Pokémon Master Trainer III Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Before You Begin
• Setting Up to Play
• The Game
  • It's Your Turn
• The Gameboard Spaces
  • Event Space
  • Item Space
  • Get Pokémon Space
• Battle Examples
• Battle Space
• Gym Space
• Ruins Space
• Trouble Space
• Get PCs Space
• Meet Ash Space
• Pokémon Contest Space
• Meet Professor Birch and Professor Oak Space
• The Ruins Loop
• Winning: Game Scoring and PC Exchange
• Storage

Contents

Gameboard • Spinner (Spinner Card, Arrow and Peg) • Card & Chip Storage Tray • 120 Pokémon Chips • 192 Pokémon Character Cards • 22 Rare Pokémon Character Cards • 8 Gym Leader Cards • 24 Event Cards • 42 Item Cards • 12 Smile Loan Cards • 4 Master Trainer Pawns with Stands

Before You Begin

Parts Sheets: Carefully pop out all of the pieces from the cardboard sheets. Throw away the waste.

Storage Tray: We're going to need to put together the storage tray, so take the tray divider and holding it with the white side facing you, bend toward you along the score lines and away from you on the perforations. It should look like an accordion. See Figure 1A. Now insert the divider, white side up, into the tray in the box. Make sure to insert the tabs in the divider into the slots in the tray. See Figure 1B.

Spinner: Now, you can't go anywhere until you assemble the spinner (since that's how you move your pawn), so grab the spinner card, arrow and peg and put it together just like Figure 2 shows you.

Setting Up to Play

Here's where we set up all the pieces. Figure 3 shows a game set up and ready for you and three of your friends. Check it out as you set up your own game.

1. First, pick a Pokémon Master Trainer character pawn, insert it into a pawn stand and place it on the START space. Have your friends do the same.
2. Now, separate the cards into 6 decks (Pokémon Character cards, Rare Pokémon Character cards, Gym Leader cards, Item cards, Event cards and Smile Loan cards). There are a lot of them, so have everyone help out; it'll go faster. Once all of the cards are separated, shuffle each deck individually and place it facedown in a pile near the gameboard. Leave room next to each pile for discards. BY THE WAY: There are so many Pokémon Character cards that you'll probably have to break them into two or three piles. Just keep the piles close to each other.
3. When that's done, each player in turn, beginning with the youngest, draws 3 Pokémon Character cards and 3 Item cards. Place your Pokémon Character cards faceup in front of you, but keep the Item cards facedown. You can look at them, but keep them a secret from everyone else.
4. Finally, separate the Pokémon Chips (from here on we'll call them PCs) by denomination (10s, 20s, 50s) and place them into the three small compartments in the storage tray. Again, this will go faster if everyone helps. Now, choose a player to be the banker. The banker gives each player four 10s and three 20s as their starting PCs.

The Game

Now, I'm thinking of a number from 1 to 10. The player who guesses... Oh wait, that won't work. Alrighty then, how about... the person whose birthday is closest to today goes first. Play then passes to the left.

It's Your Turn

On your turn, spin the spinner and move your pawn that many spaces. NOTE: If the spinner lands on a line between numbers, try it again.

• You must move the full amount of your spin. If you spin 1, you move 1... if you spin 2, move 2. Simple. EXCEPTION: We'll give you a break on the GOAL space. This one you don't need to land on by exact count.
• More than one pawn may share a space at the same time.

Now, look at the space you landed on, find it under the section THE GAMEBOARD SPACES and follow the instructions. If you spin "0" while on START, sorry. You'll have to wait until your next turn. If you spin "0" while on another space, guess what? You don't get to move, but you do get to follow the instructions for that space ... again.

Smile Loan Cards If at any time you run out of PCs, you may draw a Smile Loan card and collect 100 PCs from the bank. Nothing comes for free though. At the end of the game you have to deduct 120 PCs from your total.

