Hermit
Hermit Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
Help the hermit crab (affectionately nicknamed "Hermie" from now on) to reach the ocean before the Wave gets too far away. To do this, you must recreate patterns with your cards. Will you manage to help our little friend back to the ocean?
Game Components
- 23 Beach cards
- 2 hermit crab "Hermie"
- 1 Wave card
- 2 Player aids
- 1 Rulebook
Game Overview
The game is played over several rounds. In each round, choose 1 card from your hand and place it in your play area. Your goal is to recreate the patterned row so that Hermie moves one step closer to the Wave. If Hermie reaches the Wave before it moves back too far, you win the game.
Game Variants
You can play Hermit alone, or with two people, or, if you have 1 copy of Hermit per player, with even more people! The rules for the solo variant are the basis of the game. Further on you will find the rules for the multiplayer variants.
The Beach Cards
Beach Side
The beach side always shows a pattern, consisting of 3 seashells and/or starfish in a row.
Seashell Side
The seashell side shows a 2x3 grid with various combinations of bottle caps, a piece of driftwood with a seashell or a starfish, pools, and starfish and seashells.
The Wave
The front shows 1 piece of driftwood. The back shows 2 pieces of driftwood.
If you use the side with the 2 pieces of driftwood, the game will be more difficult. See section "Challenges."
Game Setup (Solo)
- Remove 1 hermit crab and the Beach cards marked with a red starfish from the game. Shuffle the remaining 16 Beach cards and place 10 in a row, beach side up, so that the symbols are at the top. This is the Coast.
- Place Hermie to the left of the first Beach card on the Coast.
- Place the Wave on top of the 6th Beach card from the left. The side with 1 piece of driftwood should be face up. Make sure that the Wave doesn't cover up the symbols.
- Place the remaining 6 Beach cards in a pile, beach side face up.
- Place 1 card from the pile in front of you in the play area, with the seashell side up.
Setup for the base game. For a more difficult game, read the section "Challenges."
Gameplay
Each round consists of 4 phases: In the 1st phase, you draw cards. In the 2nd phase, you place a card in your play area. In the 3rd phase, Hermie moves and finally, in the 4th phase, the Wave moves.
Phase 1: Draw Cards
Check how many bottle caps are visible in your play area.
If there is at most 1 visible bottle cap, draw cards from the pile until you have 2 cards in your hand. Always hold the cards in your hand with the seashell side facing you.
If there are 2 or more visible bottle caps in your play area, your hand limit is 1. So you may only draw 1 card if you have no cards left in your hand. Otherwise you draw none.
Important: If the pile is empty, draw up to your hand limit from the Coast behind Hermie (from the left).
Phase 2: Place a Card
Place 1 card from your hand in your play area. Rotate it as you wish. Place it either next to at least one card, so that 1 or more symbols are next to each other (the cards' edges must touch, not just their corners), or place it on top of at least one card, so that 1 or more symbols are covered.
Your goal is to recreate the pattern on the Beach card directly to the right of Hermie. You may mirror it and rotate it, but the symbols must lie horizontally or vertically in a row or column and in the order shown.
If you cover a symbol, you must cover it completely. The symbols don't have to match — you can place any symbol on top of any symbol. You may also cover a card completely. Never place a card diagonally.
Phase 3: Move Hermie
Were you able to recreate the pattern that is on the Beach card directly to the right of Hermie? And is at least 1 of the symbols you needed on the card you just placed? Great! Move Hermie to that Beach card.
Otherwise, Hermie doesn't move.
Important: If the Wave is on the Beach card to which you wish to move Hermie, you may only move him if at least 1 symbol of the recreated pattern is on a piece of driftwood.
Phase 4: Move the Wave
Move the Wave 1 card to the right (away from Hermie) unless you moved Hermie this turn and fulfilled 1 of the following requirements:
- If you placed 2 of the same seashells or starfish next to each other, don't move the Wave. 1 of these symbols must be on the card you just placed.
