Kobold
Kobold Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
The players assume the roles of little kobolds and pilfer toys and gems from Maurice's room. They try to grab as many toys as possible, whereas the gems must be collected as sets, each set comprised of one gem of each of the four colors. The kobold who has gained the most points at the end of the game is the winner!
For 2 - 4 players aged 6 years and older.
Game Components and Setup
Components: 1 child's room (game board, with box bottom and cardboard insert), flashlight board section with handle piece, Maurice, 66 round tokens (toy tokens, gem tokens, flash tokens, kobold tokens), 1 trophy board, 9 trophies (5 gem trophies and 4 toy trophies, with cardboard bases), 12 kobold pawns, 16 point tiles, 1 die, 1 rules booklet.
- Place the box bottom, complete with the cardboard insert, in the center of the playing area. The symbol in the corner of the game board, next to the big cupboard, indicates the side of the game board to use according to the number of players (2 or 3 players: one side; 3 or 4 players: the other side). In a game with three players, you may choose either side. Place the game board into the box bottom, on top of the insert. Then, plug Maurice into the slot in the center of the game board.
- Take the flashlight board section and insert the handle piece into the slot, from below. Then, place the hole in the flashlight section over Maurice, and lower it onto the game board. Use the handle to easily rotate the flashlight section around Maurice. Important: Always use the handle to rotate the flashlight!
- Position the flashlight in such a way that exactly two of the seven game board sections are completely covered by it (the light beam).
Tokens: Place the tokens on a flat surface, face-down, and mix them thoroughly, forming a supply. Drawing randomly from the supply, place one token on each round space of the game board that isn't covered by the flashlight. A space marked with a face-up symbol: place the token face up on the space. A space marked with a face-down symbol: place the token face down on the space. Note: Do not place tokens on round spaces that are covered by the flashlight's light beam.
Trophies: Place the trophy board next to the child's room. Fix the trophies to their corresponding bases. Place the gem trophies on the left side of the trophy board, the toy trophies on the right side.
Kobold pawns: Each player should choose one of the available colors and take three kobold pawns in that color. Any unused kobolds can be set aside, as they will not be used in this game.
Point tiles: Keep the point tiles next to the trophy board.
Die: Place the die near the child's room.
Flow of the Game
The player who has most recently seen a kobold will begin the game, and then players will take turns in a clockwise direction. If the players can't agree on who should begin, the youngest player should start the game.
Each turn, the active player must always choose one of the two possible actions:
- A) Place one of one's own kobolds, or
- B) Retrieve all of one's own kobolds + roll the die
A) Place one of one's own kobolds
The player places one of their kobolds in any section of the game board that is not covered by the flashlight's beam.
Important Rules:
- More than one kobold of each player can be in each section. However, that number is limited to the number of tokens in that section.
- Kobolds belonging to any number of players can be in each section.
B) Retrieve all of one's own kobolds + roll the die
The active player may choose this action if there is at least one of their own kobold pawns in the child's room. If all of their kobolds are in the child's room, then they must take this action.
The player retrieves all of their own kobolds from the game board. As they leave the room, each kobold grabs one round token from the board section it occupies.
- The player decides the order in which they will retrieve their kobolds.
- It's also up to the player to decide, for each of their kobolds, which token to take. They may take a face down or face up token.
The player places all the tokens they have collected, face up, in front of them, along with their kobold pawns.
Then, the player rolls the die.
Example: Lea (red) retrieves her three kobolds from the game board, and selects one token from each section. She takes one teddy, one violet gem and one green gem. Then she rolls the die ...
What is shown on the die?
An arrow and a number! Maurice is looking for the mischievous kobolds! Turn the flashlight (by using the handle) in the direction shown by the arrow on the die (blue in the direction of the blue side of the flashlight, yellow in the direction of the yellow side of the flashlight). It should be turned a number of sections equal to the number shown on the die. If the light beam catches any kobolds, they rush back to their owner(s) as fast as they can! Remove any kobold pawns that would now be covered by the flashlight, and return them to their owners. Of course, the frightened kobolds are unable to grab anything as they flee, and thus their owners do not gain any tokens!
Example: Lea rolls a yellow 2, and turns the flashlight by 2 sections in the yellow direction. The light beam catches one blue and one green kobold. Simon (blue) and Louis (green) remove their kobolds from the game board and do not gain any tokens.
A blank side! This time, nothing happens. Do not turn the flashlight.
Do not forget: You roll the die only after retrieving your kobolds from the child's room!
Add new tokens to the child's room
Finally, place a token from the supply on each empty round space in Maurice's room. The tokens are placed face up or face down according to the symbols on the spaces. Note: Empty spaces covered by the flashlight's beam are not refilled at this point.
Now, it is the next player's turn.
Summary of Tokens
The kobold tokens
Each collected kobold token is worth 1 point at the end of the game. (One kobold token variant is shown on the token summary as worth 3 points at the end of the game.)
The gem tokens
As soon as a player has collected one gem of each color, they exchange the set for a gem trophy. The four gem tokens from the set are set aside - they won't be used again during this game. The player takes the gem trophy with the highest point value from those on the trophy board. At the end of the game, each gem trophy is worth points equal to the number printed on it.
Example: Lea is the first to have collected a set of gems, and is allowed to exchange that set for a gem trophy. Of course, she takes the trophy worth 5 points.
The flash tokens
Each time a player takes a flash token, the depicted toy is scored at the end of their turn. The player who owns the most tokens of this particular toy (at least one) at this time takes two point tiles from the supply. In case of a tie, each of the tied players takes one point tile. Each point tile is worth 1 point at the end of the game. Once scored, the flash token is removed from the game.
Example: A player has grabbed the ball flash token. At this point, Tom (yellow) owns the most balls and takes 2 point tiles.
The toy tokens
At the end of the game, all the different kinds of toys are scored separately. The player owning the most toys of a particular kind is awarded the corresponding toy trophy, which is worth points equal to the number printed on it.
End of the Game
The game ends immediately if, after a player's turn:
- the empty round spaces in Maurice's room cannot be replenished completely with tokens from the supply, or
- all five gem trophies have been awarded to the players.
Now the players score their toys.
Scoring toys
The players find out who has the most toy tokens of each particular kind of toy (balls, clowns, cars, and teddies). The player owning the most tokens of a kind is awarded the corresponding toy trophy from the trophy board. In case of a tie for the most tokens of a particular kind of toy, that trophy is not awarded.
Example: Tom (yellow) has the most balls and cars, he takes these two trophies. Lea (red) and Simon (blue) have 2 clowns each, so nobody gains that trophy. Finally, Simon has pilfered the most Teddies, thus he takes the teddy trophy.
Each player totals their points gained by kobold tokens, point tiles, gem trophies, and toy trophies. The player with the most points is the winner of the game. If there are two or more players tied for the most points, the tied players share the victory.
Example for totaling points at the end of the game: Simon has 2 gem trophies (4 + 3 points), and the teddy trophy (5 points). Furthermore, he has managed to collect one kobold token (1 point), and three point tiles (3 points). Any remaining toys and gems are worthless. Simon's total is 16 points.