The Gameboard Spaces

When you land on a space look here, find the space and see what you need to do.

Event Space

Something's going to happen. Draw 1 Event card from the pile and see what it says. Once an Event card is used, it is discarded.

• Instant Event – These happen immediately upon drawing the card.
• Event – These may be held and used later.

Notes About Event Cards:

• If a card tells you to "Lose a Pokémon," you choose which one. Then place it faceup near the Pokémon Character card pile.
• If a card has RUINS on it, stay where you are but follow the instructions for the RUINS space (explained on page 9).

Item Space

Land here and draw one 1 Item card. These could help you later in the game. Once an Item card is used, it is discarded.

• You cannot hold more than 6 Item cards. If your draw brings you to more than 6 cards, discard the extras to bring your hand back to 6. You choose which to discard.
• You can only use 1 Item card on a turn.

Get Pokémon Space

Here's your chance to score an extra Pokémon (explained on next page).

To Battle:

• Turn over the top card from one of the Pokémon Character card piles. This is the Pokémon you're going after. (You could also choose to battle any of the Pokémon cards left faceup near the pile. If you choose a faceup card, you must announce this before flipping one from the pile.)
• Now, choose one of your Pokémon (one of the Pokémon cards in front of you) to go up against it.
• Take a minute to look at your Item and Event cards. Some might be able to help you. You're allowed to use one and only one card, so choose carefully. If you'd like to use a card, lay it down now.
• The player to your left will spin for your opponent. NOTE that they CANNOT use any Item or Event cards.
• Now both of you spin... the spinner, that is. You spin first, then your opponent.
  • If you spin "10," you automatically win the Pokémon Character card. Take both your card and the one you just won and put them in front of you. NOTE: Your opponent doesn't spin.
  • If you spin "O," you automatically lose. Take your Pokémon back, but leave the opposing one faceup near its pile. On future turns, other players (or yourself) may choose to challenge a faceup character card or turn over a new one. NOTE: If there is more than one Pokémon Character card left faceup, place them near each other not on top of each other.
  • If you spin any other number, you have to compare BPs (that's Battle Points). Both of you add your spins to the BP numbers shown on your Pokémon Character cards and any Item card bonus.
    • You win if your total is higher than your opponent's. Take both cards and put them in front of you.
    • You lose if your total is lower than your opponent's. Take your Pokémon back, but leave the challenged one faceup near its pile.
    • If it's a tie, both players re-spin and compare again until there is a clear winner.
• Don't forget to discard any played Event or Item cards.

Take a look at page 7 to see how it works.

Battle Examples

The page 7 illustrations show two battles, each comparing a spinner result plus Battle Points (BP) against an opponent's total.

• Example 1: Croconaw (7 BP) spins 2, for a total of 9. Poliwag (6 BP) spins 4, for a total of 10. Croconaw LOSES (9) and Poliwag WINS (10).
• Example 2: Croconaw (7 BP) spins 2 and plays an Item card, Plus Power +3 ("Add 3 BP to your total when you wage a battle"), for a total of 12. Poliwag (6 BP) spins 4, for a total of 10. Croconaw WINS (12) and Poliwag LOSES (10).

Battle Space

If you land on a Battle space you get to battle another player. NOTE: A battle may also take place with a player who has already reached the GOAL.

To Battle:

• Choose your opponent.
• Each player chooses which of their Pokémon cards they want to use in the battle.
• Each player plays an Item or Event card for an added bonus... if they want to. You don't have to.
• Both players spin the spinner. You spin first, then your opponent.
  • If either player spins "10," he/she automatically wins. Spin no further.
  • If either player spins "O," he/she automatically loses. Spin no further.
  • If you spin any other number:
    • The winner is the player with the higher total after adding their spin, the BP shown on their Pokémon Character card and any Item or Event card bonus. See page 7.
    • If it's a tie, both players re-spin and compare again until there is a clear winner.
• The winner takes both Pokémon Character cards and places them faceup in front of him/her. If this is the last Pokémon Character card the losing player had left, he/she can keep it but instead must pay the winner 20 PCs.

