Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 3D castle
- 1 castle park (= bottom part of the game box and game board)
- 5 wooden figures
- 5 guessing disks
- 12 ghosts (= red round cards)
- 12 ghost warrants (= red square cards)
- 1 ghost master magnet
- 1 little bag
- Set of game instructions
The following material will only be needed for the more difficult variation:
- 12 ghosts (= blue round cards)
- 12 ghost warrants (= blue square cards)
Aim of the Game
Inside the castle, one of twelve ghosts is always floating from window to window. But which one is it? It is hard to tell the difference as you can only recognize the ghosts by tiny details. Whoever is the quickest at recognizing the ghost in question can move their game figure along the parkway. At the end of the game the player who has moved their game figure furthest ahead in the park will be the master ghost hunter.
Preparation of the Game
Open the game board and take out all of the materials.
Assemble the castle. This game uses the box bottom and the game board to form the castle park. Place the castle window wall, with the punched-out window openings facing towards the game board, into the slots in the bottom of the game box. Now place the entire setup in the center of the table.
Each player gets a game figure and a guessing disk of the matching color. In this simpler version, each player takes a game figure and a guessing disk of the same corresponding color.
Extra game figures and disks are not needed and should be re-stored into the game box. This includes all of the blue ghosts and blue cards as well, since those are only needed for the more advanced ghost hunter game variation.
Twelve red ghosts in bag, four red warrants in bottom of box, eight red warrants on yellow squares. The twelve red ghosts are put inside the little bag. Then place any four of the twelve warrants back into the bottom of the box. Then pull down the flap of the game board and place the eight remaining ghost warrants on the yellow squares of the game board.
Game figures on starting square. The players then put their game figures on the orange starting square and keep their guessing disk placed in front of them.
Get the magnet and bag ready. Get the ghost master magnet and the little bag ready.
How to Play
Play in a clockwise direction. Whoever has most recently seen a ghost under their bed starts the game. If you cannot agree, the oldest player starts and is the first ghost master.
Seating plan. The ghost master sits opposite the other players and puts the castle in front of him so that the side with the empty windows faces the other players. The other players are now playing the role of the ghost hunters, so they should all be able to easily see the entire castle.
Ghost master: pull ghost from bag and insert into castle. The ghost master takes the magnet and the little bag, and shakes the bag before secretly removing a ghost. Then the ghost master slips the ghost into the round opening at the back of the castle. Watch out: the red back side of the card should show towards the ghost master.
The ghost falls down and lands next to the black cat. The ghost master then takes the magnet and holds it right next to the castle, so that the ghost card sticks to the magnet and can be guided, as if by magic, through the castle.
Move ghost through the castle with the magnet. Now the ghost hunting starts! The ghost master moves the ghost around the castle. It is up to the master as to how quickly he wants to move the ghost. Whenever the magnet is moved across a light-colored area, the ghost may be seen by the ghost hunters through the windows on the front side of the castle.
Important: If the ghost should slip from the magnet field, it will fall down inside the castle and land either next to the black cat or the staircase of the entrance. There the ghost master can fetch him with the magnet and magically move him again.
Ghost hunters: recognizing ghost. The hunters need to be fairly quick at guessing which ghost is floating by. They compare the floating ghost with the ghosts on the eight warrant cards. But watch out: the ghosts only differ in tiny details (for example the color of the candle, the color of the ghost drink, or the direction in which the key faces).
Ghost recognized = "Ghost hunt is over!"; take ghost out of castle. As soon as a ghost hunter thinks they have identified a ghost, they quickly yell: "Ghost hunt is over!". The ghost master draws the ghost carefully towards the opening without passing by any other windows. The master should take out the ghost and hide it in one hand.
Watch out: the ghost hunters must not see the ghost in the master's hand.
Marking the guessing disks! The ghost hunters now each secretly guess which ghost it was that they believe they saw haunting the castle. The eight warrant cards on the game board correspond to a number from one to eight, as referred to on the side of the box.
- Whoever thinks that the ghost searched for is on one of the eight warrants should place their marker on the corresponding number (1-8) of the warrant disks.
- Whoever thinks that the ghost searched for is not on any of the eight warrants should turn the disk to the shadow of the ghost.
Mark disk and place down; checking and verifying. Once all the hunters have marked their disk, they place them face down in front of them. Then simultaneously all players turn over the disks. The ghost master now shows all players the ghost in her hand and checks, together with the hunters, to see who was right.
Verification of the ghost hunt! How many ghost hunters have marked the right solution on their disk?
- Two or more right guesses = move game figure one square. Two or more ghost hunters? Good work! Each of them can move their game figure one square towards the castle.
- One right guess = move game figure two squares. Just one ghost hunter? Excellent work! As a reward, this ghost hunter can move their figure two squares.
- No right guess = master ghost moves game figure one square. Not one ghost hunter? Booooh! The ghost master can now move his figure ahead one square.
New round. The ghost is returned back to the little bag. The players move ahead one seat, in a clockwise direction. The player who now sits behind the castle is the new ghost master. The player pulls a ghost out of the bag and a new round starts.
End of the Game
End of game = each player has been ghost master three times (in case of three players) or two times (in case of four or five players). If there are three players, the game ends as soon as each one has been ghost master three times. In the case of four or five players, the game ends as soon as each one has been ghost master twice.
Furthest ahead in park = winner. The player whose game figure has been moved furthest towards the castle wins the game. He or she is now the master of ghost hunters. In the case of a draw there are various winners.
Watch out: If a player reaches the last square of the park, the game ends immediately. This player is the winner and thus the master of the ghost hunters.
Variation for Skilled Ghost Hunters
Instead of playing with the red ghosts, play with the blue ghosts and the blue warrant cards. This variation is trickier as the ghosts look in different directions, thus being even harder to distinguish.