Running with the Bulls
Running with the Bulls Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Running with the Bulls is a game for 2-6 players played over three rounds called "days." During each day, players will use action cards to guide their Runners to destinations at the bottom of the board - all while trying to avoid irate bulls! The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
Contents
- 10 Red Bulls
- 50 Action Cards
- 50 Runners
- 18 Direction Tokens
- 1 First Player Token
- 80 Score Tokens
- 1 Game Board
Setup
Open the game board and place it in the middle of the table where it is easily accessible by all players. Note the five starting roundabouts at the top of the board (numbered 2-6), the five destination spaces at the bottom of the board, and the various colored roundabouts between them connected by a network of paths.
Shuffle the Destination cards into one pile and the Action cards into another. Draw Destination cards one at a time, placing one face up in each of the five destination spaces from left to right, and set aside the remainder. Destination cards are collected, reshuffled, and dealt back out at the beginning of each day. Then, deal each player five Action cards; these cards make up a player's hand and should be kept secret from the other players. Place the rest of the Action cards face down to one side of the board; these become the Action deck.
Before the game begins, each player selects their Runners (one of the small dice sets of the same color) and matching Direction tokens according to the player count outlined below. The player who most recently cooked beef - any kind counts! - receives the First Player token. In addition to taking the first turn, the first player moves the Bulls (large red dice) and deals the cards at the beginning of each day.
Collect five Bulls (large red dice). Beginning with starting roundabout "2" and proceeding in consecutive order, roll and place one Bull at a time on each starting roundabout; leave the results showing face up. Each player then rolls a number of their Runners determined by the number of players:
- If there are 2 players (use the yellow and blue dice), each player rolls 9 Runners.
- If there are 3 players, (use yellow, blue and green dice) each player rolls 8 Runners.
- If there are 4-6 players, each player rolls 6 Runners.
The Runners are then placed on starting roundabouts that correspond with their results (e.g., a Runner that rolls a 2 goes on starting position 2). A player that rolls a 1 may be placed on any starting position. Leave the Runners' results showing face up. After placing all Runners, roll a sixth Bull and place it on the starting roundabout that matches the result; reroll any result of 1.
Playing the Game
Running with the Bulls is played over three rounds called "days."
Step One: Play Action Cards
Starting with the first player and going clockwise, each player must play one Action card from their hand. Action cards take immediate effect when played and are then discarded face up into a discard pile. Most Action cards allow players to reroll Runners. Some, however, allow players to influence Bulls, place Direction tokens, draw cards, or even gain points! Action cards that have a Bull icon in the top left hand corner of the card affect one or more Bulls on the board. Players who affect Bulls using an Action card manipulate the Bull(s) according to the card's instructions.
Step Two: Advance Runners
After all players have played a card, Runners move from their current roundabouts down to the next one. If only one path leaves a roundabout, all Runners follow that path. If, however, there are forks labeled with "even" or "odd" path signs, Runners proceed as follows: Those showing a face value of 2, 4, or 6 follow even paths, while those showing a face value of 1, 3, or 5 follow odd paths.
Special Action Card: Directions
Direction cards allow players to place one of their Direction tokens on any of the even/odd path signs on the board. When a Direction token is placed, all Runners matching the color of the token must follow the path marked by the token, regardless of whether they are odd or even. A Direction token remains on the board for the entire game unless another Direction token replaces it or an Action card allows a player to remove it. Only one Direction token can be placed on any single path sign. Bulls ignore Direction tokens.
For example, in image 1, the Blue player has placed a direction token on an EVEN path sign. All of Blue's Runners must follow that sign - even if some of them are ODD. The Yellow player's Runners move normally. If Direction tokens of the same color occupy both the even and odd path signs leading down from a roundabout, as in image 2 the Runners of that color move normally.
Step Three: The Bulls Charge!
Bulls move exactly the way Runners do - but after they move, they charge at the Runners! Players must reroll all Runners whose face value matches the value of any Bull(s) in the same roundabout or destination. Compare the new Runner face values to the Bull(s). Any Runner no longer matching the Bull(s) is safe and remains in play (keeping its new face value). Rerolled Runners that still match any Bull(s) within the same roundabout or destination are "trampled" and removed from play for the rest of the day. Trampled Runners return to their players at the beginning of the next day.
For example, in image 3, two Bulls in a roundabout have a face value of 2 and 4. All Runners in the same roundabout also showing a face value of 2 or 4 are in danger of being trampled and must be rerolled.
After rerolling, most of the Runners are safe. However, in image 4 one of the yellow Runners that did show a 2 now shows a 4 and is trampled. Additionally, one of the blue Runners that originally showed a 2 and still shows a 2 is also trampled. These Runners are removed from the game until the beginning of the next day.
Step Four: Pass the First Player Token
After the Bulls have charged, pass the First Player token to the left. The receiving player will be the first to play a card at the next set of roundabouts or destinations.
Repeat the above steps until the Runners and Bulls reach the Destination cards at the bottom of the board, then score the day.
Scoring the Day
At the end of each day, Runners and Bulls arrive at the Destination cards. After checking to see if any of their Runners are trampled by Bull(s), players tally their victory points. Each Destination card is worth a number of points indicated by the card's destination icon. Each of a player's Runners that successfully ends the day at a destination without being trampled is scored. Players collect Score tokens equal to the points they've earned from all Destination cards that day.
Many Destination cards have additional penalties or bonuses that apply if a player's Runners reach it successfully. These effects are applied once on the following day only, no matter how many of the player's Runners are there.
For example, at the end of the first day, the Blue player has Runners on the Restaurant and Nightclub Destination cards. She scores 3 points for each of the two Runners on the Restaurant card, and 8 points for two Runners on the Nightclub card, for a total of 14 points. Because Blue landed on the Nightclub card, she will start the second day with one less Runner than usual. NOTE: This effect does not apply to the third day unless Blue also lands on a Nightclub at the end of the second day.
Starting a New Day
After scoring at the end of the first and second days, players collect all their Runners (including any that were trampled by Bulls) and discard unwanted Action Cards. The new first player deals each player up to five Action cards plus any additional Action Cards earned from the previous day, and resets the board as described in SETUP. Any Direction tokens on the board remain where they are.
NOTE: If the Action deck runs out, shuffle all discarded Action cards and place them face down on the table as the new Action deck. Remember to adjust the number of Runners based on the previous day's Destination card effects, as applicable.
Winning the Game
After scoring at the end of the third day, the player with the most points wins! In the case of a tie, whichever player scored the most points on the third day wins. If the score is still tied, all tied players share the victory!