Pilfering Pandas Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Part 1: Competitive Rules
• Objective
• Setup
• Order of Play
• 1. Refreshing Your Hand
  • The Hideout Explained
  • Timer Card
• 2. Perform Action(s)
  • Loot Cards
  • Creating Sets
    • New Sets
  • Extending Sets
  • Key Cards
  • Playing Sets
• 3. Ending Your Turn
• Ending the Game
• Final Escape Score
• Balancing Gameplay Between Novice & Experienced Players
• Competitive FAQs
• Part 2: Cooperative & Solo Rules
• Objective
  • Solo Variant
• Setup
  • Difficulty Levels
• Order of Play
• 1. Refreshing Your Hand
  • The Hideout Explained
• 2. Perform Action(s)
  • Loot Cards
  • Creating Sets
    • New Sets
  • Extending Sets
  • Key Cards
  • Meerkat Limit
  • Playing Sets
• 3. Advance Markers
• 4. Ending Your Turn
• 5. Activate Secret Stash
  • Secret Stash Discard Rule
• Communication Rules
• Ending the Game
• Win Conditions
  • Final Escape Check
• Lose Conditions
• Changing Difficulty Level
• Foiled Plans
• Cooperative FAQ
• Foiled Plans FAQ

Part 1: Competitive Rules

2-4 players. 15-30 mins. Ages 10+.

Objective

You must trade the most food with the Meerkats to ensure that they help you to escape the zoo before anyone else does.

Example boxes: red cards indicate those left in the Hideout; grey cards indicate cards played on a previous turn to a Meerkat Trade area; white cards are the cards in your hand, being played or picked-up this turn.

Setup

Before starting setup, return the Raised Suspicion card (1), Foiled Plans cards (7) and the Panda and Zoo Keeper Movement player aids (2) to the box.

The competitive version can be played as a single game or as multiple consecutive rounds. Agree the number of rounds before you start (1, 3 or 5 recommended). The game should be fully reset between each round.

Set up the play area as shown in the diagram by following these steps. Double sided cards should be placed with the competitive icon face-up.

1. Each player takes a Turn Order player aid and matching colour Panda marker.
2. Shuffle the Panda cards and Meerkat cards separately, then deal 1 of each type to every player.
3. Place the Escape Track at the top of the play area with all of the chosen Panda markers placed on the 0-space.
4. Next to the track, place the Timer card.
5. Shuffle together the Loot cards with the Key cards to create the Loot deck, then deal each player 6 cards.
6. Place the remainder of the Loot Deck below the Escape Track and place the Multi-Card Pick-Up player aid to the left of the deck.
7. Create your Hideout by placing the top 3 cards from the deck as shown in the diagram.
8. The player with the Meerkat card whose name starts earliest in the alphabet starts the game.

You're now ready to play!

Tip: If playing with less experienced players, see the 'Error! Reference source not found.' section to see how used to better balance the game between players. [Sic: the cross-reference is broken in the draft and names no section. The "Balancing Gameplay Between Novice & Experienced Players" section below is the likely intended target, but the draft does not say so.]

Order of Play

Players take turns, following this order of play:

1. Refresh your hand
2. Perform any action(s).
3. End of Turn
   • Check win conditions.
   • Discard 1 card from your hand to the end of the Hideout.
   • Top up Hideout.

Play then passes to next player clockwise.

Each of these steps are explained more fully in the following sections.

1. Refreshing Your Hand

If you have the Timer card, rotate it 90-degress clockwise then refresh your hand by picking up card(s) in ONE of the following ways:

• 1 card from the top of the Loot deck.
• 1 card at the end (right) of the Hideout.
• 2+ consecutive cards from the Hideout (see Multi-Pick Up Rule).

There is no hand limit, so you may pick-up as many cards as you choose during a multi-card pick-up.

The Hideout Explained

The Hideout is where you stash all of the pilfered food that you and the other pandas are not ready to trade yet. You may collect the pilfered food from the Hideout but each time you do this you'll attract unwanted attention from the Zoo Keeper.

Cards in the Hideout are fanned so all players know exactly what it contains.

[Icon: single card picked up from the Hideout] If you pick up a single card from the Hideout, it must remain in your hand or be used as part of one of your sets this turn (i.e. cannot be immediately returned to the Hideout).

[Icon: two or more cards picked up from the Hideout] Each time a player picks up 2 or more cards from the Hideout, the Zoo Keeper's suspicion about this player is increased.

This is the Multi-Card Pick-Up Rule and the following rules must be immediately followed:

1. Choose the card you want to pick-up from. You must play this card to a Trade area this turn, or if it is a Key card, you may permanently discard it.
2. Pick up all cards between the right-most card in the Hideout and your chosen card.
3. Take the Timer card and place it in front of them with the clock icon at the top.

