Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Components
Your copy of the game comes with:
- 16 Monument cards (marked by a map symbol on the front)
- 39 Search cards
- 1 Rulebook
Game Setup
For your first game, we recommend that you play without any Search cards containing heads marked in red. (For more information on playing Mount Rushmore using different difficulty levels, take a look at the Difficulty Levels and Game Length section at the end of the rulebook.)
- Shuffle all 16 Monument cards and place them face up on the table in a 4-by-4 grid. Make sure that each player can see them, and easily reach them.
- Shuffle the Search cards and deal 12 of them into a face-down deck. Place the rest of the cards back into the game box.
- Choose the game master – either the oldest player, or the player who has last seen a real monument!
You are now ready to play!
How to Play
Mount Rushmore is played in turns, but each turn any player who manages to point to the correct Monument card the fastest will gain the point, so you need to be quick and focused!
Here is how each turn is played:
- On a count of three the game master reveals a card from the Search deck and places it face up on the table.
- All players, including the game master, look for a Monument card that matches the face-up Search card (see below). A player may place their hand on a Monument card they think matches the current Search card. However: a. You may not place your hand on a card somebody else has covered with their hand. b. You may not move your hand once you have covered a Monument card.
- A player may decide to pass this turn by raising their hand.
- Once all players have chosen their Monument cards (or passed), check to see who was right. That player wins the current Search card, and places it face down in front of them.
Matching Cards
A Search card matches a Monument card when:
- Each non-red head on the Search card is facing the same direction as the corresponding head on the Monument card, AND
- Each red head (if there are any) is facing the opposite direction as the corresponding head on the Monument card.
Example: The Search card (on the top) matches the Monument card (on the bottom). The non-red heads are facing the same direction as their counterparts on the Monument card. The red heads are facing the opposite directions as their counterparts on the Monument card.
Game End
A game of Mount Rushmore ends when, either:
- One player scores their third point by placing a third face-down Search card in front of them. This player is the winner!
- The Search deck is empty. The player with the most cards in front of them is the winner. In case of a tie, the tied players may draw one Search card from the game box and perform one last round. Whoever takes that card is the winner!
Higher Player Counts
Mount Rushmore can be played by as many players as you can fit around a table comfortably. However, if playing with more than 5 players, you may want to add more cards to the Search deck when setting up the game.
We recommend adding 1 card for each player above 5 (so, use a total of 13 cards with 6 players, 14 cards with 7 players, etc.).
Difficulty Levels and Game Length
Mount Rushmore can be played at different difficulty levels. For a lighter, more family-friendly game we recommend the Basic Game. For a more challenging experience you may try the Advanced Game. For a full mind-bending experience of Mount Rushmore you may set up an Expert Game.
Basic Game
Before shuffling the Search cards, remove all cards with one or more heads marked in red.
Advanced Game
Before shuffling the Search cards, remove all cards with two or more heads marked in red (cards with a single marked head remain in the deck).
Expert Game
Shuffle all Search cards.
Longer Games
The default mode of playing Mount Rushmore assumes that you are using a deck of 12 Search cards. However, if you are up for a longer experience, you can add 1 extra Search card per player (so, 4 extra cards with 4 players, 5 extra cards with 5 players, etc.), and finish the game only after one player scores their fourth point, or after the deck of Search cards runs out.