The Mother Lode of Sticky Gulch
The Mother Lode of Sticky Gulch Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
To accumulate the most money before a set number of locations are retired from play. (See "Winning the Game" below.)
Equipment
Equipment Inluded:
- 18 Location cards
- 27 Drifter cards
- 2 Reference cards
- Rules sheet
Equipment you'll need:
- A set of 8 matching camp tokens for each player, and an additional set of neutral tokens. If you don't have enough, you will soon be able to download them here.
- A form of play money (or paper and pencil would work fine).
- A 6-sided die.
- A campy Western accent (optional).
Game Setup
Each player gets 8 camp tokens of a particular color, which comprise an initial stockpile. Leave the claim tokens near the location deck. Shuffle the locations and the drifters separately. Deal one location per player face-up into the center of the table.
Deal each player two drifter cards. Each player must choose one of these cards for the starting hand, then discard the other. The leftovers may be shuffled back into the drifter deck. Drifters are kept private until needed.
Give each player $10 from the bank.
Players must agree on whether they want to play a short, medium, or long game. This will set a number of locations which must be retired for the game to end. (See "Winning the Game" below.)
Roll the die to determine a starting player. All other players will place one or more camps on starting locations as follows. The second player places one camp on any site per the directions in "Set Up Camp," below. In a 3-player game, the third player places two camps on sites on different location cards. In a 4-player game, the fourth player places three camps on three different location cards. Play then begins with the first player.
Play Synopsis
A player gets 3 action points per turn to spend on various actions. Possible actions include:
- Drawing a new location,
- Setting up a camp on an available site,
- Hiring a drifter, or
- Prospecting a location.
Throughout a turn, a player may use any of their drifters without spending action points. After actions are spent, the player takes chooses a location for a free prospecting roll, then play passes to the left.
| Cost | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Draw first location card |
| 2 | Draw additional location card |
| 0 | Set up camp on a newly drawn location card |
| 1 | Set up first camp during a turn on a particular location |
| 2 | Set up second camp on a location in the same turn |
| 1 | Hire first drifter during a turn |
| 2 | Hire a second drifter during the same turn |
| 1 | First additional prospecting roll |
| 2 | Second additional prospecting roll |
Player Actions
On their turn, players may take up to three points worth of actions, based on the chart to the right.
Generally, a player may not draw more than 2 location cards, set up more than 2 camps on a single card, or hire more than 2 drifters per turn. Players can break this rule by using drifters, since playing a drifter does not cost an action or increase the cost of other actions.
Drawing Location Cards
A player may draw new location cards during his or her turn. The first one drawn costs 1 action point. The second location drawn during a single turn coasts 2. Place the new location face-up in the middle of the table for all players to see. Locations are not owned by any one player, and may be played upon any player on his or her turn.
After a player draws a location, he or she may opt to place one camp token on one of the location's sites for free, if the player has a camp token available.
Set Up Camp
A player may choose to occupy the available sites on locations in play. To do this, the player takes a camp token from his or her stockpile and places it on one of the unoccupied numbers at the bottom of a location card. Be careful where you place you camps! You only receive eight of them, and once placed, camps remain until the location is retired.
The first camp placed on a particular location during a turn costs 1 action. The second camp placed by the same player in a single turn on a single card costs 2 actions. You may choose to set up a camp for free on a newly drawn location, however the second camp placed on that card during the same turn would still cost 2 actions.
Setting Up Camp Example:
- On his turn, Phil decides to occupy three camp sites on three different locations. Since he places them on different cards, each of them costs 1 action point.
- On her turn, Mary decides to put two camps on the same location. Because they are on the same card, the second one costs 2 action points.
- Rudy draws a location card on his turn, costing 1 action point, and gets to place a camp on it for free. During the same turn, he decides to place a second camp on this location, which costs him 2 additional action points.
- Andy plays a drifter card, allowing him to set up a camp on a location. He may then set up two more camps on the same location for 1 and 2 action points respectively. (Drifters do not increase the cost of other actions.)
Camps may be placed on any unoccupied number. They may not be placed on a site with an 'X.' These sites are considered "unavailable."
Prospecting Roll
Prospecting is how players try to cash in on locations they occupy. Players must take one free prospecting roll at the end of their turn, and may make additional prospecting rolls during their turn. The first additional prospecting roll costs 1 action point. A second additional prospecting roll costs 2 action points.
When a player makes a prospecting roll, he or she selects any location in play. Then a die is rolled. The camp sites on the location are compared with the number on the die. If a player occupies the site with the number rolled on the die, that player receives the next available payout lode. It's possible that some other player rather than the one who rolled the die will win the lode! However, if the camp site rolled does not have any player's camp there, then no lode is claimed for that roll.
Lodes are normally paid out in alphabetical order, starting with Lode A. The next available lode is paid out and then marked on the location card with a claim token.
Retiring Locations
If all the lodes on a location have been paid out, the location becomes "retired." All players remove their camps from the location. (This is a free action and occurs immediately.) When a set number of locations are retired, the game ends. (See "Winning the Game.")
Recruiting Drifters
During their turn, players may recruit drifters. Drawing the first drifter during a turn costs one action point. Drawing a second drifter during the same turn costs two points.
When a drifter is drawn, the player spends the point cost and then draws two drifter cards. The player selects one to put back face-down on the top of the deck. The other drifter should be kept private until needed.
Using Drifter Cards
When you would like to use one of your drifters, pay the hiring cost, reveal the card, and follow its directions. Playing a drifter does not cost an action.
Unless otherwise noted on the card, drifters may only be used on the owner's turn. Drifter cards have rules that change the normal rules of the game. If there is ever a conflict of drifter cards, the card with the highest hiring cost goes first, then go by alphabetical order based on the cards' names to break further ties.
Actions which come from drifters do not influence the cost of other actions. For example, Silver Eagle allows you to draw a location card. If you use Silver Eagle, you could draw up to three locations in a single turn: one for free by the drifter, then the second for 1 action point, then the third for 2 action points. It doesn't matter what order you use the card or perform the other actions.
Once a drifter card is used, it is immediately discarded.
Nobody stays in this town for long, if they know what's good for them.
Winning the Game
| Game | Locations to retire | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Short Game | 3 locations | 20 minutes |
| Medium Game | 5 locations | 30 minutes |
| Long Game | 7 locations | 40 minutes |
Players continue around the table until a set number of location cards are retired. Players should agree on this number before the game starts. This is determined based on how long you want the game to be. (See table at right.)
After the last location is retired, players immediately add up their money, and the player having the most, wins. In the event of a tie, players continue the game until one more location is retired. Then, players refigure their money, and repeat as necessary.