Once you have completed the above, move onto the next step in the order of play.

Example: If I pick up from the green-1 to the purple-4 in the example shown below, I must pick up all cards shaded white. At the end of my turn, the purple-4 cannot be in my hand or in the Hideout; I must have played it as part of a set to a Meerkat Trade area. [Example image: the Hideout row with the green-1 to purple-4 cards shaded; the card marked "You must use this card this turn" is the purple-4.]

Timer Card

You must use this card this turn.

The Timer card is activated when a player does a multi-card pick-up from the Hideout.

This card acts as a reminder that this player cannot do another multi-card pick-up until either:

• Another player does multi-card pick-up from the Hideout.
• 3 turns have passed measured by rotating this card at the start of each of their subsequent turns, discarding it at the start of their 4th turn.

2. Perform Action(s)

On your turn, you may perform multiple actions, including repeating the same action multiple times.

The possible actions are:

• Create a new set by playing 2 or more Loot cards to your Meerkat Trade area to create a new 3+ card set.
• Extend a set in your Meerkat Trade area by adding 1 Loot card to the right-most (end) set.
• Swap out a Key card in any Meerkat Trade area with the Loot card it represents.
• Pass and move to the next step in the turn order.

If an action requires your Panda to be moved, do this immediately after each action.

Loot Cards

The Loot deck has 5 suits, each representing the food that animal eats. Each Loot card has a Panda Points value (1 or 2), a number and a suit.

[Diagram labels: Number, Suit, Panda Points Value.]

The Panda Points determines the number of spaces your Panda marker will advance along the Escape track when played in your sets. It is also the penalty you will receive at the end of the game if the card is still in your hand (see Final Escape Score). The number and suit are used when creating sets.

Creating Sets

Sets are created in your hand and then played individually to your Meerkat Trade area.

New Sets

New sets must have a total of 3 or more Loot cards. Sets can be created in one of the following ways:

1. Ascending consecutive run in the same suit.
2. Descending consecutive run in the same suit.
3. Matching numbers in different suits.

Diagram examples: an ascending run of three cards scores +3 Panda Points; matching numbers scores +3 Panda Points; a descending run scores +4 Panda Points; a matching-numbers set of four cards scores +5 Panda Points.

For completely new sets, the number of spaces your Panda tracker advances is calculated only from the Panda Points on your newly played cards. Do not include Panda Points from any cards already in your Trade area.

Alternatively, you may re-use the last Loot card at either end in your Meerkat Trade area by playing 2 or more cards to create a new set consisting of a total of 3 or more cards.

Your total Panda Points (Panda icon) will include the Panda Points of the end card in addition to any new cards you played that turn. No other card's Panda Points should be added.

Diagram examples: a run in which the green-4 is counted in the total Panda Points of a 3-card set scores +3; a 4-card set with the green-4 counted scores +4; a 5-card set where only the Panda Points of the green-7 are included in the new set scores +3.

Tip: To maximise points, 5-card sets should be split into two separate 3-card sets, re-using the end card in the second set.

Example: To maximise points, you should play a run of 5 cards as 2 separate sets, creating 2 runs of 3 cards. In this example the 6 is re-used in the second set meaning it's Panda Points are counted twice giving a total Panda Points of 6.

Extending Sets

You may add 1 card to extend an existing set that is at either end of your Meerkat Trade area.

Example: +1 Panda Point. Only the value of the new card advances the Panda marker.

The number of spaces your Panda tracker advances is calculated only from the Panda Points on your newly played card. Do not include Panda Points from cards already in the Trade area.

Key Cards

Key cards are wild cards. They can represent any card not in the same set as them.

A Key card has a value equivalent to 2 Panda Points.

You may swap out a Key Card from any player's Meerkat Trade area with a legal card. Add the Key card to your hand or immediately play it as part of a set.

Example: In the example below, you may replace the Key card with a red-4, purple-4 or a yellow-4. However, in the next example below, it may only be replaced with a green-4 to ensure both the 4-4-4 set and the 4-5-6 set remain valid.

You can never play a set that would leave you with less than 2 cards in your hand as you must be able to discard 1 card at the end of your turn, unless you have also met the Meerkat Check in your Trade Area and you plan to go out and initiate Final Escape Scoring.

Playing Sets

Sets (food bundles) are traded with Meerkats by placing them in a Meerkat Trade area.

Sets can only be played to your Meerkat Trade area. Cards of any suit can be included in sets.

Meerkat cards show a Meerkat Check value (e.g. "10+") and three Meerkat preference icons. Preference icons are shown on the card face and the bonus is shown as "All: +1".

If a number set contains all 3 of the Meerkat's preferences, you gain a bonus +1 Panda Points.

