Hammer Time
Hammer Time Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
A hard-hitting dexterity game for 2 to 4 players ages 5 to 99 years.
- Game Designers: Shaun Graham and Scott Huntington
- Illustrator: Natalie Behle
- Game Developer: Markus Singer
- Playtime: about 15 minutes
Contents
- 1 box base
- 1 play mat sticker
- 1 hammer
- 1 color die (for the master variant)
- 9 small task cards
- 90 gemstones (10 clear and 16 each in blue, green, yellow, red and black)
- 16 large wagon cards (in 4 colors)
Before the First Game
Tip: Let an adult help you before playing the first game.
Place the box base on the table with the bottom facing up so that you can see the packaging text. Now stick the play mat sticker onto the bottom of the box base. It's time to do some mining! After playing, leave the sticker on the box. Now your game not only has a cool cover but also a cool box base!
Game Setup
a. Place the box base in the center of the table with the bottom facing up.
b. Place all the gemstones on the box base.
c. Each player takes a set of 4 wagon cards in the same color, shuffles them and places them in a face-up stack in front of them. These are your wagon stacks.
d. The youngest player is the starting player and takes the starting player card.
e. Shuffle the task cards and place them in a face-up stack that is easily seen by all players.
f. Keep the hammer handy.
How to Play
Take turns in a clockwise direction. The starting player begins. Once all players have had one turn, a new round begins.
Your turn consists of 5 phases:
- Hammer time!
- Count gemstones
- Check task card
- Fill wagon
- Check wagon
Phase 1: Hammer Time!
Take the hammer and knock on the side of the box until at least 1 gemstone falls off.
Tip: There are various hammering techniques. You can hit the short or the long side of the box. You can try small, careful taps or give it a solid blow. But as soon as at least 1 gemstone falls off you must immediately stop hammering and start Phase 2.
Important: You may carefully turn and move the box before starting to hammer on it. But if one or more gemstones fall down in the process, your turn ends immediately, and the next player takes their turn.
Phase 2: Count Gemstones
Now count all the gemstones that have fallen off the box.
Did 8 or less gemstones fall off? Fantastic! Dragomir the Dragon didn't notice anything. Continue with Phase 3.
Did 9 or more gemstones fall off? Oh no! Take cover! You woke up Dragomir the Dragon. Place all the gemstones that fell off back onto the box base. This ends your turn and it's the next player's turn.
Tip: If you have trouble counting the gemstones, you can place them along one of the long sides of the box with the colorful gemstones showing. Place the gemstones that fell down next to the ones pictured on the box. Are there any gemstones left over? Then unfortunately more than 8 gemstones fell down and it's the next player's turn.
Phase 3: Check the Task Card
Tip: The first few times you play the game you can skip this phase and go directly to Phase 4. Once you're a bit more familiar with the game, this phase makes the game even more exciting.
Can you complete the top task on the face-up task card stack?
Yes? Great! Take the task card from the stack and place it next to your wagon. The side with the large, clear gemstone should face up. A completed task card can be used as a clear gemstone in Phase 4. Now continue with Phase 4.
No? What a pity! Go directly to Phase 4.
Note: The task cards are explained at the end of this rulebook.
Important: Completing a task on a task card does not use up the gemstones. They are simply counted and can then be used in Phase 4 to fill the wagon.
Phase 4: Fill Your Wagon
Now you may fill the top wagon on your wagon stack with gemstones that fell off. Each wagon has 4-6 spaces. Each space fits exactly one gemstone. The gemstones must match the color of the empty spaces in the wagon. Clear gemstones count as jokers and can be placed in any space. Gemstones that have already been placed can be moved.
Important: You may only ever fill the top wagon on your wagon stack! Place all the knocked off gemstones that you don't need back onto the box base. If other gemstones fall off in the process, simply place them back on top.
Tip: Black gemstones have no value and aren't needed in any wagon, but they do count when completing the tasks on task cards in Phase 3.
Phase 5: Check Your Wagon
Is your wagon completely full? Are all the spaces filled with matching gemstones?
Yes? Fantastic! Place all the gemstones back onto the box and place the wagon card face-down (with the back facing up) next to your wagon stack. Wow, look how sparkly the full wagon is!
No? Maybe you can fill up your wagon with the task cards that you have collected? If you have managed to collect a completed task card then you can use it as a clear gemstone to fill your wagon. You can only do this if it allows you to completely fill your wagon. In this case, place the used task card(s) back under the task card stack. Then place all the gemstones in your wagon back onto the box base and place the wagon card face down next to your wagon stack.
Then the next player takes their turn.
End of the Game
As soon as one player fills their fourth wagon card, this triggers the end of the game. The current round is finished so everyone has had the same number of turns.
If, at the end of this round, you are the only player to have been able to fill the fourth wagon, then you win the game!
If, at the end of this round, multiple players have been able to fill their fourth wagon, the number of task cards completed and still held by these players is used to determine the winner. If there is still a tie, then these players share the win.
Master Variant
Are you already experts with the hammer and want to set yourself a bigger challenge? Then try out the following game variant.
Roll the die before starting to knock in Phase 1. The die dictates which knocking technique you need to use in this turn.
Tip: So that you don't constantly need to check the instructions, you can compare the color of the symbol you rolled with the helmet color of the gnomes on the side of the box. The gnomes show the knocking technique you need to use.
- Careful! Strong vibrations could wake Dragomir! Instead of knocking with the head of the hammer, you need to use the handle.
- You must knock with your "weaker" hand. If you're right handed, you take the hammer in your left hand. If you're left handed, you take the hammer in your right hand.
- Thump! Who needs a hammer? Instead of using the hammer, you hit with your fist.
- Pfft! I could do this in my sleep! Lay your head sideways on the table while knocking.
- Ouch! Right on the thumb! Your thumb may not touch the hammer when knocking.
- Oh gosh! What was that? You knock with your eyes closed.
Left or right – both work!
Explanation of the Task Cards
- To complete this task card you need to have knocked off less than 4 gemstones – so 1, 2 or 3 gemstones.
- To complete this task card you need to have knocked off more than 5 gemstones – so 6, 7 or 8 gemstones.
- To complete this task card you need to have knocked off at least 2 black gemstones.
- To complete this task card you must knock an even number of gemstones off the box base.
- To complete this task card you must knock an uneven number of gemstones off the box base.
Tip: To check whether you have an "even" or "uneven" number you can place two gemstones at a time on the task card – one for each gnome. Divide up all the gemstones. Is there one gemstone left over?
- No? Then an even number of gemstones fell down.
- Yes? Then an uneven number of gemstones fell down.
After checking, take all the gemstones off the task card again so that you can use them to fill your wagon in Phase 4.