Sheep Hop!
Sheep Hop! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal of the Game
To win, bring more sheep into their pen than the wolves manage to capture!
Contents and Setup
- A. Once unfolded, the box sleeve forms the game board.
- B. Place the 9 Sheep pawns at random on the starting area.
- C. Then place the 2 Wolf pawns each on a space of their path (your choice).
- D. Take the die. The game can begin.
- E. Cardboard tiles: for the first game, the tiles are not used; set them aside.
You can remove the box from the board. It can then serve as a die-rolling track.
Turn Sequence
Take turns, starting with the last person to have seen a sheep. On your turn, roll the die and apply the effect indicated below:
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If the die shows a Wolf face, move the Wolf pawns:
- One space each, if it is the "Big Bad Wolf & Little Bad Wolf" face.
- Two spaces for the big Wolf only, if it is the "Double Big Bad Wolf" face.
The wolves move in the direction indicated by their pawn, each staying on their own path.
If, while moving, a wolf passes over a space containing a sheep, the sheep is immediately captured by the wolves and put in their den.
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If the die shows a sheep of a single color:
- Choose one of the sheep of the corresponding color on the board. It then moves, following the Movement Rules for Clever Sheep (below).
- If there are no more sheep of the corresponding color on the board, choose a sheep among those still in play, regardless of its color.
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If the die shows the Multicolored Sheep face:
- Choose the sheep to move among all those still on the board.
If, while moving, a sheep manages to reach the sheep pen, that sheep escapes the wolves! It stays in the pen and can no longer be moved.
If you have trouble telling the colors apart, you can use the symbols on the faces of the die and on the pawns.
Movement Rules for Clever Sheep
During a move, a sheep is moved one space only, onto a free space next to it (but not diagonally).
If a sheep is next to another animal, it can jump over it (but not diagonally), provided this move lands it on a free space. A sheep can chain as many jumps as it wishes, as long as the spaces it lands on allow a new jump. A sheep cannot make a regular move after a jump.
Note: a sheep can never move onto, or jump over, the rock space.
It is possible to reach the pen by a simple move, but also by jumping over another animal!
End of the Game
When the last sheep has left the board, either by reaching the pen or by being caught by a wolf, the game is over.
To determine the score, count the sheep saved (those in the pen). Then count the sheep captured by the wolves. If a majority of sheep was saved, the game is won! You can then compare your score to the shepherds' scale below.
Instead of counting, make two piles: one with the saved sheep and one with the captured sheep. If the pile of saved sheep is the larger, the game is won!
Shepherds' Scale
- 5 sheep saved: LITTLE PATOU (Great Pyrenees pup). Part of the flock is saved, but the wolves had a feast...
- 6 sheep saved: APPRENTICE SHEPHERD. That was close! Be more careful about the wolves next time!
- 7 sheep saved: SHEPHERD OF THE PLAINS. Keep it up and you can even add tiles next time.
- 8 sheep saved: SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS. The wolves only got crumbs, well played! That was almost a perfect run...
- 9 sheep saved: SHEPHERD OF THE MOUNTAINS. Bravo! To move up to the next level, you are ready to add tiles to the board.
Special Tiles for Strategist Shepherds
At the start of the game, if you are comfortable with the basic rules, place one or more special tiles on the board. The Animal tiles each have an effect that is activated every time a sheep jumps over it.
The Rock and Molehill tiles can never be crossed by a sheep (even by jumping over).
The Wolf pawns ignore special tiles when moving. They pass over them without stopping and without triggering their effect. A space covered by a special tile is therefore not counted when moving the Wolf pawns.
There is only one restriction on tile placement: the rock cannot be placed in front of the meadow exit. Otherwise, anything goes. But beware! The more tiles on the board, the harder it will be to get all the sheep out!
The Rock
It is an obstacle; no sheep can ever jump over it or stop on this tile.
The Mole and Its Molehill
These tiles are always placed on the board at the same time, one on the Mole side and the other on the Molehill side. Every time a sheep jumps over the mole, it runs away. The two tiles are then flipped: the mole becomes a molehill, and the molehill becomes a mole.
No sheep can jump over or stop on the Molehill tile.
The Patou (Great Pyrenees)
As a good sheepdog, the patou rounds up the sheep. When a sheep jumps over the Patou tile, then move the other sheep of the same color as the jumping sheep, choosing the order.
Note: if one or two of the sheep of this color have already left the board, only one, or even no, sheep is moved.
The Raccoon
This clever little one shows the direction in which the wolves travel, and it can reverse it! It is first placed on the "clockwise" side. When a sheep jumps over the Raccoon tile, the tile is flipped. Also turn the 2 Wolf pawns a half-turn each. They now travel in this direction until the tile is flipped again. It is therefore possible for the wolves to move in the opposite direction from that indicated by their path.
The Fox
The fox is the wolves' ally! When a sheep jumps over the Fox tile, the wolves immediately advance one space each.