Mensch ärgere Dich nicht
Mensch ärgere Dich nicht Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Description
In this lively game, each player tries to move his own pieces as quickly as possible from his own start field along the track and into the goal by rolling the die. At the same time, players try to annoy their opponents and to hit (capture) their pieces as often as possible, so that they have to start again from the beginning.
The white fields of the board form the track that all pieces must travel. On the coloured fields marked with the letter A, the pieces of the respective colour begin their path over the white fields. The B-fields are where the pieces wait to be brought into play. The fields a, b, c and d are the goal of each colour.
The player who first brings all four of his pieces "home" wins the game.
Components
- 1 game board, two-sided
- 1 die
- 24 pieces (4 per colour)
Setup
Each player receives 4 pieces of one colour. He places one piece on the A-field of his colour, and the remaining three are placed on the B-fields of the same colour.
Everyone rolls the die once; the player who rolls the highest number begins. Play then proceeds clockwise.
Gameplay
The player whose turn it is rolls the die and moves one of his pieces forward along the track in the direction of the arrows by the number rolled.
Both one's own and other players' pieces may be jumped over, but occupied fields are still counted.
A player who has several pieces on the track may choose which piece to move.
A player who lands with the last point of his roll on a field occupied by an opponent's piece captures that piece and places his own piece on its place. There is no obligation to capture. Captured pieces are placed on the B-fields of their colour.
Own pieces cannot be captured. If the only possible move would land on one of the player's own pieces, the player must move a different piece, since only one piece may stand on each field.
As long as other pieces of the player are still waiting on the B-fields to enter play, no piece of the player may remain standing on his own A-field. The piece must vacate the field as soon as it is able to do so.
Pieces standing on the B-fields may only be brought into play with a "6", and are placed on the start field A.
Special Rules for Rolling a Six
- A player who rolls a "6" has an additional throw after his turn. If he rolls another "6", he may again roll after moving.
- With a "6", a player must bring a new piece into play as long as pieces are still standing on his own B-fields. The new piece is placed on the A-field of his own colour. If this field is still occupied by another of his own pieces, that piece must first be moved on with the "6". If, however, a piece of another player stands on the A-field, that piece is captured.
- A player who rolls a "6" and has no more pieces on the B-fields may move one of his pieces on the track six fields forward and then roll again.
- A player who brings his last piece into the goal with a "6" does not need to roll again.
Entering the Goal Fields
A player whose piece has completed the entire track once moves that piece onto the goal fields of his colour. The goal fields are also counted one by one when moving forward. (For example, if a piece stands directly in front of its goal row, a "1" only takes it to field a, a "2" only to field b, and so on.) Pieces may be jumped over in the goal.
Entering the goal fields of another colour is not allowed.
End of the Game
The player who first brings all of his pieces onto his goal fields wins the game. The other players continue playing for the next places.
Variants
Many players play Mensch ärgere Dich nicht with additional rules, which we do not want to withhold from you. You may incorporate one, several or all of these rules into your game as you wish.
Fewer Than 4 Players
Since the game is most entertaining when all four colours are in play, all four colours should also be brought into the game when 2 or 3 people play.
When only two people play, each player receives two colours that lie opposite each other (one player receives yellow and red, the other green and black). Each colour is played on its own.
When three people play, the fourth colour is neutral: a player on turn may move either his own piece or a neutral piece. The neutral colour is then initially only in play for capturing. A player who has all of his own pieces in the goal, however, only wins once the four neutral pieces are also standing on their goal fields. If several players already have all their pieces in the goal, the player who brings the last piece into the goal wins.
Capturing Backwards
If you have rolled a number with which you can capture an opponent's piece that stands behind you, you may, by way of exception, move backwards. However, you may not move onto or over your own A-field in doing so.
Rolling Three Times
A player who has no piece on the track, because all of his pieces have been captured and are waiting on the B-fields for their entry, may roll three times. This also applies when one or more pieces have already reached their goal fields, but only if those pieces could not move any further there. (Example: one piece already stands on goal field c, the other three are waiting on the B-fields. The player may not roll three times, because the piece on field c could still move with a "1".)
Jumping in the Goal Forbidden
On the goal fields, no pieces may be jumped over. The last piece that "comes home" may only enter the goal on field a.
Barriers
As an exception to the basic rule, two pieces of one colour may stand on one field. These two pieces form a barrier that cannot be jumped over or captured by any other piece. This barrier also affects the player who built it.
Compulsory Capture
Deviating from the basic rule, opponents' pieces must be captured whenever it is possible. If a player does not comply with this compulsory capture, the piece that failed to capture is placed back on the B-fields. If there are several possibilities for capturing, the player may choose for himself which of them to make.