Cards played to the Meerkat's Trade area can be played from left to right or from right to left, with new cards always being added after the end card on either side.

When creating completely new sets, the first card in a new set must match either the number or the suit of the end card in the Meerkat's Trade area that it is being placed next to.

Diagram examples: playing cards to the right end; playing cards to the left end; a suit match and a number match against the end card of the new set.

You can never play a set that would leave you with less than 2 cards in your hand as you must be able to discard 1 card at the end of your turn, unless you have met also met the Meerkat Check in your Trade Area and you plan to go out an initiate Final Escape Scoring.

Note: the draft's final sentence reads "unless you have met also met" and "go out an initiate"; both are printed as-is.

3. Ending Your Turn

When all actions have been completed follow these steps to end your turn:

1. Stash 1 card in the Hideout: Put 1 card from your hand at the end of the Hideout.
2. Win Conditions Check: If met, you must proceed to the Final Escape Check.
3. Top-up Hideout: If the Hideout contains less than 3 cards, top it up from the Loot deck.

Cards during this step are always played to the end of the Hideout. The end card in the Hideout is the right-most card.

The Hideout must always have at least 3 cards in it at the end of a turn and is topped up from the Loot deck.

Ending the Game

The winner is the player with the most Panda points at the end of the agreed number of rounds.

The game ends when either:

• A player has zero cards in their hand. AND This player has met or exceed their Meerkat Check Value.

OR

• You cannot draw a card from the Loot deck when you need to.

When either of these game end conditions have been met in full, the game immediately ends and the Final Escape Score is calculated.

Final Escape Score

The Final Escape Score is calculated as follows:

• Advance your Panda marker equal to the number of Panda Points on your Panda card if you have met the requirement.
• Move your Panda marker back a number of spaces equal to the number of Panda Points on the cards remaining in your hand.

This is your Final Escape Score. If playing multiple rounds, make a note of your score and add it to any previously earned scores to calculate your overall total score.

When the agreed number of rounds has been completed, the player with the highest total score wins.

Note: the Panda card's requirement is printed on the Panda card face, which is not included in these documents.

Balancing Gameplay Between Novice & Experienced Players

If one player has significantly more experience in playing Pilfering Pandas or in traditional set collection card games compared to other players, it is recommended that some or all of the following modifications are used to more evenly balance gameplay.

Reducing difficulty for Novice players:

• Start with their Panda marker on the number 3-space on the Escape Track.
• The player with least points chooses whether they want to go first in the next round (after setup is complete).

Increasing difficulty for Experienced players:

• Increase their Meerkat check value by +2.
• Deal 1 less card to their starting hand.
• A card in the first set played must contain at least one card in their Meerkat preference suits.
• Impose a hand limit of 10 cards.

Alternatively, play the cooperative mode until the less experienced player feels confident in playing Pilfering Pandas and set collection strategies.

Competitive FAQs

Q. Can I continue playing if I have zero cards in my hand? No. You must either immediately initiate the Final Win Scoring with play stopping for all players or you may never play a set which would leave you with 1 card or less in your hand.

Q. Does the first player to go out get a bonus? No. There is no bonus for the first player that goes 'out'. It only triggers the immediate end of the round.

Q. When adding new cards to an existing run, do I add all the cards in the run to my total number of points for that set? No. Only the last card in the Meerkat Trade area that is included as part of a new set can have its Panda Points added to the total set value, even if it forms a longer set.

Q. If I re-use a Key card when creating a new set, do I get its Panda Points added to my score again? Yes. Advance your Panda marker as you would normally when using a Key card in a new set.

Q. Can I play cards that are not one of the Meerkat preferences to their Trade area? Yes. Meerkat preferences have no impact on what cards you can play to your Trade area unless their bonus condition is met.

Q. Can a Key card duplicate a card that is in the Meerkat Trade area but not in the same set? Yes. It's too much admin to check this every time so you only need to consider the set it is contained within.

Q. Do I have to state what the Key card represents when I play it? No. But it must be a legal play when another card is placed next to it, i.e. a set cannot contain 2 identical cards.

Q. Can a player have zero cards in their hand without meeting the Meerkat Check Value? No. A player cannot play sets that would leave them with zero cards in their hand without meeting the Meerkat Check Value.

Q. Is it possible to get a negative final score? Yes, negative scores are possible.

Q. Should a new Panda and Meerkat card be allocated when setting up for a new round? Yes. Fully reset the game for each new round.

Q. How many Key cards should there be in the Loot deck? Shuffle all 4 Key cards into the Loot deck during setup.

Q. What should I do if I get to the end of the track but haven't met the win conditions yet? Continue round the track again.

Part 2: Cooperative & Solo Rules

1-4 players. 15-30 mins. Ages 10+.

