Monkey Fun
Monkey Fun Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
The player who first forms a row of 4 connected fields with their monkeys wins. Rows may be horizontal, vertical or diagonal. In addition, you must have the majority of monkeys on each of these fields, i.e. you must have the most monkeys on every one of these fields.
Game Setup
- Place the game board on the table with a side of your choice. For your first game, use the board side marked with a "1" in one corner.
- Each person sits in front of one side of the board.
- Each person receives 20 monkeys in one colour and places them in front of them.
- Each person receives 4 cards. Keep these cards hidden from the other players.
- The remaining cards are placed as a draw pile, face down. Played cards form a discard pile, face up, with their numbers visible, next to the draw pile.
- Decide who starts the game and takes the first turn.
Contents (for 4 players)
- 1 game board (double-sided)
- 55 cards
- 80 monkey figures
- 1 rulebook
Turn Sequence
A turn consists of three steps:
1. Play one or more cards
When it is your turn, you must play at least 1 of your hand cards. You may also play 2, 3 or 4 hand cards at once.
If you play 2 or more cards, add together all the numbers on the played cards and use the total.
All played cards go onto the discard pile.
2. Place one monkey
Now place one monkey on the field that shows the number of your played card(s).
- Always place your monkeys within a field in the same position: always the circle on the side of the board facing you.
- You may place only one monkey per turn.
3. Draw cards
Finally, draw as many new cards from the draw pile as needed so that you again have 4 cards in hand.
If the draw pile has run out, shuffle the discard pile and place it as the new draw pile.
After you have completed steps 1 to 3, a new turn begins and play passes clockwise to the next person.
Example turn
The board is shaded so that the numbers are easy to read: the darker the field, the higher the number.
- Play cards: Blue plays 2 cards. Together they show the number 11.
- Place a monkey: Blue places one monkey on field 11.
- Draw cards: Because Blue played 2 cards, Blue must now draw 2 new cards.
Additional Rules
The field belongs to you
As soon as you have 2 monkeys more than all other players on a field, that field belongs to you permanently. No other person may place any more monkeys on this field.
To show that the field now belongs to you, take 2 of your monkeys and push them into the middle of the field. Return all other monkeys that were on this field to the box (not back in front of you).
Example: Blue has 2 monkeys more than all other players on the field. The field now belongs to Blue. All other figures go back into the box.
No playable cards
If you cannot place a monkey with any of your hand cards, even with a combination of several hand cards, do the following:
- Place all your hand cards on the discard pile.
- Return 1 of your monkeys to the box.
- Draw 4 new cards.
Your turn then ends.
End of the Game
The game ends immediately when a player has the majority of monkeys on 4 fields that form a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The fields must be connected (see Objective).
Example: Blue wins!
If no player manages to form such a row, the game ends when all players have placed all their 20 monkeys on the board.
Then, at the end of the game, remove the monkeys from every field where they are in the minority:
- If several players have the same number of monkeys on a field, all monkeys on that field are removed.
- At the end, only the monkeys of one player should remain on any field.
Now add up the numbers of all fields on which each player still has monkeys. The fields do not have to be connected.
The player with the highest total wins. If there is a tie, the player who owns the field with the highest number wins.
Example 1: On field 23 at the end of the game, Yellow has 3 monkeys, Red has 2 monkeys, and Grey also has 2 monkeys. Red and Grey are in the minority and remove their monkeys. Only Yellow remains on field 23. Yellow scores this field for 23 points.
Example 2: On field 7 at the end of the game, Red has 2 monkeys, Grey has 2 monkeys, and Yellow has 1 monkey. Yellow is in the minority and removes the yellow monkey. Red and Grey remain, but since they have the same number of monkeys on the field, they cancel each other out and are also removed. Nobody scores any points for field 7.
Game Variants
Quick game
In this variant, you have one more way to win than in the normal game. The game is played by the usual rules and ends immediately when a player has the majority of monkeys on 4 fields. The 4 fields must form a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally (normal game), or form a square of 2x2 fields.
Additional way to win.
Monkeys in a square (solo variant)
Set up the game as described in the setup. Take 20 monkeys for yourself.
The goal of the solo variant is to form a square of 16 monkeys with a side length of 4x4 fields. The fields of the square should lie in the middle of the board. Do not place monkeys on the edge fields of the board. Every field of the square must be occupied by one of your monkeys at the end of the game (16 monkeys in total).
Place your monkeys as in the normal game, by playing one or more cards. Once you have placed a monkey, the round ends and you draw back up to 4 hand cards. A new round begins.
If, with your hand cards, you cannot place a monkey on a free field of the square, you must build a minus tower. This means you place the new monkey on a field where one of your monkeys already stands. Simply place the new monkey on the existing monkey. You may build at most 4 minus towers. You may place several monkeys on a minus tower, but at most 5 monkeys in total on one field. The numbers of your minus-tower fields are added together at the end of the game and count as minus points. If, even with the help of a minus tower, you cannot place a monkey on a field, the game ends for you and you have lost.
You win if you occupy all fields of the square in the 16th to 20th round. The last monkey you place to complete the square scores exactly the number of that field as plus points. From these plus points, the minus points of your minus-tower fields are then deducted. This gives your total score.
Example: You place your last monkey on field 31 and thereby complete the square. However, you have built one minus tower on field 17 and one on field 3. You therefore end the game with 11 points, because 20 points (17+3) are deducted from the 31 points.
Try to finish the game with as high a total score as possible (maximum: 36). If you have not completed the square after 20 rounds, you have lost.