Mouse Cheese Cat Cucumber
Mouse Cheese Cat Cucumber Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal
Complete your Secret Agenda by building a Mechanical Maze and moving the Cat & Mouse trapped inside.
Setup
- Set the Cat & Cucumber aside. In the center of the table, place the Cheese, the Mouse, and two appropriate Maze Cards oriented as shown (Starting Maze). You may use any Maze Cards with these wall shapes interchangeably. Just be sure to have one of each. Cog placement does not matter.
- Shuffle the Maze Cards. Deal four Maze Cards off to the side, faceup in a row to start the Conveyor Belt.
- Take the Cucumber and three Maze Cards. Shuffle them together and place them facedown at the end of the Conveyor Belt to start the Maze Deck.
- Place the remaining Maze Cards facedown on top of the Maze Deck.
- Insert the Cat, facedown, somewhere in the middle of the Maze Deck.
- Shuffle the Secret Agendas and deal one to each player. Players may look but must keep their Agendas secret. Set any extras aside, keeping them hidden.
When you're finished, your Maze Deck should have the Cucumber somewhere among the last four cards, the Cat somewhere in the middle, and four faceup Conveyor Belt cards in a row next to it.
Play
Play begins with the player who has eaten cheese most recently (or won the last game).
Each player's turn has five parts: Reveal, Place, Rotate, Move, End Turn.
- Reveal - Once per game, you may show your Secret Agenda and use its Special Ability.
- Place - Pick a Maze Card from the Conveyor Belt and add it to the Maze.
- Rotate - If there are Cogs on the card you played, rotate the neighboring cards adjacent to those Cogs.
- Move - If you Placed your card next to the Mouse or Cat, move that character through your placed card. The Royal Cheese may not be bothered to Move.
- End Turn - Add a Maze Card to the Conveyor Belt from the Maze Deck and check for surprises.
1. Reveal
At the beginning of your turn, you may choose whether to Reveal your Secret Agenda. If you do Reveal, flip your Secret Agenda Card faceup and activate your Special Ability immediately. (See Special Abilities.)
Revealing is a once-in-a-game event. When you Reveal, leave your Secret Agenda faceup for the rest of the game.
Save your Reveal for the most opportune moment!
2. Place
Pick a Maze Card from the Conveyor Belt and place it orthogonally adjacent to any Card already in the Maze. The Maze may never be larger than 5 x 5. You may not add a Maze Card to exceed that size.
Alternately, you may place a Maze Card on top of another card with matching walls. Cogs do not need to match. You must orient the new Maze Card in the same direction as the Maze Card beneath it.
3. Rotate
For each Cog on the Maze Card you just placed, rotate its adjacent neighbors, if any, in the direction shown 90 degrees.
- A light blue Cog rotates the adjacent card 90° counterclockwise.
- A dark blue Cog rotates the adjacent card 90° clockwise.
If there isn't a Cog on that side of the Maze Card you just played, do not rotate that corresponding neighbor.
Place & Rotate Example: 1. Stacey places a Maze Card on top of a matching Maze Card with the walls oriented the same way. 2. Stacey must rotate two of the neighboring cards as indicated by the Cogs on the placed card.
4. Move
If the Cat or Mouse are adjacent to the Maze Card you just played, they must Move through that Maze Card.
When moving through the Maze, the Cat or Mouse may move as far as you like along any number of contiguous corridors, as long as they start moving through the card you just placed, and as long as there is a legal destination.
A legal destination is any empty space in the 5 x 5 grid or one that ends the game immediately.
If the Cat and Mouse ever collide (pass over each other or end in the same space) during Move, the game ends immediately. The same is true if the Mouse and Cheese collide (see The Endgame).
Move Example: The Cat may freely pass over the Cheese! The Cat could end up next to the Mouse. This would be very scary but would not end the game.
5. End Turn
End your turn by adding a card faceup to the Conveyor Belt from the Maze Deck.
If you add the Cat: Place the Cat in the closest empty space counted orthogonally from the Cheese and then add a replacement Maze Card to the Conveyor Belt. If there's a tie for closest empty space, you choose which of those empty spaces.
Cat Placement Example: At the end of his turn, Edward refills the Conveyor Belt and reveals the Cat. Edward has to place the Cat in an empty space as close to the Cheese as possible. Since there are three spots that are two spaces away from the Cheese, Edward has his choice of where he would like to place the Cat.
If you add the Cucumber: If you add the Cucumber to the Conveyor Belt, the Endgame begins immediately.