Objective

You must trade enough of the food you have pilfered from the other zoo animals for the Meerkats to help you escape from the zoo, but make sure you aren't caught by the Zoo Keeper before you are ready to make your escape attempt!

Solo Variant

Follow all the cooperative game rules except where there is a green box. Green boxes tell you the solo specific rules and take precedence over the cooperative rules.

In the source, every "Solo Modification" or "Solo Only" passage is set in a green box. They are marked below as Solo modification or Solo only.

Setup

Set up the play area as shown in the diagram on the next page by following these steps. Double sided cards should be placed with the cooperative icon face-up.

1. Place the Escape Track at the top of the play area with the:
   • Zoo Keeper marker (orange) on the 0-space marked with the Zoo Keeper icon on the Escape Track.
   • Panda marker (black) on a space marked with the Panda icon on the Escape Track (see Difficulty Levels).
2. Next to the track, place the Panda and Zoo Keeper Movement Player Aids, the Timer card and the Raised Suspicion card with the +2-side face-up.
3. Shuffle the Meerkat cards and place 2 of them below the Escape Track. Leave space to their right for playing cards to the Meerkat Trade areas.
4. Each player takes a Turn order card and then chooses a Panda card placing it.
5. Create and shuffle the Loot Deck (see table below).

Players	Loot Deck	No. Key Cards
1-2	Remove all 8s, 9s	3
3	Remove all 9's	3
4	-	4

OPTIONAL: To increase difficulty, add in the Foiled Plans cards (see Foiled Plans section).

6. Deal each player their starting hand of 6 cards.
7. Place the remainder of the Loot Deck face-down below the Meerkats and place the Multi-Card Pick-Up player aid to the left of the deck.
8. Create your Hideout by placing the top 3 cards from the deck as shown in the diagram.
9. Choose a starting player (you may look at your hands first).

You're now ready to play!

Solo modification:

Return the Raised Suspicion card and the Timer card to the box then apply the following setup modifications:

• In step 1, place the Panda marker on the 7-space (easy/normal) or 6-space (hard) instead.
• In step 5, setup the Loot deck in the same way as for 2-player games but also deal 3 cards face-up and within easy reach to create a Secret Stash.

Example boxes: red cards indicate those left in the Hideout; grey cards indicate cards played on a previous turn to a Meerkat Trade area; white cards are the cards in your hand, being played or picked-up this turn.

Difficulty Levels

Before starting setup, agree on a difficulty level.

Difficulty Level	Foiled Plans*	Track Start # (Zoo Keeper)	Track Start # (Panda)	Track Win #	Meerkat Limit
Intro	2	0	8	29	6
Normal	2	0	8	35	6
Hard	3	0	7	35	5

* optional

Order of Play

Players take turns, following this order of play:

1. Refresh your hand.
2. Perform action(s)
3. Advancing markers, Panda then Zoo Keeper.
4. End of turn
   • Stash 1 card in the Hideout.
   • Advance Zoo Keeper.
   • Win Conditions Check.
   • Top up Hideout.
5. SOLO ONLY: Activate Secret Stash.

Play then passes to next player clockwise.

Each of these steps are explained more fully in the following sections.

1. Refreshing Your Hand

At the start of your turn, refresh your hand by picking up card(s) in ONE of the following ways:

• 1 card from the top of the Loot deck.
• 1 card at the end (right) of the Hideout.
• 2+ consecutive cards from the Hideout (see Multi-Pick Up Rule).

There is no hand limit, so you may pick-up as many cards as you choose during a multi-card pick-up.

Solo modification: You have a hand limit of 12 cards. You can never exceed this hand limit. For example, if you were to pick-up multiple cards which took your hand total to 13 or more cards, you cannot take this action. You must reduce the number of cards you pick-up or refresh your hand in a different way.

Raised Suspicion card (shown beside the Timer card in the draft's diagram, marked "You must use this card this turn"). When a player does a multi-card pick-up from the Hideout, the Raised Suspicion card should be placed in front of them with the +2 side face-up. If a player does another multi-card pick-up while they have the Raised Suspicion card in front of them, they must: incur the penalty of +2; flip this card to the +4 side. The Raised Suspicion penalty is in addition to the standard multi-card pick-up penalty. This card remains on the +4 until it is given to another player or removed from the game.

Example: Sammie already has the Raised Suspicion card in front of them with the +2 side face-up. Sammie decided to do a multi-card pick-up from the Hideout and as a result incurs a total penalty of +6 and must flip the card to the +4 side. If they do another multi-card pick-up before any other player does, they will now incur a total penalty of +8.

When another player does a multi-card pick-up, this card is immediately passed to them but is reset to the +2 side.

