Inspector Higgins
Inspector Higgins Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 game board
- 6 wooden figures (1 inspector, 5 robbers)
- 9 houses
- 3 dice (blue, green, red)
- 1 punch-out sheet (with 9 house cards)
Goal of the Game
The inspector's goal is to catch the robber who has the treasure, and as many of his accomplices as possible.
The robbers' goal is to find the treasure and bring it to the robbers' hideout.
Setup
Before the first game, punch the nine cards out of the punch-out sheet. Eight cards are red, and one card shows the treasure.
Push the treasure card, picture side facing outward, into the bottom of any house.
Clamp the red cards into the remaining houses. From then on the cards stay clamped in their houses.
Mix all the houses thoroughly and place them on the white spaces in the town. Do not look under the houses while doing this.
Place the five robbers on the spaces at the robbers' hideout.
Place Inspector Higgins on the large space in front of the jail. The players decide or roll dice to determine who plays Inspector Higgins. All the other players receive all five robbers. All figures are always in play, no matter how many players take part.
Playing the Game
The dice used depend on the number of players.
- 2 players: robbers use the blue die; inspector uses the green die.
- 3 players: robbers use the blue die; inspector uses the blue die.
- 4 players: robbers use the green die; inspector uses the red die.
- 5 and 6 players: robbers use the green die; inspector uses the red and blue dice. (In this case the inspector may decide after every roll with both dice whether to add the dice points together or to move only by the pips of one die.)
Play proceeds clockwise. The player seated to the left of the inspector always starts.
How Do the Robbers Move?
First, all the robbers must be brought out of the robbers' hideout before any house is approached. Once the players have brought the robbers out of the hideout, they may move with any robber.
Margin note: Everyone moves with every robber.
No robber figure belongs to a particular player. Everyone who plays against the inspector may move any robber figure.
No figure may be skipped, not even the inspector. In this way, figures can block paths.
When a robber has reached the white dot in front of a house with an exact throw, the player moving it looks under the house and announces aloud whether or not the treasure is under this house. If the treasure is not hidden under the house, the robbers continue on to the next houses. The house is then put back in its place.
How Does Inspector Higgins Move?
The player who plays Inspector Higgins starts on the space in front of the town jail. He takes the die matching the number of players and moves as many spaces as he has rolled.
Margin note: Dice points do not lapse.
If the inspector lands directly on a space where a robber stands, he removes that robber from the board and places it in the jail. This robber takes no further part in the game for this round.
Margin note: The inspector does not look under houses.
If the inspector lands on a white space in front of a house, he may not look under it. That is the robbers' business. However, he may block the way until it is his turn again. The inspector also may not skip any figure.
The Treasure Is Found!
The robbers' task is to find the treasure again in the town. If a player moves any robber to a house under which the treasure is, this robber is the finder. The finder can now be brought into the robbers' hideout by all the other players (except the inspector).
The inspector's task is to catch the finder of the treasure. Of course, he may also catch the other robbers along the way.
End of the Game
The game ends when the robber who found the treasure has managed to reach the robbers' hideout with an exact throw. The game also ends if the inspector has caught the robber who found the treasure, or if the inspector has been able to catch all five robbers.
The robbers win if they were able to bring their treasure into the robbers' hideout.
The inspector wins if he was able to catch all five robbers, or if he caught the robber who found the treasure.
And now, have lots of fun playing!
Tactical Hints
For the Robbers
After a robber has found the treasure and wants to return to the robbers' hideout, the other robber figures can form a block for the inspector if they stand in his way. So, robbers, agree among yourselves before every move how you are going to move best.
For the Inspector
Inspector Higgins has a very important and honourable role, since he wants to free the town from the robbers. It is therefore advisable that the inspector tries to catch as many robbers as possible. The fewer robbers remain, the harder the treasure hunt, or the robbery of the treasure, becomes.