Monster Trap
Monster Trap Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
- 1 mansion with the game board in the box
- 1 monster trap with a black floor
- 12 monster chits (placed on the start positions on the board)
- 4 sliders (each with 1 rail and 2 handles)
- 12 eye counters
- 6 location cards (for the variant)
- 72 monster cards
- 1 "monster in the sack" figure
- 4 discard tiles (in 2 parts)
- 1 sand timer
- Game rules
Before Playing
Before the first game, carefully punch out all of the cardboard pieces.
Before every game:
- Remove all of the game pieces and rules from the box.
- Set the 6 location cards aside; they are only used for the variant.
- Shuffle the 72 monster cards and place them in a face down pile.
- Randomly place the 12 monster chits on to the starting places on the board.
Building the Mansion
You can ask your parents or older brothers and sisters for help to build the mansion:
- Clip one handle on to each of the four rails until it clicks into place. Note that the smooth side of the rail and the groove on the handle are facing upwards.
- Push the ends (without the handle) of two rails into one of the slots between the house and the roof of the mansion. Then push the rail right across the board and out through the gap on the opposite side.
- Repeat this for the other two rails on the other side of the mansion. Note that one set of rails is slightly higher than the other.
- Now clip the remaining four handles (with the groove side up) on to the rails.
- You now have a mansion with 4 sliders.
If you are playing for the first time or are not yet used to moving the sliders, you can practice by putting the "monster in the sack" figure on a monster chit on the board and trying to push the monster into the trap by using the sliders to move it along the different passages. You can try using a slider with one hand or use two hands to hold on to both handles.
Setup
- Place the black floor in the monster trap and place the "monster in the sack" on top. The sand timer is placed close to the mansion.
- Each player chooses a colour and takes both parts of their discard tile (the borders and rear of the tiles show the player colours: red, yellow, orange and purple). With 2 players each tile is made up of two parts of the same colour. With 3 or 4 players you can play as a team with your two neighbours and have a discard tile in common with them. Each player joins their tile with the tip to the tile with the hole belonging to the player on their left. Once the tiles have been connected each team has a discard tile with two different colours.
- With 3 or 4 players distribute the eye counters evenly between the teams. Each team places their eye counters beside their discard tile. With two players everyone gets 3 eye counters.
- With 2 or 3 players any game components not used are set aside.
On Your Monster, Get Set, Go!
The 3 and 4 player game is played in teams, with play proceeding clockwise. (Rules for the 2 player game are below.)
Everyone plays in two different teams with their two neighbours. The oldest player and his or her left neighbour start as the first team. The other teams are formed as follows (example for 4 players):
- First team: Red player (oldest player) and Yellow player (next left)
- Second team: Yellow player and Purple player (next left)
- Third team: Purple player and Orange player (next left)
- Fourth team: Orange player and Red player (next left)
When it's your team's turn, the players agree who is responsible for the sliders on each side of the mansion; one player controls the vertical sliders, the other player controls the horizontal sliders. The players should hold the sliders properly in both hands.
The team's opponents are responsible for the sand timer and call "On your monster, get set, GO!" ... then they flip the sand timer.
Now it's time for you to capture as many monsters as you can as quickly as possible before the sand timer runs out.
How to Catch the Monsters
1. Move the sliders to their starting positions!
To capture a new monster, the sliders should always be in their starting positions - right at the edges of the box! Only then can you reach all of the monsters and push them in all directions.
2. Reveal a monster card.
Reveal the top card from the monster deck - it shows which monster is on the loose. Quickly find where the monster is on the game board!
3. Push the "monster in the sack" into the monster trap.
Place the "monster in the sack" piece on to the revealed monster chit on the game board. From now on you are only allowed to move the monster piece using the sliders - you cannot touch it! Push the monster as quickly as possible through the maze until it falls into the trap in the centre of the board. Therefore, to push the monster left you must use your right slider. Concentrate hard on when and how you should push!
Attention! If the "monster in the sack" piece falls over or leaves the maze it's because you've been pushing it too hard - and it has escaped! You have to put the monster back on to its chit on the game board and start again to push it into the monster trap.
Tip for opponents: Watch the players whose turn it is very carefully to make sure that the "monster in the sack" is moving properly. If it falls over or leaves the maze you can shout "Escape!".
4. Place the monster card on to the discard pile.
When you drop the monster into the trap, quickly put this monster card on your shared discard pile.
5. Catch the next monster.
If the sand timer has not run out you can still try to catch the next monster ... so you can go through all of 1 to 4 again! It is possible that the same monster needs to be caught many times.
End of the Round
When the sand timer runs out the opponents shout "Monster trap!". You must stop pushing immediately. If the monster has not been pushed into the trap in time you don't place the monster card on to your shared discard pile; instead place the card face up next to the monster deck.
Now place one of the eye chips into the monster trap! This ends the round for your team.
Now It's Time for the Next Team ...
The next team (e.g. the yellow and purple players using the example above) now arrange the mansion between them. The opponents take the sand timer and call "On your monster, get set, GO!" ... then they flip the sand timer. Now the new team try to catch as many monsters as possible.
Once each team has played a turn, play returns to the first team who will then play again ...
If the monster deck is used up shuffle all of the cards in the face up discard pile and continue to play with the new monster deck.
End of the Game
After 12 rounds, when all of the eye chips are in the monster trap, the game ends. Each team counts the number of monster cards in their shared discard piles.
- First, the team which has collected the most monster cards is named the best monster catching team.
- Then each player adds the number of cards in both of his monster teams. The player who collected the largest number of cards is named the very best monster catcher - and wins the game.
In the case of a tie there are several winners. Alternatively you can count the number of open eyes on the monster cards each player has won (there are monsters with 0, 2, 3 and 5 eyes open). The player who has collected the most open eyes wins.
Rules for 2 Players
Play as described above with the following changes:
- Each player plays for themselves. The monster discard mats are made up of two pieces of the player's colour and are placed directly in front of you.
- The game is played over 6 rounds. Each player takes 3 eye chips and places them beside their discard board. The remaining 6 eye chips are not used in the game and can be set aside.
- Each player moves all 4 sliders on their own - therefore there is twice as much time per round. Once the sand timer has run out the opponent immediately flips it once again. Only when the sand timer has run out for a second time does the opponent shout "monster trap!".
Variants
For Experienced Monster Catchers
Experienced monster catchers (experienced players, older siblings or adults who play against children) may increase the difficulty of the game by playing with the 6 location cards. Play as described above, but with the following changes:
- The location cards are shuffled and placed in a face down stack beside the box.
- The team whose turn it is must draw a location card each time they draw a monster card and place it face up in full view of all players.
- The location card shows where on the game board the monster must visit before being pushed into the monster trap, or there will be no peace; for example it may need to go to the bathroom, pet the cat or grab something to eat from the fridge.
- The opponents must watch carefully to ensure that the "monster in the sack" is pushed fully over both sides of the target location. Which way the players then push it into the monster trap is up to them.
- When the sand timer has run out the location cards are shuffled again and placed into a face down pile.
For Younger Children
Those who wish can play four players in two teams (e.g. the red and yellow players team up against the purple and orange players).