The Hideout Explained

The Hideout is where you stash all of the pilfered food that you're not ready to trade yet. You may collect the pilfered food from your Hideout but each time you do this you'll attract unwanted attention from the Zoo Keeper.

Cards in the Hideout are fanned so all players know exactly what it contains. The Hideout should be considered a communal hand.

[Icon: single card picked up from the Hideout] If you pick up a single card from the Hideout, it must remain in your hand or be used as part of a set this turn (i.e. cannot be immediately returned to the Hideout).

[Icon: two or more cards picked up from the Hideout] Each time a player picks up 2 or more cards from the Hideout, the Zoo Keeper's suspicion is increased. This is the Multi-Card Pick-Up Rule and the following rules must be immediately followed:

1. Choose the card you want to pick-up from. You must play this card to a Trade area this turn, or if it is a Key card, you may permanently discard it.
2. Pick up all cards between the right-most card in the Hideout and your chosen card.
3. Zoo Keeper marker must be immediately advanced +4 spaces (plus any penalties).
4. Take/flip the Raised Suspicion card.

Once you have completed the above, move onto the next step in the order of play.

Solo modification: Ignore step 4. The Raised Suspicion card is not used in Solo games. The maximum penalty for taking cards from the Hideout is +4.

Example: If I pick up from the green-1 to the purple-4 in the example shown below, I must pick up all cards shaded white. At the end of my turn, the purple-4 cannot be in my hand or in the Hideout; I must have played it as part of a set to a Meerkat Trade area. [Example image: the Hideout row with the green-1 to purple-4 cards shaded; the card marked "You must use this card this turn" is the purple-4.]

2. Perform Action(s)

On your turn, you may perform multiple actions, including repeating the same action multiple times.

The possible actions are:

• Create a new set by playing 2 or more Loot cards to a Meerkat Trade area to create a new 3+ card set.
• Extend a set in a Meerkat Trade area by adding 1 Loot card to the right-most (end) set.
• Swap out a Key card in a Meerkat Trade area with the Loot card it represents.
• Discard a Key card to the box.
• Activate your Role's single-use special ability.
• Pass and move to the next step in the turn order.

If an action requires the Panda marker and/or the Zoo Keeper marker to be moved, do this immediately after each action (see 3. Advance Markers).

If you were ever to have zero cards in your hand you must follow the instructions in the Ending the Game section below. You can no longer take any actions on your turn other than Pass.

Loot Cards

The Loot deck has 5 suits, each representing the food that animal eats. Each Loot card has a Panda Points value (1 or 2), a number and a suit.

The total Panda Points (Panda icon) will include the Panda Points of the end card in addition to any new cards played that turn. No other card's Panda Points should be added.

The Panda Points determines the number of spaces the Panda marker will advance along the Escape track when played in a set. It is also the penalty you will receive at the end of the game if the card is still in your hand (see Final Escape Check). The number and suit are used when creating sets.

When the Loot deck is empty and you cannot draw a card, you immediately lose the game.

Creating Sets

Sets are created in your hand and then played individually to a Meerkat Trade area.

New Sets

New sets must have a total of 3 or more Loot cards. Sets can be created in one of the following ways:

1. Ascending consecutive run in the same suit.
2. Descending consecutive run in the same suit.
3. Matching numbers in different suits.

For completely new sets, the number of spaces the Panda tracker advances is calculated only from the Panda Points on the newly played card(s). Do not include Panda Points from cards already in the Trade area.

Alternatively, you may re-use the last Loot card in a Meerkat Trade area by playing 2 or more cards to create a new set consisting of a total of 3 or more cards.

Extending Sets

You may add 1 card to extend an existing set that is at the end of a Meerkat Trade area.

The number of spaces the Panda tracker advances is calculated only from the Panda Points on the newly played card. Do not include Panda Points from cards already in the Trade area.

Key Cards

Key cards are wild cards. They can represent any card not in the same set as them. Key cards will advance the Zoo Keeper marker +2 spaces when played in a set. They have a 0 Panda Points value.

When creating completely new sets, the first card in a new set must match either the number or the suit of the end card in the Meerkat's Trade area that it is being placed on top of.

You may swap out a Key Card in the Meerkat Trade area with any legal card. Add the Key card to your hand or immediately play it as part of a set.

Alternatively, on your turn you may permanently discard a Key card to create a distraction and push the Zoo Keeper marker back -2 spaces.

Example: In the example below, you may replace the Key card with a red-4, purple-4 or a yellow-4. However, in the next example below, it may only be replaced with a green-4 to ensure both the 4-4-4 set and the 4-5-6 set remain valid.

Solo modification: You can never play a set that would leave you with less than 2 cards in your hand as you must be able to discard 1 card at the end of your turn and then continue to play next round. The only exception is if you have met the win conditions and intend to proceed immediately to the Final Escape Check.

