Garfield Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Equipment
• Set Up
• Playing
• The GARFIELD Cards
• The Player Cards
• The Spaces on the Board
• Winning

Object

In this game, you and the other players must try to run three complete circles around Garfield. For each circle you complete, you'll earn a ring. The first player to earn three rings wins the game.

Equipment

Game board, 4 playing pieces, 2 dice, 10 plastic rings, 15 GARFIELD Cards, 17 Player Cards.

Set Up

1. Shuffle the GARFIELD Cards and place them FACE DOWN onto the "thought balloon" in the upper right hand corner of the board to form the DRAW PILE. THEN TURN OVER THE TOP CARD.

2. Use the container tray from the package as Garfield's "Sand Box" and place it above the thought balloon. This is where you will discard the GARFIELD Cards.

3. Shuffle the Player Cards and deal 3 to each player. Place the remaining cards to the side of the board to form the PLAYER CARDS DRAW PILE. Make sure no one sees what your cards say.

4. Place the rings onto the center of the board.

5. Choose a playing piece and place it onto THE START.

6. Each player rolls the dice. Whoever rolls the highest number goes first. Play then proceeds, in turn, to the first player's left.

Playing

1. To start your turn, read the top GARFIELD Card. This is Garfield's way of telling you what to do. So follow the card's instructions. Unless the card prevents you from doing so, roll both dice and move--in the direction of the arrows--the number of spaces that you roll. THEN FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE SPACE WHERE YOU LAND.

Sometimes, however, you may not like what Garfield is telling you. For instance, he may try to slow you down or make you lose a turn. In these cases, you may--if you wish--play a Player Card.

2. By playing a Player Card AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR TURN, you may ignore Garfield and follow the Player Card's instructions instead. There are four kinds of Player Cards. Each card is played in a different way. For information on how to play these cards, see THE PLAYER CARDS.

3. As soon as you land on or pass the Tailend, you may take a ring from the center of the board and place it around your playing piece. REMEMBER: Whatever you can do to advance your playing piece along the track in order to collect a ring is good strategy.

YOU CAN BEGIN PLAYING AT THIS POINT, BUT IT'S BEST TO READ THROUGH THE REMAINING RULES FIRST FOR THE DETAILS OF GAME PLAY.

The GARFIELD Cards

The top GARFIELD Card affects each player on his or her turn until someone lands on "Garfield Changes His Mind." The player who lands on this space takes the top GARFIELD Card and tosses it into the Sand Box. He or she then turns over the NEXT GARFIELD Card for the following player to read.

However, when a GARFIELD Card reads, "This Card Is Just for You," toss it into the Sand Box AT THE END OF YOUR TURN and turn over the NEXT GARFIELD Card for the following player to read.

As soon as all the GARFIELD Cards are gone from the draw pile, shuffle those in the Sand Box to form a new draw pile.

Most of the GARFIELD Cards are self-explanatory. Others need some explanation.

A. A CHANCE TO ADVANCE 7 SPACES FOR A PIECE OF LASAGNA. If you have a Lasagna Card, play it FACE UP onto the board and add 7 to the number you roll. Follow the directions on the space where you land. Then discard the Lasagna Card.

B. NEVER TRUST A SMILING CAT. ROLL ONE DIE UNTIL I CHANGE MY MIND. While this card is showing, each player rolls one die on a turn until someone lands on "Garfield Changes His Mind."

C. FOR A PORTION OF LASAGNA I'D BE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING LIKE CLOSING MY EYES AS YOU ROLL TWICE. If you have a Lasagna Card, play it FACE UP onto the board and roll twice. Follow the directions on the space where you FINALLY land. Then discard the Lasagna Card.

D. YOU'RE IN LUCK! CHANGE PLACES (AND RINGS) WITH ANOTHER PLAYER BUT DON'T ROLL. THIS CARD IS JUST FOR YOU. Choose another player and exchange both your places and rings. If you and the other player have no rings, that's okay. You still MUST exchange places and IMMEDIATELY END YOUR TURN. Remember to toss the GARFIELD Card into the Sand Box and turn over the NEXT card for the following player to read.

E. YOU GIVE UP A CARD OR YOU LOSE A TURN. THIS CARD IS JUST FOR YOU. If you don't have a card to give up, you don't lose a turn.

The Player Cards

You may play only ONE Player Card per turn AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR TURN. The Lasagna Card, however, is an exception. You may play one whenever you can during your turn.

After you've played a Player Card, discard it FACE DOWN beside the Player Cards draw pile. Reshuffle those in the discard pile when you need to form a new draw pile.

A. PUT 1 OVER ON GARFIELD. In order to use this card, first you must play a little game. Hold the card above your head and flip it as you let it drop onto the playing surface. If it lands FACE UP you've put one over on Garfield and may follow that particular Player Card's instructions as described below. But if it lands FACE DOWN, you must stay where you are and end your turn.

...AND CHANGE PLACES. Do NOT roll the dice. Simply change places with another player and end your turn.

...AND MOVE AHEAD 10. Do NOT roll the dice. Simply move ahead 10 spaces and follow the directions on the space where you land.

...AND ROLL TWICE. Follow the directions on the space where you FINALLY land.

B. BLINDFOLD GARFIELD. Place it over Garfield's eyes. Then continue to roll the dice and move ahead as long as you roll an EVEN number. Follow the directions on the space where you FINALLY land.

C. NAP ATTACK. Place it onto the top GARFIELD Card. Then roll the dice and follow the directions on the space where you land.

D. LASAGNA. The Lasagna Card may be used with two of the GARFIELD Cards: "A Chance to Advance 7 Spaces..." and "...Closing My Eyes As You Roll Twice." To play one, play it FACE UP onto the board. Then follow Garfield's instructions just as it's explained under the GARFIELD Cards. The Lasagna Card may also be used when you land on certain board spaces.

The Spaces on the Board

Some of the spaces on the board require explanation.

A. GARFIELD CHANGES HIS MIND. Toss the top GARFIELD Card into the Sand Box, turn over the NEXT one, and end your turn.

B. TAKE A PLAYER CARD. Take a card from the Player Cards draw pile.

C. TAKE 2 PLAYER CARDS. Take two cards from the Player Cards draw pile.

D. GARFIELD DOES A NUMBER ON YOU. THE NUMBER 7 BACKWARD. Move back seven spaces and follow the directions on the space where you land. Then end your turn.

E. FOR A SLICE OF LASAGNA MOVE AHEAD EIGHT. If you have a Lasagna Card, place it FACE UP onto the board and move ahead eight MORE spaces. Follow the directions on the space where you land, discard the card, and end your turn.

F. FOR A SLICE OF LASAGNA YOU MAY ROLL AGAIN. If you land on any one of the three RED SPACES, you may play a Lasagna Card in order to roll again. If you DO roll again, you must still follow Garfield's instructions. EXAMPLE: If the GARFIELD Card says to add 2 to your roll, you still may do so when you roll again.

G. GARFIELD SWIPES A PLAYER CARD. PLACE ONE ONTO THE DISCARD PILE. If you land on any one of the three GREEN spaces, discard one of your Player Cards. If you have none, you lose nothing. (Typo corrected: the typed transcription reads "ay one of"; restored to "any one of".)

H. THE TAILEND. Each time a player lands on or passes this space, he or she takes a ring from the center of the board and places it around his or her playing piece.

Whenever you're required to move BACKWARD over this space, you LOSE a ring--if you have one.

Winning

The first player to pass The Tailend for the third time to earn his or her third ring is the winner.