NOTE: If a Rare Pokémon card is lost in a battle, it is shuffled back into the Rare Pokémon card deck. The winning player does not get to keep it.

• Don't forget to discard any played Event or Item cards.

Gym Space

A Gym Leader is waiting to battle you!

To Battle:

• Turn over 1 Gym Leader card from the pile.
• You may play 1 Item or Event card now.
• The player to your left spins for this Gym Leader. NOTE: Your opponent CANNOT play any Item or Event cards.
• Both players spin the spinner. You first, then your opponent.
  • If either player spins "10," he/she automatically wins. Spin no further.
  • If either player spins "O," he/she automatically loses. Spin no further.
  • If you spin any other number:
    • You win if your total (spin, Pokémon's BP and Item/Event card bonus) is greater than your opponent's (spin and Gym Leader's BP). Take 2 Pokémon Character cards from the pile and place them in front of you. Place the Gym Leader card out of play.
    • You lose if your total is lower than your opponent's. Pay the banker 20 PCs and return the Gym Leader to the bottom of its pile.
    • If it's a tie, both players spin again until there is a clear winner.

Ruins Space

Here's your chance to win a Rare Pokémon! If there are no more Rare Pokémon cards in the pile, you cannot challenge for one. Just wait here and move on your next turn.

To Challenge:

• Turn over 1 Rare Pokémon card from the pile.
• You CANNOT use Item or Event cards when challenging a Rare Pokémon.
• Now, spin the spinner.
  • You win if you spin "6" or "10." Take the Rare Pokémon card and place it in front of you.
  • You lose if you spin any number other than "6" or "10." Return the Rare Pokémon card to its pile and reshuffle.

Trouble Space

Trouble spaces are just that... trouble. Try to avoid these, but if you can't... you'll have to pay. If you land here, pay the indicated PCs to the bank or discard the indicated number of cards. Sorry about that.

Get PCs Space

Whoopee! If you land on a Get PCs space, you get PCs. Collect the number of PCs indicated on the space. Collect from the banker.

Meet Ash Space

Ash is on your side. Spin the spinner and collect PCs 10 times the number spun. Collect from the banker.

Pokémon Contest Space

The odds are in your favor. Spin the spinner and if you spin 1, 3, 5, or 10, you win 50 PCs. Collect from the banker.

Meet Professor Birch and Professor Oak Space

Draw 2 Pokémon Character cards and place them in front of you. No battling necessary.

The Ruins Loop

Here's your best chance to collect Rare Pokémon. We call this the Ruins Loop because it has the most Ruins spaces. You can travel around this loop three times before you MUST move on. So, if you're in the lead and you have some time, try to make a couple of passes. If you're lucky, you may get a Rare Pokémon for your efforts.

Winning: Game Scoring and PC Exchange

When all of the players have reached GOAL, the game is over. Now it's time to tally up the points. Here's how:

1. Add up your PCs on hand.
2. Add to that, PCs for the order in which you reached the GOAL:
   • 1st: 200 PCs
   • 2nd: 100 PCs
   • 3rd: 50 PCs
   • 4th: 20 PCs
3. Add to that, the PC exchange for each of your Pokémon Character cards:
   • Gold cards: 80 PCs
   • Red cards: 60 PCs
   • Orange cards: 40 PCs
   • Yellow cards: 20 PCs
4. Subtract 120 PCs if you used a Smile Loan card.

The player with the most PCs wins!

Storage

You can return all of the PCs to the small compartments in the storage tray. This will make it easier to set up for your next game. Game cards can also be stored in the storage tray, using the larger compartment. Return the remaining components to the box and close the lid for easy storage.

Warning: Not suitable for children under 3 years because of small parts - choking hazard.