- If you placed 2 pools next to each other, move the Wave 1 card to the left (closer to Hermie). 1 of the pools must be on the card you just placed.
Important: If this would cause the Wave to land on Hermie, don't move the Wave.
Note: Symbols are considered next to each other if they are horizontally or vertically adjacent to each other, not diagonally.
End of the Game
You win immediately, as soon as you move Hermie onto the Beach card with the Wave. He's safely back in the ocean now!
Important: At least 1 symbol of the recreated pattern must be on a piece of driftwood.
You lose as soon as the Wave moves off the Beach card on the far right, or as soon as there are not enough cards left for you to draw in phase 1.
Challenges
Have you beaten the base game? Then take on bigger challenges! Raise the difficulty level or choose an extra task to complete.
Raise Difficulty Level
You can make the game more difficult in 2 ways, which you can combine with each other:
- Wave with 2 pieces of driftwood (instead of 1): During game setup, place the Wave with the side showing 2 pieces of driftwood face-up. In order to move Hermie to the Beach card with the Wave, at least 2 symbols of the recreated pattern must be on a piece of driftwood (instead of 1).
- Wave on the 8th Beach card (instead of the 6th): During game setup, place the Wave on the 8th Beach card from the left (instead of the 6th).
Tasks
For more variety, complete various tasks with different difficulty levels. During game setup, choose 1 of the following tasks and the difficulty level. Keep a record of your successes in the table.
- Base game: Play according to the usual rules.
- Garbage: Never cover any bottle caps during the game.
- Sandcastle: You must place the cards in a 6x6 grid in your play area. This means you can never have more than 6 symbols in a row and column.
- Dunes: Win the game with at least 2 unused cards (in the pile, in your hand and/or on the Coast behind Hermit).
- Crab Dance: Place 3 pools in a row or column next to each other. (You may cover them up again later.)
- Nature Reserve: No visible bottle caps in the play area at the end of the game.
- Big Beach: Never cover more than 2 symbols when placing a Beach card.
- Crashing Waves: At least 4 Beach cards to the right of the Wave at the end of the game.
The 4 difficulty levels, and the setup that goes with each, are:
| Difficulty | Setup |
|---|---|
| Crustacean | 1 piece of driftwood and the Wave on the 6th Beach card |
| Shrimp | 2 pieces of driftwood and the Wave on the 6th Beach card |
| Crayfish | 1 piece of driftwood and the Wave on the 8th Beach card |
| King Crab | 2 pieces of driftwood and the Wave on the 8th Beach card |
Use a copy of the following table to keep a record of which tasks you have completed at which difficulty level:
| Task | Crustacean | Shrimp | Crayfish | King Crab |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base game | ||||
| Garbage | ||||
| Sandcastle | ||||
| Dunes | ||||
| Crab Dance | ||||
| Nature Reserve | ||||
| Big Beach | ||||
| Crashing Waves |
Playing with 2 (Cooperatively)
Game Overview
The goal is for you to get Hermit to the Wave together. Each round consists of the 4 usual phases, some with modified rules. You each play the round at the same time. The game ends as in the solo game: You win as soon as you move Hermit onto the Beach card with the Wave. You lose as soon as the Wave moves off the Beach card on the far right, or as soon as at least 1 player has no cards left to draw from in phase 1.
Game Setup
Shuffle the 23 Beach cards and place 10 in a row, beach side up, so that the symbols are facing up. This is the Coast. Place the Wave on top of the 6th Beach card from the left. Place Hermit to the left of the first Beach card on the Coast. You share the Coast, Wave, and Hermit.
You each have your own pile of cards and your own play area. Each player receives 6 Beach cards and place them in a pile.
Place 1 card from your pile in front of them in your own play areas, with the seashell side up.