Meerkat Limit

Each Meerkat can only take a limited amount of food as each trade raises the suspicion of the Zoo Keeper, and they will become very suspicious if you go to the same Meerkat too often.

When playing new sets or extending sets, if any card in that set is equal to or greater than the Meerkat Limit, turn the end card of that set a quarter turn to indicate that the Meerkat limit has been reached. This is the Limit Card.

Every time you play a new set or extend an existing set you must advance the Zoo Keeper marker by:

• Below Limit card: +1 space.
• Above Limit card: +3 spaces.

Playing Sets

Sets (food bundles) are traded with Meerkats by placing them in a Meerkat Trade area.

The first card of the first set traded with each Meerkat must match one of that Meerkat's preferences.

If a number set contains all 3 of the Meerkat's preferences, you gain a bonus +1 Panda Points.

Cards played to the Meerkat's Trade area must be played from left to right, with new cards always being added after the right-most (end) card.

When creating completely new sets, the first card in a new set must match either the number or the suit of the end card in the Meerkat's Trade area that it is being placed on top of.

Example: If you play a run of 5 cards to the Meerkat Trade area, there are 2 ways to count the points. You could split the sets into 2 runs of 3 cards resulting, in this example, with the:

• Panda marker advancing a total of 6 spaces.
• Zoo Keeper marker advancing a total of:
  • 2 spaces below the Meerkat limit;
  • 6 spaces above the Meerkat limit.

Alternatively, you may play them as a single run of 5 cards resulting in this example with the:

• Panda marker 5 advancing spaces immediately.
• Zoo Keeper marker immediately advancing:
  • 1 space below the Meerkat limit;
  • 3 spaces above the Meerkat limit.

3. Advance Markers

Everything you do matters. The Zoo Keeper is always watching and trying to find you. But you still need to somehow get enough supplies by trading food bundles with the Meerkats to escape before being caught.

After performing each action, if required, you must:

1. Advance the Panda marker, then
2. Advance the Zoo Keeper marker.

The Panda and Zoo Keeper movement is recorded on the Escape Track and is affected in the following ways:

Action	Panda Movement	Zoo Keeper Movement
End of Player Turn	0	+1
Each Key card discarded to box	0	-2
Each Key card in a set	0	+2
Set played to Meerkat Trade area below limit	+ total set Panda Points value	+1
Set played to Meerkat Trade area above limit	+ total set Panda Points value	+3
Hideout multi-card pick-up	0	+4 (+ penalties)

4. Ending Your Turn

When all actions have been completed follow these steps to end your turn:

1. Stash 1 card in the Hideout: Put 1 card from your hand at the end of the Hideout.
2. Advance Zoo Keeper: Move the Zoo Keeper marker forward 1 space.
3. Win Conditions Check: If met, you may choose to proceed to the Final Escape.
4. Top-up Hideout: If the Hideout contains less than 3 cards, top it up from the Loot deck.

Cards during this step are always played to the end of the Hideout. The end card in the Hideout is the right-most card.

The Hideout must always have at least 3 cards in it at the end of a turn and is topped up from the Loot deck.

Tip: Instead of putting cards that you don't want into the Hideout, look how you can build sets there together. This will ensure you play Pilfering Pandas as a team rather than individuals.

5. Activate Secret Stash

Solo only

When playing solo, apply these additional steps after you have ended your turn:

1. Play 1 card from the Secret Stash to the end of the Hideout which follows the Secret Stash Discard Rule.
2. Top up the Secret Stash to 3 cards from the Loot deck.

Play then continues as normal back at step 1 of the order of play.

Secret Stash Discard Rule

To discard a card from the Secret Stash to the Hideout, it must match either the suit or number of the last card in the Hideout.

If neither are possible, choose any card.

Key cards can only be played from the Secret Stash if you cannot play another card, or if the last card in the Hideout is a Key card.

Communication Rules

The following rules are recommended when communicating during the game. If they don't make the game fun for you, please ignore them.

• You can talk freely about all cards that are face-up (or being placed) in the Meerkat Trade areas or in the Hideout.
• You can talk freely about how close you are to getting out and the win/lose conditions in general.
• You cannot share your hand or personal strategy.
• You cannot discuss the suit of any cards that you are collecting in your hand.
• You cannot tell another player the exact cards you have in your hand.
• You cannot tell another player the exact card(s) you need unless the card is already visible.

Below are some examples of the communications rules in action.