Play Ends
Play ends immediately if the Mouse passes over or ends its Move on the Cheese, the Cat & Mouse collide (pass over each other or share the same space), or the Cucumber shows up on the Conveyor Belt and triggers the Endgame.
Who Are You? The Mystery in the Maze
Even though players always share control of everything in the Maze, your identity in the game is a secret until you choose to Reveal.
Each player has a different win condition based on their Secret Agenda:
- Mouse: Get the Cheese without getting caught by the Cat.
- Cat: Get the Mouse without the Mouse getting the Cheese.
- Cheese: Have everyone get along. You are neutral. You are Swiss. (Keep everyone apart.)
- Cucumber: Be pure evil. Trap everyone together.
The Endgame - How to Win
The Cucumber triggers the Endgame when he is added to the Conveyor Belt.
Everyone has a chance to win if the Cucumber shows up and triggers the Endgame. The Cheese & Cucumber can only win during the Endgame.
Additionally, the Mouse can win before the Endgame if the Mouse passes over or ends a Move on the Cheese (skipping the Endgame). The Cat can also win before the Endgame if the Cat or Mouse pass over each other or end their Move in the same space (skipping the Endgame).
The Endgame - Tracing Paths
Each Secret Agenda requires different characters to be able to trace, or not trace, Paths to each other.
A Path is a set of Maze Cards that is uninterrupted by walls. When tracing Paths, the Mouse, the Cheese, & the Cat do not interrupt Paths.
Tracing Paths Example: Wendy, in the Endgame, can trace a Path from the Mouse to the Cheese and a Path from the Cat through the Cheese to the Mouse.
The Mouse's Secret Agenda
The Mouse wins if both:
- The Mouse has a Path to the Cheese.
- The Cat does not have a Path to the Mouse.
Example: Stacey, as the Mouse, wins because she can trace a Path from the Mouse to the Cheese, while the Cat is trapped in the corner.
Tips: The Mouse is most dangerous during play. Line up walls with Mouse Holes to use your Special Ability.
The Cat's Secret Agenda
The Cat wins if both:
- The Cat has a Path to the Mouse.
- The Mouse does not have a Path to the Cheese.
Example: AJ, as the Cat, wins because they can trace a Path from the Cat to the Mouse and the Mouse can't get to the Cheese.
Tips: Use the Mouse's plans against them. Use your Special Ability to win during play.
The Cheese's Secret Agenda
The Cheese wins if both:
- The Mouse does not have a Path to the Cheese.
- The Cat does not have a Path to the Mouse.
Example: Since the Cat & Mouse are separated, and the Cheese is safe from the Mouse, Edward, as the Cheese, would win.
Tips: Everyone is on your side at the beginning of the game and the Cucumber sides with you until the Endgame. Be patient!
The Cucumber's Secret Agenda
The Cucumber wins if both:
- The Mouse has a Path to the Cheese.
- The Cat has a Path to the Mouse.
Example: Though the Mouse can get to the Cheese, the Cat can get to the Mouse through the Cheese. Wendy, as the Cucumber, was successful in her evil plan.
Tips: Betray the Cheese towards the End. Use your Special Ability as late as possible.
Special Abilities
Special Abilities may only be used once per game and must be used on the turn you choose to Reveal (see Reveal).
- Mouse: On the turn you reveal, you may pass through any or all walls touching a Mouse Hole on either side.
- Cheese: Immediately rotate any one Maze Card in any direction as far as you want, then take your turn as usual.
- Cat: Immediately swap the Cheese and Cat's location then take your turn as usual.
- Cucumber: Immediately take a Maze Card from the Conveyor Belt and place it on top of another card, ignoring the normal restrictions - any card can go on top of any other Maze Card facing any direction. After this special placement, Rotate, Move, and replace the card on the Conveyor Belt. After that, take your turn as usual.
Puzzle Mode
1+ players, 45+ minutes.
All 28 Maze Cards can be assembled like a puzzle. Try to put it together and discover the hidden mysteries and motives in Mouse Cheese Cat Cucumber.
- Clue #1: The Maze is 4x7 Maze Cards.
- Clue #2: The Kaiser's workspaces are hidden.
- Clue #3: All Characters' paths are complete, but the Mouse starts inside the Maze.
- Clue #4: Plants mark the exits from the Maze that the Cat is able to use.
- Clue #5: There are exposed gears in only one place inside the Maze. Follow the yarn.
Solo Variants
Two more ways to play: The Great Escape! (10-15 min, solo) - the clocktower is about to explode; save the Cheese and make your Great Escape! Who Done It? (10-15 min, solo) - build the Maze without trapping the characters; survive long enough to figure out a winner. Their rules are in the companion documents (both are beta test versions).