Hounded
Hounded Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
What's in the Box
Tiles (49)
- 2 (I) Brook Tiles
- 2 (II) Brook Tiles
- 2 (I) Thicket Tiles
- 2 (II) Thicket Tiles
- 2 (I) Scent Tiles
- 2 (II) Scent Tiles
- 2 Trap Tiles
- 1 Morning Time Tile
- 1 Noon Time Tile
- 1 Night Time Tile
- 1 Baby Fox Tile
- 26 Grass Tiles
- 5 Den Tiles
Game Pieces (7)
- 1 Master of Hounds
- 3 Foxhounds
- 1 Terrier
- 1 Bulldog
- 1 Fox
How to Win
As the Hunting Party
The way to win is to capture the Fox. There are two different ways to accomplish this task.
- First, if the Hunting Party can force the Fox to end its turn within one space of the Master of Hounds, the Hunting Party wins.
- Second, the Hunting Party can trap the Fox. If the Fox begins its turn but is unable to move, the Hunting Party wins.
For more tips on playing as the Hunting Party, see Strategy.
As the Fox
There are two ways for the Fox to win in Hounded.
- First, the Fox can win if all three Time Tiles — Morning, Noon, and Night — are revealed. If that happens, the Fox has outlasted the Hunting Party.
- Second, the Fox can achieve victory by evading the Hunting Party until 43 out of the 49 tiles are revealed. When only six tiles remain face-down, the game is over and the Fox wins!
Setting Up
To start the game, remove one Den Tile and place it face up in the game area. Shuffle the rest of the tiles and place them face down in a seven-by-seven grid around it. This tile grid makes up Hounded's game board.
Next, place the game pieces in their designated positions at opposite ends of the game board.
Once both the tiles and game pieces are prepared, it's time to begin playing. The Hunting Party begins the hunt while the Fox is still cozy in its Den.
The Hunt
On its turn, the Hunting Party is required to move three pieces. Each character has its own unique qualities and movement patterns (see Characters). Pieces may not move through a space occupied by another piece, except for the Foxhound. No piece can ever end its move on the same space as another piece.
Once the Hunting Party finishes its turn, the Fox must move (see Fox). The Fox is required to move at least one space each turn. If the Fox is unable to move, the Hunting Party wins. The Fox finishes its turn by revealing and resolving the tile it has ended on. There are several types of tiles that may be revealed (see Tiles). If the tile the Fox ends its turn on is already face-up, nothing happens. Once the tile has been revealed and resolved, it's the Hunting Party's turn again.
If all three Time Tiles are revealed or if there are only six face-down tiles remaining, then the hunting day is over and the Fox wins. If the Fox cannot move or ends its turn adjacent to the Master of Hounds, it is trapped and the Hunting Party wins. Until then, keep taking turns. The game is only over when the Fox outlasts the Hunting Party or the Hunting Party successfully captures the Fox!
Characters
The Hunting Party
Must move three pieces each turn.
Master of Hounds
Movement: One space in any direction including diagonally.
Special: If the Fox ends its turn in an adjacent (including diagonally adjacent) space to the Master of Hounds, the Fox is captured and the Hunting Party wins!
Foxhound
Movement: Up to two spaces in any direction or one space diagonally.
Special: Unlike all other game pieces, Foxhounds can move through other Hunting Party pieces.
Bulldog
Movement: One space in any direction except diagonally.
Special: If the Fox begins its turn in an adjacent (including diagonally adjacent) space to the Bulldog, then the Fox may only move up to two spaces that turn. This only affects the Fox's base movement and doesn't affect the movement bonus gained by a revealed Thicket Tile. Once the Fox begins its turn out of the Bulldog's area of effect, it may again move its usual three spaces each turn.
Terrier
Movement: One space in any direction including diagonally.
Special: Like the Fox, the Terrier reveals the tile it ends its turn on and can pass through shortcuts created by Den Tiles. However, if the Terrier finds a Den or Trap on its turn, it may choose whether or not to reveal it. So be sure to check what the tile is before you reveal it to the Fox!
The Terrier also has the ability to bury revealed Den Tiles and Trap Tiles. At the end of the Hunting Party's turn, the Terrier may flip the tile it's currently on face down, burying it.
The Fox
Fox
Movement: Up to three spaces in any direction or combination of directions. Only one of these three moves may be diagonal.
Special: The Fox reveals the tile it ends its turn on and may pass through shortcuts created by Den Tiles.
Foxes are known for their agility and can easily weasel through a row of dogs. If five or more game pieces of the Hunting Party are lined up in a vertical or horizontal row, the Fox may pass through the occupied tiles. Passing through an occupied tile still counts as a movement, and the Fox may not end its turn on an occupied tile.
Tiles
Generally, tiles only grant bonuses immediately upon being revealed. Once a Thicket, Brook, Scent, or Baby Fox Tile has been revealed, its bonus can no longer be used. There are two exceptions: Trap Tiles can be reset, and visible Den Tiles are always active.
Thicket
When revealed by the Fox, the Fox may instantly move additional spaces based on the number shown (either +1 or +2 movement). If it's a +2 movement, only one bonus move may be diagonal. Once the Fox has moved those spaces, it must again reveal the tile it has ended its turn on. If the Fox is lucky and reveals another Thicket, it may again move and repeat the process until revealing another tile type. The Fox may also ignore the bonus movement and end its turn.
