Panic Island!
Panic Island! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 hourglass
- Cards (39 and 22, shown by icon in the rulebook)
- A deck marked with a lock symbol (the advanced deck, "Hordes of screeching monkeys!"): don't even think about opening it too soon, or a terrible curse will befall you. This deck is for the most experienced rescuers only (see Obstacle trios).
Overview and Goal
25 cards are placed face down on the table. When the hourglass is turned over, you have two minutes. You take turns revealing two cards, looking for combinations of the same color. Natives save dodos and dodos save dodo eggs. You also have to find the raft and the paddle - you can't escape without them. Whenever you reveal an obstacle you lose precious seconds. At the end of the game, you wake Gouga, and with his help hopefully save the natives. How many natives, dodos and eggs will you be able to save together?
Set Up
You play with 25 cards. You always play with the volcano, the raft and the paddle, as well as the red and yellow natives, dodos and dodo eggs.
You choose three types of obstacle to play with. For your first game, Gouga recommends the three obstacle pairs pictured in the rulebook (2 of each; icons only, not named in the text).
Place the volcano face down in the middle of the table. Shuffle the remaining 24 cards and place them face down in a 5 x 5 grid, with the volcano in the centre. This is the island.
If any of you reveals the volcano, you all lose immediately. But who'd do that?
Play
Choose a starting player. Play goes clockwise around the table. Turn the hourglass over and the game begins.
On your turn, reveal any two island cards, either together or one at a time. Usually you'll flip these cards face down again in the same position at the end of your turn.
Natives save dodos and dodos save dodo eggs. If you reveal such a combination of the same color, one card saves the other. Put the saved card face up next to the island.
Examples
- The native saves the dodo.
- Natives only save dodos, not eggs.
- The dodo saves the egg.
- Red dodos only save red eggs, not yellow ones.
Each revealed obstacle causes an effect (see Obstacles, below). Always reveal both your cards before carrying out an obstacle's effect.
You need both the paddle and the raft to successfully complete the game. If you reveal the paddle or the raft, place it next to the island. You don't have to reveal them in the same turn.
If you reveal the volcano, the game is over. You have lost.
Gouga
Before you run out of time, you may together decide to wake Gouga. Raise your hands aloft and shout together "Gouga!" With his help, you can save eggs, dodos, and even natives. But Gouga forgives no mistakes, and he can't be woken a second time!
From now on, on your turn, you say "native", "dodo", or "egg" aloud, and then reveal just one card. If you reveal what you said, place the card face up next to the island.
Continue playing like this till you make a mistake. In this case the Gouga action stops immediately. If there is still any sand left, you resume playing as before, revealing two island cards whenever it is your turn.
Example
The hourglass has almost run down! All the players shout "Gouga!" It's Dodominic's turn. He says "Native!" and then reveals a yellow native. Perfect, the card is saved! To his left sits Dodorothy. She also says "Native!" and then reveals a red native. This card is also saved! Next comes Dodonald. He says "Dodo!" But he reveals another native. The card isn't saved. However, now the hourglass has also run down completely and so the game ends!
End of the Game
The game ends immediately when you run out of time. If and only if you've collected the raft and the paddle, you all win together.
Points
Count how many natives, dodos and dodo eggs you've saved. Each saved card is worth one point.
- 0 points: Catastrophe! Nobody survives this debacle.
- 1-4 points: Beginners! You couldn't describe the raft as full.
- 5-7 points: Good enough! At least you've probably saved the dodo from extinction.
- 8-11 points: Experts! You kept your cool in hot water.
- 12-15 points: Superb! You succeeded with flying colors!
- 16 points: Divine! Gouga personally serves you coconut soup as thanks.
Obstacles
Immediate obstacles
Obstacles you reveal with grey icons have an immediate effect. After the effect flip the obstacle face down again. If you reveal two immediate obstacles in the same turn, you decide in which order to carry them out.
- Tornado: Everyone must stand up and turn around once.
- Earthquake: Everyone moves one seat to the left.
- Mirage: Swap the mirage with the other revealed card.
- Totem pole: Place the most recently saved card face down in any empty space in the island.
- Beehive: Everyone must slap the beehive with one hand.
Continuous obstacles
Obstacles you reveal with a yellow icon have a continuous effect. Don't flip them face down at the end of your turn. These effects last until one of you saves any card. Only then are these obstacles flipped face down again. If you save a card while several continuous effects are active, they all end together.
- Rainbow: Red natives only save yellow dodos, red dodos only save yellow eggs. Yellow natives only save red dodos, yellow dodos only save red eggs.
- Fog: You must all keep one eye closed as you carry on playing.
- Thunder: Play in silence.
- Swamp: You must keep one hand on this card as play continues.
- Cave: You must all keep your chins touching the edge of the table as you carry on playing.
Obstacle Trios
As you know, the island always consists of 25 cards, which must include the volcano, the raft and the paddle, as well as the natives, the dodos and the dodo eggs. However, you can choose which three pairs of obstacles to play with (2 of each). Below are the sets to master (each has three boxes to mark, 1, 2, 3, on the score sheet):
- Age of Discovery
- The fog lifts
- The sky falls
- The earth shakes
- Every man for himself
- The storm
- Mired down
- Panic Island
You mark one or more crosses at an obstacle trio if you score highly when playing with its obstacles:
- 8-11 points: mark 1 cross
- 12-15 points: mark 2 crosses
- 16 points: mark 3 crosses
Hordes of screeching monkeys! Don't open the advanced deck until you've marked at least 10 crosses.
Variants
- Moving volcano: Place the volcano in a different starting position. Make sure that everyone knows where it is.
- Obstacle sextet: Play with six unique obstacles (instead of three pairs). You can either choose them or select them at random.
- Tired Gouga: After waking Gouga, five more cards at most can be saved.
- Paddle and raft: You must reveal the paddle and the raft in the same turn to place them beside the island. If you reveal just one of them, flip it face down again at the end of your turn.
Advanced: Blue Cards
If you want to play with the blue cards, they replace two red and two yellow ones. Blue cards can only save blue cards, and can only be saved by blue cards (or with Gouga's help). Each saved blue card is worth one point. For each blue card that you don't save you lose one point.
Advanced: New Obstacles
Reminder: The effects of obstacles with yellow icons last until someone saves a card.
- Fire: Everyone takes off one piece of clothing.
- Tsunami: You must all hold your breath as you carry on playing. If anyone breathes, you all lose.
- Landslide: Put the landslide face up on the other card you revealed that turn. This covered card is blocked. When someone saves a card, put the landslide on any empty space in the island and flip the previously blocked card face down again. You can't cover the volcano with a landslide.
Should your game get a little too heated and you bend or even tear a card, you can easily replace it thanks to the blank cards. You can also use the blank cards to try out obstacles you come up with yourselves.