• "I need a 4." (permitted)
• "I need that one." (indicating to a specific card in the Hideout) (permitted)
• "I'd prefer it if you put the yellow card last in your set." (after set is revealed) (permitted)
• "Did you notice that there are three 5s in the Hideout?" (permitted)
• "I'm collecting Red/Fox cards." (not permitted)
• "I need a 4 as I have the 5 and 6." (not permitted)
• "You collect runs and as I'm collecting matching number sets." (not permitted)

Ending the Game

Once 1 player has emptied their hand and if all of the win conditions have been met, you may choose to immediately end the game and move to the Final Escape Check.

The first time a player has zero cards in your hand, you must immediately draw the Timer card (not used in solo games).

The Timer card means that the Zoo Keeper now knows about your plan to escape and you have little time left to get out. That player must immediately:

1. Take the Timer card and place it in front of them with the clock icon at the top.
2. Return the Raised Suspicion card to the box; its effect no longer applies.

Diagram: the Timer card (the draft's Timer card face includes a "DO LOSE" panel and a panda icon).

Alternatively, once all the win conditions have been met, at the Win Conditions Check, that player may choose to move to the Final Escape Check to see if you and your team have successfully escaped or not.

The Timer card is rotated a quarter turn clockwise each time:

• Play passes to the player with the Timer card in front of them.
• Another player empties their hand and doesn't proceed to a Final Escape Check.

The only action a player that has no cards in their hand can take on their turn is to turn the Timer card (if they have it) or pass.

Players can choose to keep playing or immediately stop and move to the Final Escape Check if all win conditions have been met. Players can subsequently move onto the Final Escape Check at any Win Conditions Check, however, if time runs out (i.e. on the 4th turn after taking this card), you immediately lose.

Tip: Being the first player to go can be a risky move. Make sure you are confident that other the players will also be able to get rid of enough cards from their hand before run out of time to ensure your success as a team.

Solo modification: The Timer card is not used in solo games. The game immediately ends when you have no cards in your hand.

Win Conditions

To win, you must trade enough of your pilfered food to the Meerkats in exchange for them helping you all to escape.

You must therefore meet all of the following win conditions during a Win Conditions Check:

• The Panda marker has reached or passed the win space on the Escape Track for your selected difficulty level.
• 1 or more players must have zero cards in their hand (i.e. be 'out').
• The Zoo Keeper has not caught you.

Once you have met these conditions you may do a Final Win Check to see if you have actually managed to escape or not.

Final Escape Check

Win conditions can only be confirmed during a Win Conditions Check (step 4 of turn order).

If all of the win conditions have been met, you may immediately stop the game and make your final escape, dropping any remaining pilfered food on your way.

To do the Final Escape Check, you must:

1. Collate all the cards left in players' hands,
2. Calculate their total value using the table below.
3. Advance the Zoo Keeper marker forward by the total value of the collated cards.
4. Check Win Conditions.

Card Type	Zoo Keeper Marker Movement
Loot suit cards (the five Loot suits)	+1 per Panda Points icon
Key card	+1 per Key icon

Note: the table prints +1 per Key icon. The FAQ below says "The Zoo Keeper should move a total of 2 spaces for each Key card in hand." Both are printed as they appear in the draft.

If the Zoo Keeper marker reaches the same space as the Panda marker, you've been caught and you immediately lose.

If the Panda marker is still ahead of the Zoo Keeper marker then you win the game.

Solo modification:

Intro	Normal / Hard
If all win conditions have been met, you immediately win the game, i.e. ignore the cards in the Secret stash then proceed to steps 3 and 4 as normal.	In step 2 above, calculate the total value of the cards in the Secret stash then proceed to steps 3 and 4 as normal.

You may mix and match these scoring rules, playing with the Normal/Hard difficulty for Introductory games to incrementally increase difficulty.

Lose Conditions

The Zoo Keeper has caught wind of your activities and is trying to prevent your escape. If you take too long, your attempt will fail as the other animals will notice your antics and make their food impossible to pilfer.

The game immediately ends and you lose if any of the following occur:

• You are caught (i.e. the Zoo Keeper marker reaches the same space as the Panda marker).
• The Timer card reaches the 4-position.
• You cannot draw a card from the Loot Deck when you need to.
• You fail the Final Escape Check.

Changing Difficulty Level

Increasing Difficulty:

• Play with the Foiled Plans cards
• Randomly remove 3 cards from the deck during setup and return them to the box without looking.
• Reduce the Meerkat Limit to 5 cards.
• SOLO: Each time you do a Multi-card pick-up, place the Raised Suspicion card (+2 side) on the Meerkat Trade area where you place the card you picked-up from. The next time you play a set to this Trade area, immediately take a +2 penalty before playing the set then remove the Raised Suspicion card.
  • You must always place the Raised Suspicion card at the end of a Meerkat Trade area, even if you are immediately replacing it after taking a penalty.