When revealed by the Terrier, nothing happens, but you have prevented this Thicket from benefiting the Fox.
Brook
When revealed by the Fox, the Fox may select Hunting Party game pieces based on the number shown (either one or two game pieces) to temporarily lose the Fox's scent. On its next turn, the Hunting Party will be unable to move the game pieces selected by the Fox. The Hunting Party is still required to move a minimum of three game pieces a turn.
When revealed by the Terrier, nothing happens, but you have prevented this Brook from benefiting the Fox.
Scent
When revealed by the Terrier, the Hunting Party may move additional game pieces this turn, based on the number shown (either one or two extra game pieces). The Hunting Party may not move the same game piece twice within one turn, though. The Hunting Party isn't required to move all, or any, of its bonus game pieces.
When revealed by the Fox, nothing happens, but you have prevented this Scent from benefiting the Hunting Party.
Trap
When revealed by the Fox, the Hunting Party may move all six of its game pieces during its next turn. The Hunting Party isn't required to move all, or any, of its bonus game pieces.
If the Terrier finds a Trap Tile on its turn, it may choose whether or not to reveal it.
If the Terrier ends its turn on a revealed Trap Tile, it may choose to bury it (see Terrier). This is essentially "resetting" the Trap. So if the Fox forgets its location and reveals this same tile again, the Hunting Party gets its bonus again.
Time Tiles
There are three different Time Tiles: Morning, Noon, and Night. If all three tiles are revealed, the Fox wins. Both the Fox and the Terrier can reveal Time Tiles, which means that each time the Hunting Party moves the Terrier, there is a chance that the Terrier will reveal a Time Tile. It doesn't matter which order the Time Tiles are revealed in.
Den
Every revealed Den Tile is a shortcut to every other revealed Den Tile. The Fox and Terrier can cross a shortcut as one square of movement, traveling directly between those tiles. Neither can take a shortcut to a Den Tile that is occupied by another game piece, though.
If the Terrier finds a Den Tile on its turn, it may choose whether or not to reveal it.
If the Terrier ends its turn on a revealed Den Tile, it may choose to bury it (see Terrier).
Baby Fox
Somewhere on the game board is a lost and scared Baby Fox, and both the Hunting Party and the Fox want to find it.
When revealed by the Fox, it may instantly reveal any two additional tiles. All face-down tiles are eligible, including tiles that the Hunting Party is currently occupying. Neither the Fox nor the Hunting Party receives a bonus from the two revealed tiles.
When revealed by the Terrier, the Hunting Party may instantly bury some or all revealed Den Tiles, even the tile the Fox started on. If the Fox is currently occupying a Den Tile, though, that one can't be buried. If no Den Tiles are currently revealed, the Baby Fox Tile instead functions as a Scent (II) Tile.
Grass
There's nothing here!
Strategy
Playing as the Hunting Party can be challenging. If you're playing with someone less experienced or much younger than you, we recommend that the older or more experienced player play as the Hunting Party. If you're playing competitively, take turns in each role, and keep track of unflipped tiles at the end of each game to break ties.
Here are some tips for winning as the Hunting Party:
- It may be tempting to not use the Terrier, to avoid flipping Time Tiles and helping the Fox win. Avoid this impulse. Keeping the Fox from using Brooks and Thickets, finding Scent Tiles and the Baby Fox, as well as having another piece with which to trap the Fox, will be valuable to you.
- Don't chase the Fox the whole time — set up a plan for how to corner him or trap him. It's the tortoise and the hare; he has speed, you have smarts. Do what you can to deny the Fox long-term access to as big a portion of the board as you can manage. Defend that area until he's forced to come to you in order to find the rest of the Time Tiles or get the tile count to 43. Once there's only a corner of the board left to reveal, you'll have the Fox right where you want him.
- Use your Foxhounds to box the Fox in, while you keep the Terrier and Master of Hounds towards the middle to trap the Fox.
- Move the line of hunters with the Master of Hounds as the middle of the line to sweep the whole area, but don't make a straight line of five, as this allows the Fox to cut through.
Set Up Reference
Diagrams show the starting board layout and starting positions of all game pieces; see Setting Up above for the placement rules.
The Hunting Party begins the hunt!
Credits
Game Design & Illustration: Clint Bohaty
Publisher: John Nephew
Producer: Kyla McCorkle Tonding
Publisher's Special Thanks: Cam Banks, Jessica Banks, Bob Brynildson, Jerry Corrick, Nicolas Gluesenkamp, Michelle Nephew, Jeff Tidball, Travis Winter, and everyone at The Source.
Playtesters: Cam Banks, Jessica Banks, Dan Bohaty, Meg Dolan, Scott Eaton, Jessi Eikos, Julie Geiger-Schutz, Simon Geiger-Schutz, Nicolas Gluesenkamp, Kay King, Chelzee Lemm-Thompson, Lynn Patricia, Bill Sininger, Jeff Tidball, Jake Tonding, Matt Walters, Travis Winter, Rick Wohlfarth, Mitch Zielke, Andre Zuniga, and all the wonderful folks at Metatopia.
©2016 Trident, Inc., d/b/a Atlas Games. All rights reserved. Hounded is a trademark of Trident, Inc., d/b/a Atlas Games.