Home Alone
Home Alone Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Equipment
Game board floor plan, Spinner, 2 Crooks and 2 black stands, Crooks & Van score board, 4 "Kids" and 4 colored stands, 4 sets of 25 markers (16 Booby-traps, 8 Valuables, and one "Kid" marker).
Canadian edition sheet: the equipment list reads "Die" in place of "Spinner"; the movement die is rolled rather than spun (see The Play).
Object
To prevent the crooks from stealing your valuables from the house while getting them to trip up on booby-traps (spider, iron, blow torch, paint can, etc.). Be the player who uses the most booby-traps while losing the least number of valuables.
Preparation
Assemble the spinner. Put Crooks into their stands and place them on the start position near the front door. Place the Crooks & Van score board next to the game board. Each player takes a set of markers of one color. Each player assembles his/her upright "Kid" piece by placing the large, double-sided Kid square in the plastic stand of the same color as his/her set of markers. Players then take turns (one at a time) secretly hiding their valuables, booby-traps and "Kid" by placing their markers, face down, anywhere on the game board. Try to remember where your valuables and "Kid" are hidden as you play the game. Up to four markers can be placed on any square on the board, but a player may not have more than one marker in that square.
Canadian edition sheet: the Preparation text reads "Up to three markers can be placed on any square on the board" (not four), and the spinner is replaced by a die.
Component note: assembling the Kid and Crook stands
From the Canadian edition's sheet (the "Special Note"): before inserting the movers into the stands, fold the bottom piece away from the cut-line, then insert into the stand. The sheet's Diagram "A" (a cut-line on the mover piece, with an arrow to the bottom flap) is not reproduced here.
The Play
A player is chosen to go first and play continues to the left.
Moving a Piece: The Crooks and upright "Kid" pieces may move diagonally and can only enter or leave the house through the doors or through a window with footprints next to it.
On a turn...
- ...a player uses the spinner and moves either Crook the amount spun.
- ...when a Crook ends up on a square with one or more markers on it, the player removes the markers and places them on the scoreboard. The valuables are put on the Van and the booby-traps on the Crooks, except if it is a "Kid." See below. When a Crook lands on your "kid."
Canadian edition sheet: step 1 reads "a player rolls the die and moves either Crook, up to the amount rolled"; step 2 reads "when a Crook is moved, if he ends up on a square with one or more markers on it, the player removes the markers and places them on the scoreboard." The Canadian sheet also says "No piece may move diagonally" in place of the US wording "The Crooks and upright 'Kid' pieces may move diagonally".
When a Crook lands on your "Kid"
- When a Crook lands on and discovers your "Kid" marker, it is removed from its space on the game board and replaced with your upright "Kid" piece.
- You then get one free spin, and move the number spun to get away.
- Thereafter, you and any other player whose "Kid" has been discovered may move your upright "kid" piece at the end of every player's turn, the same amount spun by the player on that turn.
- On your turn, you may first move a Crook, then move your "Kid" piece the same amount spun.
- When a Crook lands on an upright "Kid" piece, the "Kid" is caught and the game is over.
Canadian edition sheet, the same five steps: step 2 reads "You get one free roll, and move the number rolled to get away"; step 3 reads "...the same amount rolled by the player on that turn"; step 4 reads "...then move your 'Kid' piece the same amount rolled."
Handle Bars and Quick Escapes
There are two squares on the game board with Handle bars on them. No markers may be placed on the Handle bar squares because they are Quick Escape squares for "Kids" only. When a "Kid" piece lands on a Handle bar, he/she can make a Quick Escape and go immediately to the Treehouse. Crooks can occupy a Handle bar square, but can't use them to get to the Treehouse.
Canadian edition sheet: the Handle Bars rule reads "...because they are Quick Escape squares for 'Kids' only. If a 'Kid' piece lands on a Handle Bar square, he/she can make a Quick Escape and go immediately to the Treehouse. Crooks can occupy a Handle Bar square, but can not use them to get to the Treehouse."
Ending the Game
The game ends when one of the upright "Kid" pieces is caught.
Scoring
At the end of the game, all players remove their markers from the Crooks & Van score board and add up each group. Each player then subtracts the number of his/her valuables the Crooks "stole" from the number of his/her booby-traps they "hit."
The Winner
The player with the most number of booby-traps after subtracting valuables is the winner.
Booby Traps and Valuables
The names of the marker icons are printed on the Canadian edition's second sheet (the icon legend that carries the "Special Note"), not on the US "Rules of Play" sheet. The rules above say "booby-traps" and "valuables" without naming them; the names below are taken from that icon legend as printed.
Booby Traps (+1 point each)
Hot Iron, Broken Ornaments, Tarantula, Trip Rope, Micro, Fan & Feathers, Blow Torch, Ice, Big Nail, Snow Shovel, Paint Can, B.B. Gun, Paint Can, Hot Wire, Tar, Firecrackers.
Valuables (-1 point each)
T.V. Set, Jewels, Money, Stereo, Silver, Computer, Watch, Credit Cards.