Reducing Difficulty:

• Do not advance the Zoo Keeper marker when playing sets below the Meerkat Limit.
• Ignore the communication rules.
• Reduce the Multi-Card Pick-Up penalty to +3.
  • Round up the Panda special ability that halves this penalty.

Foiled Plans

Not everything always goes to plan so to increase difficulty and variety, include the Foiled Plans cards during setup as follows:

1. Split the deck into one-third and two-thirds.
2. Shuffle the Foiled Plans cards into the thicker deck.
3. Place the thinner deck on top of the thicker deck to create the Loot deck.

Diagram: the thick deck (bottom) and the thin deck (top).

When a Foiled Plan card is drawn, the current player must immediately:

1. Resolve its effect.
2. Discard the Foiled Plan card to the box.
3. Draw a replacement card from the Loot deck then continue your turn as normal.

Solo modification: If you draw a Foiled Plan when topping up the Secret Stash, immediately resolve it and then replace the card in the Secret Stash with a new card.

Cooperative FAQ

Q. Can I continue playing if I have zero cards in my hand? No. In cooperative games you must immediately draw the Timer card (if available) and follow the Timer card rules. In solo games, the game immediately ends and a Win Condition check must be immediately performed.

Q. When adding new cards to an existing run, do I add all the cards in the run to my total number of points for that set? No. Only the last card in the Meerkat Trade area that is included as part of a new set can have its Panda Points added to the total set value, even if it forms a longer set.

Q. If I re-use a Key card when creating a new set, do I have to advance the Zoo Keeper marker again? Yes. Advance the Zoo Keeper marker as you would normally when using a Key card in a new set.

Q. Do I get any Panda Points when playing a Key card? No. They only effect the Zoo Keeper marker.

Q. Can I play cards that are not one of the Meerkat preferences to their Trade area? Yes. Only the first card of the first set must match a Meerkat preference. After this set has been played, the preferences only act as a way to get a bonus Panda Point when playing number sets.

Q. Can I use my Panda's ability more than once? No. You may only use your Panda's ability once per game.

Q. Do I take the Raised Suspicion card when using Panda special skill to draw 2 cards from the Hideout? No. Treat it as if you were only taking 1 card from the Hideout. Do not take the Raised Suspicion card.

Q. What do I exchange with when playing solo for the Sharing Panda card's special skill? You can exchange with the Secret Stash.

Q. Can I keep playing when 1 player is out? Yes, but you must immediately stop and do a Win Conditions Check when the Timer card runs out (i.e. on the 4th turn).

Q. Can I use my Panda card when I am out? No. The only action you can take is to turn the Timer card or pass if you do not have the Timer card in front of you.

Q. Can a Key card duplicate a card that is in the Meerkat Trade area but not in the same set? Yes. It's too much admin to check this every time so you only need to consider the set it is contained within.

Q. Do I have to state what the Key card represents when I play it? No. But it must be a legal play when another card is placed next to it, i.e. a set cannot contain 2 identical cards.

Q. If I haven't met the win conditions, can I continue past the win space? Yes. Keep going until the win conditions have been met or you lose.

Q. What should I do if I get to the end of the track but haven't met the win conditions yet? Continue round the track until you either win or lose.

Q. Do I take a penalty for any cards left in the Secret Stash in the Final Escape Check in Solo games? No. Only consider the cards in your hand.

Q. In the final scoring, how many spaces do I move the Zoo Keeper for each Key card in hand? The Zoo Keeper should move a total of 2 spaces for each Key card in hand.

Foiled Plans FAQ

Q. What happens if I draw a Foiled Plans card during setup? Replace it with the top card of the deck. Then shuffle it back into the deck once setup is complete.

Q. What do I do if I draw a Foiled Plan when topping up the Hideout or Secret Stash? Follow the instructions as normal, resolving it and replacing it. It only affects the player whose turn it is.

Q. Do Foiled Plans affect other players? Unless otherwise stated on the card, the Foiled Plan only affects the player that drew it.

Q. Does the 'Rubbish Rummage' Foiled Plan card have to follow the standard rules in the Meerkat Trade areas? No. This card ignores the normal Meerkat Trade area rules. If the card is a Key card, it can be anything until a set is placed next to it. It then becomes part of that set.

Q. Does the 'Back Door Trade' Foiled Plan card count towards the Meerkat Limit? Yes. The set added to the left of a Meerkat Trade area counts towards the Meerkat limit. If the Limit has already been reached, take the higher penalty as if you were playing the set to the right. If playing this set makes you reach the limit, turn the right most card in the Meerkat Trade area a quarter turn to indicate the Limit has been reached. Once this card is resolved, you cannot add cards to the left again.

Q. How do I implement the 'Sharing is Caring' Foiled Plan card when playing solo? Treat the Secret Stash as the player on your left and swap a random card with it.