Disney Return of the Headless Horseman Game
Disney Return of the Headless Horseman Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
Game Board, Spinning Tree with Base, Ichabod Figure, Headless Horseman Figure, 30 Cards, 8 Scare Tokens, Speed Tile, Instructions.
Assemble the Spinning Tree: Before your first game, insert the Tree into the plastic trunk.
Set Up
- Game Board: Unfold the board and insert the tree base through the hole from underneath. Then place the Spinning Tree on top of the base so it spins smoothly.
- Figures: Place the green Ichabod figure on the Van Tassel Farm and place the purple Headless Horseman figure on the arrow at the start of the purple path.
- Tokens: Mix up the eight Scare tokens and place them face down.
- Tile: Place the Speed tile with the "2" side up. (The other side would make the Headless Horseman ride faster! See Strategy and Challenge for details.)
- Cards: Shuffle the cards and place them face down to form a draw pile. Each player draws four cards. You may look at your cards but keep them secret from the other players!
Board parts: Scare Tokens, Spinning Tree, Van Tassel Farm, Covered Bridge, Speed Tile.
Winning the Game
Work together to get Ichabod to the covered bridge! If the players end a turn with Ichabod at the covered bridge, Ichabod escapes from the Headless Horseman and all the players win!
But if all four Pumpkin Scare tokens are ever face up, the Headless Horseman catches Ichabod and the players lose.
How to Play
This game is different from other games! The players work together, and all players play on every turn!
1. Each Player Plays a Card
Secretly choose a card from your hand and place it face down in front of you. Don't tell the other players what you're playing!
Before you play a card, if you have only one card left in your hand, shout "Ichabod!" Then spin the tree and draw the number of cards you spun. If the draw pile runs out, flip the discard pile over to start a new draw pile.
2. Flip and Match Numbers in the Row
When everyone has played a card, flip them all face up and place them in a row at the bottom of the board. If there are two or more cards in the row with matching numbers in the top-left corner, Ichabod can move!
If no numbers match, leave the cards in the row. Then repeat Steps 1 and 2 until there is at least one match among ALL the cards in the row.
Example: Cards in the row show 6, 1, 5, 3 and a further card. Two cards match! Move Ichabod four spaces! (Example illustration.)
3. Move Ichabod
Move Ichabod the matching number of spaces along the path toward the covered bridge. If there was more than one match in the row, he only moves the lowest match.
4. If Ichabod Lands on a Special Space
Do what's shown on the space he landed on:
- Secret Path: Ichabod finds a short cut! Move him to the end of the secret path.
- Tree: Spin the tree! Move Ichabod the number of spaces you spun and then do what's shown on the space he lands on.
- Scare: Ichabod gets scared! Flip one Scare token face up. If all four Pumpkin Scare tokens are now face up, the game ends and the players lose.
5. Move the Headless Horseman
Look at ALL the cards in the row, not just the cards that match, and move the Headless Horseman the number of spaces shown at the bottom of each and every card.
If there is a speed icon on a card, move the Headless Horseman the additional number of spaces shown on the Speed tile.
If the Headless Horseman would catch or pass Ichabod, he scares Ichabod instead! Place him on the space directly behind Ichabod and move Ichabod to the next blank space on the path. Then flip one Scare token face up.
Note: Don't do what's shown on the special spaces the Headless Horseman lands on. When moving Ichabod to the next blank space, the tree and the covered bridge both count.
Now it's the next turn: Place all cards in the row into a discard pile and start a new turn with Step 1.
The Split Path
Ichabod cannot move along the purple path. When Ichabod reaches the tree at the end of his path, attach him to the Spinning Tree and spin it! Then take Ichabod off the Spinning Tree and place him on the blank space at the end of the green path you spun. He does not continue moving, even if he would have moved more spaces.
The Headless Horseman moves along the purple path and does not spin on the Tree.
Ending the Game
When Ichabod reaches the covered bridge, it's the last turn of the game. He doesn't have to land exactly on the covered bridge. If he would move further, place him on the covered bridge.
If Ichabod is on the covered bridge and the Headless Horseman would catch or pass him, the Headless Horseman scares Ichabod instead! Flip one Scare token face up.
Lose: If all four Pumpkin Scare tokens are ever face up, the Headless Horseman has caught Ichabod and all the players lose.
Win: If you end a turn with Ichabod on the covered bridge and not all four Pumpkin Scare tokens are face up, all the players win! Don't forget to move the Headless Horseman before celebrating your win.
Strategy and Challenge
In the normal game, players can use strategy to choose what card to play. Try to play a number that would make Ichabod land on a Secret Path or a Tree space, and avoid the Scare spaces. Depending on the age and skill of the players, you can reduce the strategy or increase the challenge in the game using the rules below.
Less Strategy: One or more players can play without a hand of cards! When setting up the game, those players don't draw cards. Each turn, instead of choosing a card from their hand, they play the top card from the draw pile.
More Challenging: Increase the challenge using the Speed tile! When setting up the game, place the Speed tile with the "4" side up. Now the Headless Horseman rides faster!