, they almost don't have any value in this game.
Civilians
Holzschieber ["Wood pushers"]
If it's necessary to transport a cut down tree back into the village, these strong, but not particularly bright fellows are just the ones to ask. They are cheap and willing followers, but for a candidate who tries to bring attention to himself they are not really valuable.
Holzfäller ["Wood cutters"]
Some Leprechauns among the working-class show enough signs of intelligence in that they don't hurt themselves anytime they are given a sharp object. Equipped with axes, they walk deep into the forest and let off steam by cutting down the trees the village needs. And maybe they even lose some of the aggressions they usually feel toward their superiors... wouldn't that be nice?
Vorarbeiter ["Foreman"]
These tribe members demonstrate the right abilities for a leading position: they are always yelling when they might talk as well, they oppress those they can push around without any cause, and they lack the slightest sign of good behaviour. And of course, working is far below them. Of course, all of that makes them respected personalities on the political stage.
Meister ["Master"]
Those who have shouted long enough may look after their strained vocal chords at some point in their life, when they reach the position of Master, the one person who may command all the tribe's workers. He can be sure of the forced appreciation of the workers, and his way up cannot be blocked... except when someone else covets the position of Master...
Special rule: The Meister tries his best to surround himself with nothing but important people. Therefore, all cards with a value of less than 3 are discarded before the player's Retinue is evaluated.
Military
Keulenschwinger ["Club swinger"]
When the tribe goes to war these "Heavy Hitters" form the first line of attack. They are the Best, the Strongest, the Most Beautiful... well, at least that's what THEY believe! The other members of the tribe think of them more as useless or just expendable... yet, nobody would tell them, because... well... in discussions, these fellows are almost... er... unbeatable.
Speerwerfer ["Spear throwers"]
It may seem strange to some, but there are those who believe that even in military circles some signs of intelligence can be seen. Yes, really! And that's why, even among lesser ranks, there are some who can carry a sharp weapon without killing themselves on the spot. And if they are really clever they show this intelligence by still letting the club swingers take the front row.
Waldwebel ["Sergeant"]
A warrior who has denounced his comerades often enough and who can shout at the top of his lungs longer than those around him may even rise to the position of a Sergeant. Then he can prove his value and try to rise even higher in rank.
General
At some point, all possible obstacles are disposed of, and the way to becoming General and leader of the whole Leprechaun Military lies before our mighty warrior. Now you don't have to fight anymore but can make others do it for you... What a feeling... if only those jealous upstarts wouldn't cause so much trouble...
Special rule: The General tries his best to surround himself with nothing but important people. Therefore, all cards with a value of less than 3 are discarded before the player's Retinue is evaluated.
Hexendoktor ["Witch doctor"]
To have the power of magic on your side can be a tremendous advantage when you try to gain influence. Although the witch doctor is a bit unpredictable, his phantasms can sway easily impressed minds. Only when he realizes that his employer really becomes the new tribe's chief he reveals his true nature.
Special rule: The Hexendoktor can "polymorph" himself into any other card for Scoring purposes. So, whether you need a Sergeant or a Wood Cutter, the Hexendoktor as some kind of Joker can stand in for them all. He only appears under his own name as part of a Chieftain career. Yet, his value for Scoring purposes is always 10.
Häuptlings-Witwe ["Chieftain's Widow"]
She was the late chieftain's wife, and some say she was the real head of the tribe. Anyway, she is not willing to part with her position of power, and she tries everything to gain the favor of those in power. The only problem is she is getting on anyone's nerves and does more damage to "her" candidates than she helps them...
Special rule: The Häuptlings-Witwe only has only a positive effect when she is part of a Chieftain's career. If that isn't the case, she is counted as a Familie but changes any positive result into a negative one (when the player has a Retinue of two Keulenschwingers (2 points each), one Holzschieber (1 point) and the Häuptlings-Witwe he loses five [2*2+1] points). When the scoring shows a negative result before the Häuptlings-Witwe can do her job (for example when the player became Family Assessor) the woman doubles the amount the player loses.
Events
Bestechung ["Bribe"] cards
2/3/4/5/6 Rindentaler ["Bark Coins"]
You can use Bark Coins to bribe a Leprechaun which another player wants to enlist by placing a die onto the card. If such a Bribe is used the die-rolling player must get as many or more pips as there are coins upon the card to win the Leprechaun for himself. If he fails the bribing player recives the card from the Village Square.
Either way, the Event card is discarded after the die roll.
Der bin der Beste! ["He's the Best!"]
This card can be played after a player has placed the die onto a card in the Village Square.
The one who played the card gets the respective Leprechaun but must give it to another player; he's not allowed to keep it for himself.
The receiving player must not decline to take a card thus given to him. He must put down another Leprechaun to close the gap in the Village Square. After that, the Event is discarded.
Ich bin der Beste! ["I'm the Best!"]
This card can be played after a player has placed the die onto a card in the Village Square.
The one who played the card gets the respective Leprechaun and must put down another Leprechaun to close the gap in The Village Square. After that, the Event is discarded.
Dorfplatz ["Village Square"] cards
Komm her! ["Come here!"]
This card can be used at the beginning or end of a player's move to force another Leprechaun walk at once. After that, the Event is discarded.
Komm mal zurück! ["Come back!"]
After this card has been played the Leprechauns in the Village Square take a walk in the opposite direction (i.e. from the discard stack towards the drawing stack) at the next opportunity. This might be in the same round or, when the Leprechaun Walk already took place, in the next one. After that, the Event is discarded.
Stehenbleiben! ["Stand still!"]
After this card has been played the Leprechauns remain motionless the next time they should walk. This might be in the same round or, when the Leprechaun Walk already took place, in the next one. After that, the Event is discarded.
Schutz ["Protection"] cards
Ich guck nochmal! ["I'll have another look!"]
This card can be played after a failed die roll. The candidate may re-roll the die but must accept the result of that roll.
Nix da! ["No way!"]
This card can be played against a Bribe card. Both Events are then discarded, and the Bribe is negated (i.e. the rolling player will get the Leprechaun unless he rolls a 1).
No cards but Bribes are affected by Nix da!