Gameplay
Phase 1: If any player has 2 or more visible bottle caps in their play area, all players' hand limits are reduced to 1. If you each have at most 1 visible bottle cap in your own play areas, each players' hand limit is 2. Draw cards accordingly: Draw from your pile, or, if it's empty, from the Coast behind Hermit, as in the solo game.
Phase 2: Each player places 1 card in their own play area. The rules for this remain unchanged.
Phase 3: Hermit will only move if all of you have recreated the pattern with at least 1 symbol on your card.
Important: To move Hermit onto the Wave, all players must have at least 1 driftwood symbol in the recreated pattern (or at least 2 driftwood symbols if you are playing with the 2-driftwood Wave).
Phase 4: Move the Wave 1 card to the right, unless:
-
Hermit was moved in this round and at least one person has 2 of the same seashells or starfish next to each other. In this case the Wave doesn't move. 1 of these symbols must be on a card that has just been placed.
Important: The symbol must also be on the Beach card in front of Hermit.
-
At least 1 player has recreated the pattern and placed 2 pools next to each other. In this case move the Wave 1 card to the left. 1 of the pools must be on a card that has just been placed.
Important: If this would cause the Wave to land on Hermit, don't move the Wave.
Playing with 2 (Against Each Other)
Game Overview
There are two ways to play the competitive mode for 2.
- Mode A (normal): You play turn-based.
- Mode B (real-time): You play simultaneously.
The goal is to get your Hermit to the Wave first. From now on, each round consists of 1 turn by both of you. Each turn consists of the 4 usual phases, some with modified rules. Whoever reaches the Wave first wins the game.
In case both players' Hermit reach the wave in the same round (mode A) or at the same time (mode B), both win. You lose if there are no cards left for you to draw in phase 1.
Game Setup
Shuffle the 23 Beach cards. Use 11 Beach cards for the Coast. Place the Wave in the middle, on top of the 6th Beach card from the left. You share the Coast and Wave.
Choose which side of the coast you start on. Place your own Hermit there. The other player places their own Hermit on the other side of the coast.
From the remaining Beach cards, each player gets 6 Beach cards to place in a pile in front of them, beach side face up.
They both place 1 card from their pile in front of them in their play area, with the seashell side up.
Gameplay
Mode A: You play turn-based, which means that one player waits for the other player to finish all phases of a round before it's their turn. Determine the first player randomly.
Mode B: You both play simultaneously. This means that both play the phases and rounds on their own pace, and don't wait for each other to finish a phase or round to go to the next one. One player may play faster than the other, resulting in both having played an unequal number of rounds by the end of the game. Be careful that the patterns you've created are really correct, despite the time pressure.
Phase 1: Draw cards from your pile. If the pile is empty, draw up to your hand limit from the Coast behind your Hermit.
Phase 2: Place 1 card in your play area. The rules for this remain unchanged.
Phase 3: Check if you move your Hermit. The rules for this remain unchanged.
Phase 4: Check, if you move the wave (away from your Hermit, closer to your Hermit, or not at all). If you move the Wave closer to your Hermit, the Wave automatically moves further away from the other players' Hermit. If moving the Wave would cause it to land on either one of the Hermit's, don't move the Wave. If you're already on the Wave, don't move it either.
Playing with More People
You can also play Hermit cooperatively with even more people! For this, each player needs their own copy of Hermit.
Gameplay is the same as when Playing with 2 (Cooperatively) with the following changes:
Game Setup
One player prepares the game as you would in a solo game. All other players shuffle all their Beach cards and place them in a pile (instead of only 6 cards).
Gameplay
Phase 1: The player who set up the game draws from their pile or the Coast, as in the solo game. All other players always draw from their own pile, never from the Coast.
Credits
Game idea: Amelie Le-Roche
Illustration: Marlies Barends
Graphic design: Maurizio Ameloot
Game piece: Daniel Müller
Editing: Tim Rogasch
Variants: Tyron & Vivienne de Windt, Lisa Prohaska
Proofreading: Johannes Brandt
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