Die Schule der magischen Tiere: Nicht zu fassen! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Playing the Game
  • Rolling and Moving an Animal
  • Petrification
  • Helper Cards
• End of the Game
• Expert Variants
• Translator's Notes

Components

• 1 game board
• 1 turntable
• 1 die
• 8 magical animal chips and 1 hiding chip
• 11 window tiles and 5 door tiles
• 9 helper cards
• 1 wooden stick

Setup

Before the first game, take all components out of the box. Carefully punch the cardboard parts out of the punch sheets. The wooden stick can help with the small holes.

Before each game, first place the turntable with the lit windows into the box. Then place the game board in the box so that the cutout in the corner lies above the small indentation in the corner of the box insert.

The finished game board looks like this.

Now set the turntable so that Pinkie is not visible in any street lamp.

To turn the turntable: the game board shows a slot, with small holes below it. Push the wooden stick into the first hole and slide it to the right, in the direction of the arrow, along the slot. The turntable moves with it. Always push the wooden stick all the way to the end of the slot. This shifts the lit windows of the town. Keep turning the turntable until Pinkie is not visible in any street lamp.

Now take the 8 magical animal chips and place them with the colourful (active) side up on Wintersteinschule on the game board.

Shuffle the 9 helper cards, stack them face down, and place them next to the box.

Set out the die, the hiding chip, the wooden stick and the window and door tiles.

Take any door tile and cover the door of the magical pet shop with it.

Playing the Game

Rolling and Moving an Animal

You all play together. That means you either win together or lose together. The youngest player begins, and then you take turns clockwise.

On your turn, take the die and roll it.

If you roll a number, move any one animal forward clockwise by the number of spaces shown. The animals start in Wintersteinschule, where they climb out of a window, and then run onto the first space with the zebra crossing. At most two magical animals may stand on one space. If a space already holds two animals, no other animal may end its move there. It may, however, be moved across that space, and the space counts as normal.

IMPORTANT: You must move an animal the full number shown on the die, even if this means it ends up on a space next to a lit window and is petrified (see page 4).

If you roll the turn symbol, move the turntable with the wooden stick to the right, as described on page 2. This sets things in motion in the dark: in some windows the light comes on and the residents look curiously out onto the street, while in others the light goes out.

Example 1: Pauline has rolled a 2. If she moves Rabbat (red) two spaces forward, he lands next to a lit window and would be petrified. Karajan (purple) cannot be moved, because the target space already holds two animals. Pauline therefore decides to move Henrietta out of Wintersteinschule and advances the turtle two spaces on the game board. Because it does not stop on the space with the lit window, nothing happens.

Then the next player takes their turn.

Petrification

When a magical animal stands on a space whose window has a light on, it is petrified immediately. This happens:

• when a magical animal ends its move on a space that is next to a lit window or a lit door, or
• when, after the turntable has been turned, a light comes on in a window or door next to a magical animal.

If an animal is petrified, turn its chip to the grey reverse side and place it next to the game board. Take a window or door tile and cover the open window or door with it. That window or door stays closed for the rest of the game. In this way, safe spaces for the animals gradually emerge.

IMPORTANT: If an animal only moves across a lit space and does not stop there, nothing happens to it.

If two magical animals stand on the same space, only one of them is seen and is petrified. The other animal may stay where it is.

Example: Vincent has rolled the arrow and must turn the turntable. After he has turned it, the lit windows shift. Crocodile Rick now stands next to a lit door. He is noticed and is petrified. Vincent turns Rick's chip to the grey reverse side and sets it aside. He then takes any door tile and covers the door.

Helper Cards

After turning the turntable, check all three round openings at the street lamps. Each time Pinkie the magpie appears in one of them, she helps you. For each visible magpie, take one helper card from the stack and place it within easy reach of everyone next to the game board. If the stack has run out, you can no longer draw a card.

Each of you may use the helper cards at any time. Each helper card may be used only once. After use, it is removed from the game.

The helper cards have the following effects:

• You may turn the turntable one more step clockwise.
• If you have rolled the arrow, you may decide once not to turn the turntable.
• You may move one magical animal one space more or one space fewer than the die shows. For example, if you have rolled a 2, you may decide to move an animal only 1 space or 3 spaces.
• Instead of rolling, you may choose any face of the die. Place the die with the side you chose facing up and carry out that result.
• You may roll the die once more. The new result counts.
• You may carry out a rolled result twice.
• You may close any window or any door.
• A magical animal has found a hiding place. Choose an animal that from now on cannot be seen on its space and is therefore protected from petrification. While it is hidden, place the animal in the middle of the game board, on the tree. Place the hiding chip on the space where the animal was standing. As soon as the animal moves, swap the chips back. The animal can then be seen again, and the hiding chip is removed from the game.
• You may wake up a petrified animal. Place the animal back on Wintersteinschule with its coloured side up. From there it may start again. Together, choose one window or door tile, remove it from the game board, and return it to the supply.

End of the Game

The game ends immediately when:

• the last magical animal is petrified. Then you have unfortunately lost. In this case you may no longer use any helper cards. The animals did not manage to fetch Mr Morrison. Better luck next time!
• a magical animal reaches the magical pet shop. It must enter the house; it is not enough to stand on the space in front of it. Then Mr Morrison quickly comes to help. You have won! The animals and their friends are rescued, and the secret of the magical animals is kept.

Expert Variants

You can make the game somewhat harder by:

• playing with fewer magical animals, for example only 7 or 6 animals,
• not placing a tile on the door of the magical pet shop at the start,
• playing without any helper cards. In this case, at the very start of the game, place one door tile each on the door of the yellow tower under the moon and on the door of the blue high-rise. That way you have two safe spaces from the start.

Translator's Notes

The following words are missing from the printed PDF and have been restored from the older KOSMOS printing of the same rulebook. The text as printed reads otherwise:

• Helper cards: "D ehscheibe" restored to "Drehscheibe" (turn the turntable one more step).
• Helper card: "dürft och einmal würfeln" restored to "dürft noch einmal würfeln" (you may roll once more).
• Helper card: "ein ewürfeltes Ergebnis" restored to "ein gewürfeltes Ergebnis" (you may carry out a rolled result twice).
• Helper card: "ein eliebiges Fenster" restored to "ein beliebiges Fenster" (you may close any window or door).
• Ending: "geschafft, r Morrison" restored to "geschafft, Mr Morrison" (the reference to Mr Morrison).
• Helper cards: "dürft hr aber nur einmal benutzen" restored to "dürft ihr aber nur einmal benutzen" (each card may be used only once).