Gravediggers
Gravediggers Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
Players: 2 to 5
Playing Time: 30 minutes
Components
- 5 cemetery screens
- 65 coins (35x1, 20x5, 5x20, 5x Credit Note)
- 45 cards (4x2, 4x3, 4x4, 11x5, 2x10, 4xX, 4xWidow, 4xGuard, 4xAccomplice, 4xBandit)
- 1 "Gravedigger" card
- 7 tiles (4x Place, 1xView, 1xTurn Over, 1 Gravedigger)
The number cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 10) and X cards are the "Valuables" cards; Widow, Guard, Accomplice and Bandit are the "Special" cards.
Preparation
All players receive a cemetery screen which they place in front of them, forming a big circle on the table. Each player also receives five value-1 coins and one value-5 coin as his personal finances and hides them behind his cemetery screen. With fewer than five players the remaining screens are placed as part of the circle and remain empty but are still part of the game. The remaining coins are set aside as a general supply.
Shuffle the cards, deal a hand of five cards to each player and place one card face down in front of each of the five cemetery screens. Use the remaining cards as a face down deck.
Place the tiles face down in the middle and shuffle them. The "Gravedigger" card is placed to one side.
Note: The coins behind your cemetery screen belong to you and are safe from any cemetery robberies. The valuables buried in the cemeteries are placed as cards in front of the screens and these are the target of the cemetery robberies. Therefore it does not matter which cemetery is robbed as it is not your own valuables that are taken.
Play
Select one player to start then play progresses clockwise. On your turn reveal one of the tiles from the middle and take the appropriate action as described below. When all seven tiles have been revealed turn them face down, shuffle them again and continue play.
- Place a card: Select one card from your hand and place it face down in front of any one of the cemetery screens. All cards in front of a cemetery are placed in a line next to each other. Then refresh your hand with one card from the face down deck. If the deck is used up, no more cards can be drawn.
- View a card: Select one face down card from in front of any one of the cemeteries, look at it and return it face down to its original position without showing it to any of the other players.
- Reveal a card: Select one face down card from in front of any one of the cemeteries and turn it over, leaving it face up in its original position. Note: One card must remain face down in front of each cemetery at all times. The last card may not be turned over.
- "Gravedigger": Choose one of the cemeteries and place the "Gravedigger" card next to it. This cemetery is now being robbed as described below. After the cemetery robbery the game progresses clockwise.
Game End
The game ends when the deck has been used up and one player has played the last card from his hand. Starting with this player's cemetery, and progressing in clockwise order, all cemeteries (with cards in front of them) are robbed one last time. Then the player with the highest overall total value of coins wins.
Cemetery Robbery
When a cemetery is being robbed each player takes some (or none) of his own coins into his fist. When all players have done so the coins in the fists are revealed simultaneously.
Then turn over all the cards in front of the cemetery that is being robbed and calculate their total value. Place coins of the corresponding value into the middle from the general supply. These coins are the bounty that is now distributed amongst the players in the following way:
- The player with the lowest value of coins in his fist takes the equivalent value from the bounty and places the coins from his fist and his share of the bounty behind his screen. Then the player with the second lowest value of coins in his fist does the same, and so on. This continues until all the players have taken their share or until the coins in the bounty are insufficient to fully pay the next player. If there are insufficient coins to fully pay the next player then he receives nothing and the remaining bounty is returned to the general supply.
Note: If two or more players have the same value of coins in their fist they only receive their share if there are sufficient coins in the bounty to fully pay them all, otherwise they receive nothing and the remaining bounty is returned to the general supply.
Tip: Always aim to get a big share of the bounty but do not be too greedy otherwise you could end up with nothing!
After the cemetery robbery all the revealed cards from that cemetery are returned face down to the box. Then take one card from the deck and place it face down in front of the cemetery that has just been robbed. This cemetery can be robbed again later. If the deck is used up, no card is placed in front of the cemetery and the cemetery cannot be robbed again.
Cards
The cards show different values: 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 and X. One X card doubles the total value of the bounty, two X cards triple it, and so on.
There are some special people cards that influence the cemetery robbery in the following order of priority:
- Grieving Widow: If there is only one widow she distracts all the men and all the special cards from the cemetery are returned face down to the box. The bounty is then distributed as normal. If there is more than one widow they are busy chatting and only the widow cards are returned to the box.
- Guard: If there is only one guard he protects the cemetery and all the cards from the cemetery are returned face down to the box. The players who revealed an empty fist and were not involved in the failed robbery are rewarded with coins to the value of five from the general supply. If there is more than one guard they are busy playing cards and only the guard cards are returned to the box.
- Accomplices and Bandits: If there are more bandits than accomplices then they will raid the cemetery and all the cards from the cemetery are returned face down to the box. The bandits will not stop there and all players are robbed of the coins from their fists, which are then added to the general supply. If there are more accomplices than bandits they will aid the players and the distribution of coins from the bounty is reversed, starting with the player who revealed the highest value of coins in his fist. If there are the same number of accomplices and bandits they fight each other and are returned to the box. The bounty is then distributed as normal.
Credit Notes
If the personal finances of a player fall below a value of 10 he may lift his screen to reveal his finances to the other players and take additional coins to the value of 10 together with a credit note from the general supply. At the end of the game each player must reduce his total value by 10 for each credit note he holds.