There's a Moose in the House
There's a Moose in the House Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 20 "Empty Room" cards (5 each of kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom)
- 20 "Moose in the Room" cards (matching the Empty Room cards, but with a Moose)
- 10 "Moose in the House!" cards
- 5 "Door" cards
- 3 "Moose Trap" cards
Setup
Before the first game, look at the cards carefully. Note that for every "Empty Room" card there is a "Moose in the Room" card of the same colour.
Shuffle the cards and deal 4 cards to each player. Place the remaining cards face down in the middle of the table. Then each player looks at their own cards without showing them to the others.
How to Play
It is all very simple: in front of each player there is an imaginary "house." During the game, the players fill each other's houses with rooms, and the rooms with Moose.
The player who most recently saw a real moose starts the game. Play continues clockwise from the dealer, one player at a time. At the start of your turn, draw a card from the deck. Then you may perform ONE of the following actions:
- Place an "Empty Room" card in front of any player who has fewer than three Empty Rooms.
- Place a "Moose in the House!" card in front of any player who does not yet have one.
- Place a "Moose in the Room" card on top of the matching "Empty Room" card of one of your opponents, but only if a "Moose in the House!" card already lies in front of that opponent. That is, the Moose has already come into the house and is looking for a cosy spot in it.
- Close one of your own "Empty Room" cards by placing a "Door" card on top of it. In this way you block the Moose's entrance to that room.
If your cards do not allow you to make a move, discard one of your cards face up onto a separate discard pile. Then the turn passes to the next player.
Card Notes
Empty Room
A house has four types of rooms: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room. A house may have any number of rooms (for example, two kitchens, three bedrooms, and so on).
An "Empty Room" is a room that has no Moose in it. If you have such a card in your hand, on your turn place it in front of an opponent. If an "Empty Room" card is given to you, place it in front of yourself face up, where everyone can see it.
Build your "house" by laying out "Empty Room" cards from left to right. Until a "Moose in the House!" card appears in front of a player, only "Empty Room" cards may be placed in front of that player. However, at any moment of the game a player may not have more than three "Empty Rooms" that are not covered by "Moose in the Room" or "Door" cards.
Moose in the House!
This is a very important card for the early stage of the game, because you cannot send a Moose into an opponent's house until that opponent has this card. Simply place it in front of one of the players and announce: "You have a Moose in the House!"
Each player receives one "Moose in the House!" card, and it stays in effect until the end of the game. You cannot prevent its appearance, refuse it, or get rid of it. After all, the Moose has come into the house! How can you stop it?
Place the "Moose in the House!" card to the left of your room cards.
Note: once every player has received a "Moose in the House!" card, discard all the cards of this type from your hand and draw from the deck until you have 4 cards in your hand again. If later in the game you draw a "Moose in the House!" card from the deck, discard it and draw a new card.
Moose in the Room
For every "Empty Room" card there is a matching "Moose in the Room" card of the same type. You may send a Moose into an opponent's rooms only when a "Moose in the House!" card has already been placed in front of that opponent.
Look at the "Empty Room" cards laid out in front of the other players. If one player's "Empty Room" matches a "Moose in the Room" card in your hand, place your card on top of that "Empty Room" and cheerfully announce: "You have a Moose in the bedroom (living room, bathroom, kitchen)!" "Moose in the Room" cards are counted at the end of the game and give penalty points.
Note: only one Moose may be in a room.
Door
This is the only card that you may place in your own house, and only on an "Empty Room" card (of your choice). The Door closes the room until the end of the game, and a Moose can no longer get into it.
Moose Trap
This card will help you chase away a pesky Moose. If someone tries to send a Moose into one of your rooms, play this card immediately. Show it to your opponent with the words: "I have a Moose Trap!" Put the unlucky Moose and the Moose Trap on the discard pile. However, leave the empty room that the unwelcome guest was about to invade in its place. It is still attractive to Moose, and perhaps someone else will try to repeat the invasion. Draw a new card from the deck to bring your hand back up to 4 cards.
The next player to act is the one sitting to the left of the player who tried to place the Moose on you.
Note: the "Moose Trap" is played out of turn, whenever someone places a "Moose in the Room" card on you.
End of the Game
When the deck runs out, you finish playing with the cards you still hold. If you cannot make a move, pass. The game continues until all players have run out of cards or no player has a possible move. After that, count the total number of Moose in your house and in your hand. The player with the fewest Moose wins. If there is a tie in the number of Moose, the player with more "Door" cards wins.
Tips for Making the Game Even More Fun
A Moose in the house is incredible! While playing "Moose," you can compete in wit. Do not sit with stone faces and silently lay out cards. The Moose has come to lift your spirits! Have fun! Find reasons for the Moose to take an interest in your neighbour's house! Perhaps it came for the smell of cherry pie and is now searching for it in your kitchen. Or it is tired and has come in by the fire to rest in front of your neighbour's hearth. Or it wandered in by accident and now, in a panic, is looking for the way out. Or perhaps it just brazenly pushed its way into the house, intending to scare you off and, at last, live like a civilised creature! In short, improvise and enjoy yourselves!