Monster Laundry
Monster Laundry Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 48 monster cards (8 different monsters per color; 4 spotted, 4 starred)
- 40 clothespins (8 pins per color)
- 12 golden clothespins
- 1 elastic washing line
- 1 set of game instructions
Before the First Game
Knot both ends of the clothesline tightly together, so that the washing line forms a ring.
Preparation
Find a suitable place where you will have enough freedom of movement. Use the washing line to make a circle on the floor and stand at equal intervals around it. Put a golden clothespin in the middle of the circle and distribute the clothespins between the monsters; it doesn't matter if the cards are overlapping slightly or if they are face up or face down.
Keep the remaining golden pins and put them to one side as a stockpile. Each player takes eight clothespins of one same color. Extra clothespins go back into the washing machine. Step inside the circle. Now everyone should pick up the washing line from the floor, position it at waist height, then let go.
Warning: You have to stand in a way that slightly stretches the washing line in order to make sure that it doesn't slide down! If the circle is too big, you can put another knot in the line or double it up!
"You might have to move around the washing line to get back to the right place."
How to Play
Everybody plays at the same time and over several rounds (= wash cycles). Everybody shouts the "Monster laundry!" starting phrase at the same time, then all players have to try to pick out eight monsters from the middle of the circle and hang them on the washing line as quickly as possible.
Individual Wash Cycles
- 1. Wash cycle: You are looking for all monsters in the same color as your own clothespins!
- 2. Wash cycle: You are looking for monsters in other color to your clothespins! You can hang up two monsters of the same colour either on your left-hand or right-hand side.
Important: In each round the search criteria for the washes switches between the two different wash cycles. In other words in one round players are searching for monsters of the same color and then the next round players are collecting monsters of different colors.
Important Searching and Hanging Rules for All Wash Cycles
- You should hang 4 starred monsters on the left-hand side of the washing line, and 4 spotted monsters on your right-hand side.
- Each monster must be hung on the line using only one clothespin.
- You cannot collect monsters from the stockpile: once you have a monster in your hand, you have to either hang it up or put it back in the middle.
If a player believes he has hung all eight monsters correctly, then they should grab the golden clothespin from the middle of the circle and call out "Stop monsters!"
All of the other players must immediately stop looking.
Warning: All monsters must remain hanging on the washing line!
Warning: Don't take the monsters off the line, but leave them hanging up on the line for the next wash cycle!
Team Decision
Did the player hang all of the monsters up correctly?
- Yes. Brilliant! Attach the golden clothespin to your clothes.
- No. What a pity! As punishment, you have to put a golden clothespin that you won earlier in the game back into the stock pile. (If you don't have one yet, then you can't give one away). The player with the highest number of monsters hung correctly wins the golden clothespin from the middle of the circle. In the event of a tie, each winner will be rewarded with a golden clothespin from the stockpile.
New Wash Cycle
Put another golden clothespin from the stockpile into the middle of the circle. Then everyone shouts the starting phrase at the same time. Once the new cycle has started, you have to take your old monsters down before you are allowed to hang up new ones.
End of the Game
The game ends when one player has earned three golden clothespins. This player wins and is crowned the best monster scrubber! In the event of a tie, there can be multiple winners.
Hints
- You can also play Monster Laundry sitting in a circle of chairs, or you can play outside in the open.
- Try tightening the washing line by positioning it at a different body heights, such as under your armpits or around your knees!
- The game is much simpler if played consistently searching for monsters in the same color as the clothespin. However in this case players must then remove the monsters from the washing line after each round and before you begin a new wash cycle.