Die Ritter von der Haselnuss
Die Ritter von der Haselnuss Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game material
- 1 gameboard
- 4 pawns (knight squirrel)
- 1 special dice
- 56 cards (24 thieves and 32 hazelnuts)
- 4 score-keepers
Now, a game idea..
A small squirrels path is drawn on the board. On eight squares of the course a hazeltree is drawn, the cards stacks are put on them. Here it is possible to find hazelnuts. In the upper left corner and in the bottom right corner two hiding-places, when a player puts here the hazelnuts collected, he can move his score-keeper.
Aim of the game: to be the first to reach the coat of arms at the top of the scale of mark.
The cards game
Two types of cards:
The hazelnut cards
An hazelnut is drawn on the majority of the cards. A drawn card, is put, face visible in front of the player. Points are given for the collected hazelnuts. More hazelnuts are put in the hiding-place, more points are earned.
The thief cards
On the other cards one of the three thieves is drawn - Max the Marten, Leo the Lynx or Fritz the Fox. The drawn card is put back on the top of the stack. Later by remembering who is represented on the card, it will be possible to earn points.
Game setting
- The cards are well shuffled and put in stacks of seven cards on the eight hazeltrees, back visible.
- Each player takes a knight squirrel pawn and a score-keeper of the same color. All the score-keepers are put on the square with an arrow of the scale of mark. The knights are placed on free square of the path. At the beginning of the game, only one knight by square is allowed.
- The youngest player takes the dice and starts. Then the game proceeds in clockwise order.
Play of the game
On turn the player throws the dice and moves his knight of the number of squares given by the number of footprints on the dice. He can go in any direction, but the go in and out between two squares are forbidden. Many knights can be present on the same square.
Square of the path: draw a card
As soon as his knight arrives on a square of the path, the player has to draw a card at the top of the stack of the hazeltree, look at it - the other players must not see what is represented on the card.
Hazelnut: put the card visible
If the player draws a card, he puts visible in front of him.
Thief: notice and put back
If it is one of the three thief, the player quickly puts back the card on the stack. Before, he should carefully notice the thief who is printed.
Who knows the thief?
When later an other knight arrives on the square and takes the card, the other players could earn points. In order to do that, they have to shout the name of the thief - either Max the Marten, Leo the Lynx or Fritz the Fox. It is possible, as long as the turn of the player is not ended, until the next player has not throw the dice.
A player gives the good name, he moves his score-keeper two squares towards the coat of arms. If many players have given the good game, only the first of them moves. The player who drawn the card, loses all the hazelnuts in front of him. They are discarded. If he has none, well he is lucky.
The player gives a wrong name or a hazelnut is represented in the card, he moves his score-keeper two squares back (even if he is on the starting field, the one with the arrow), at least until the last square of the scale of mark. If many players have given a wrong name, only the first of them is penalized.
Once a player has given the name, the thief's card is discarded and put in the box. If nobody says nothing then the card is put back on the stack.
Hiding-places: leave hazelnuts
When a player has collected hazelnuts, he may go to one of the two hiding-places in order to leave them there and earn points.
- For 1 hazelnut the score-keeper is moved 1 square.
- For 2 hazelnuts, 3 squares.
- For 3 hazelnuts, 6 squares.
- For 4 hazelnuts, 10 squares.
More than four hazelnuts brings nothing more, all the hazelnuts cards are discarded and put in the box.
Hazeltree without cards
When a knight squirrel reaches a square with an empty stack, he ends his move. It is the next player turn.
End of the Game
- The game stops when two stacks are empty at the end of the turn of a player. Win the one who is the furthest on the scale of mark. If many players are at the same place, there are many winners. Hazelnuts cards in front of the players are without any value.
- The game ends when a player reaches or passes the coat of arms with his score-keeper. He wins.
A little tactics
- As a "knight of the hazelnut" you have to be always watchful.
- Try to memorize the squares where other players have found a thief (they have put the card back to the stack), and avoid all those squares, otherwise you might lose all of your hazelnuts. On the other hand their is no risk to go to a square where a player has just drawn an hazelnut.
- Try to keep in memory all the thieves you have discovered. The pictures on the board will help you.
- When collecting the hazelnuts do not be too much greedy, two or three is already a valuable number. If you risk too much, you may easily loose everything.