The Bridge to Treasure Cave
The Bridge to Treasure Cave Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 1 bridge (4 bridge pieces, 9 boards)
- 25 treasures
- 4 game figures
- 1 cave
- Gorge (in the box bottom)
- 4 dice (green, yellow, red, white)
- 4 camps
- 4 backpacks
Idea and Object of the Game
Team up with the adventurers, and try your luck at the old bridge! Make sure you get the precious treasures, but don't be too greedy. Your heavily laden path back to camp will be dangerous. Steal from your competitors and push them aside. Watch every step on the bridge, because one rotten board can mean the loss of all the loot into the deep gorge in the river! If you collect the most treasure at the end, you emerge as the winner of this exciting adventure.
The Game
The bottom of the box is placed in the middle of the table and the bridge is set up on it. The 9 boards are laid on the bridge spaces. The 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th boards are turned crack (dark side) up. (If you've played the game a few times and want a more challenging bridge, start with 8 boards or more on the cracked side.)
Each player chooses a color and takes the appropriate figure, backpack and camp. The camp will be set to one side of the bridge and the figures next to them. The cave with the 25 treasures is placed on the other side. The backpacks go in front of the players. The dice are laid out.
Play
The youngest player begins, then the game goes in a clockwise direction. The players attempt to move over the bridge to reach the cave laden with treasures and return to the camp. On a player's turn, he does the following:
1. Roll
Based on the roll of the three colored dice, the player chooses his actions. With the green die, the adventurers proceed slowly, but surely. With the yellow die, he has a better chance to steal a treasure from an opponent. The red die means rapid movement, but also higher risk of danger.
Depending on how many treasures the player carries in his backpack at the start of his turn, he cannot roll all the dice. If the player carries none or only one treasure, he must roll all the dice. A player carrying two treasures in his pack may roll two dice. A player with three treasures may roll only one die. The dice he chooses are up to him.
Example: The blue player carries two treasures in his backpack at the beginning of his turn. He opts for the yellow and red dice, because he hopes to cross over the bridge fast to get to camp.
2. Choose Direction
After the player has rolled the dice, he has to decide which direction he wants to move in. He begins his move in the camp, of course, moving toward the cave, and vice versa. When he is on the bridge, he must move in one of two directions. Back-and-forth movement in a turn is not possible.
3. Dice Actions
The player may now use the rolled actions. If the actions on a die are unfavorable for him, he can choose to not do the actions. If a player has rolled several dice, he can use them in any order. On some dice, two actions are shown. If he uses a die, he must use all its actions completely before he uses the next die.
If the player has completed his move, his left neighbor takes the dice and starts his turn.
The Different Actions
Move (Footprints)
The number of footprints indicate how far the player may move his figure over the bridge. For example, three footprints mean his figure may move one, two or three boards. If the player comes to gaps in the bridge, each gap counts as a board. If there is a gap of several missing boards, each missing board counts as a space. The important thing is that the player ends his movement on a board. If a player's move reaches the camp or cave, leftover movement points expire.
Pushing on the bridge: Each board can only support one game figure. If a player ends his move on an occupied board, he pushes that figure one space forward. If there is another figure on that board, there is a chain reaction.
Steal (Hand)
When a hand is rolled, the player can steal a treasure. If a player ends his movement on a board where an opponent's figure stands, he may steal one of that player's treasures from that player's backpack and place it on his own. Then he pushes that player's figure forward one space. A player with no treasure cannot be stolen from. You cannot steal in the cave or the camp.
Note: A player can carry a maximum of three treasures in his backpack. If he already has three treasures and steals another, he immediately falls into the river.
Repair (Hammer)
When a hammer is rolled, the player may, before or after moving, repair one board. He can also choose to repair a board without moving. He can repair the board on which he stands, or one of the two immediately adjacent boards, or a directly adjacent gap. After the repair, a board is in place with the normal side up, either turned over or replaced with a new one.
Danger (Lightning)
If lightning is rolled, the player must roll the white die after moving and after any pushing.
The White Die
Half of the white die is blank, meaning nothing happens to the player. The other sides show either a crack or a lost treasure.
If the player rolls a crack, the board his figure is on becomes damaged. A regular board is turned over to the cracked side, while an already-cracked board is removed from the bridge. If the board under a player's figure is removed, the treasure in his backpack falls into the river and his pawn goes back to the camp. He starts again from there on his next turn.
If the player rolls the symbol "lost treasure" (treasure with an X through it), he must drop a treasure from his backpack into the river. If he is not carrying treasure, he does not lose anything.
Example of a Complete Turn: The red player has rolled all three dice. He chooses the green die first (1 footprint/repair), repairing a gap before moving and then taking a step forward. He uses the red die second (3 footprints/danger). He jumps over a gap of three boards. Then he must roll the white die. He rolls a crack and the board the red figure stands on is normal, so it must be turned to the cracked side. He uses the yellow die last (2 footprints/steal). He moves two boards to the black figure. He could steal a treasure, but unfortunately the black player has no treasure in his backpack. The red player pushes the black pawn forward one board. Then the red player's turn is over.
The Cave
When a player reaches the cave, he immediately decides how many treasures to take. He takes up to three treasures from the cave and puts them on his backpack. His turn is over.
Example: The white player reaches the cave. He takes two treasures and places them on his backpack. On his next turn, he starts out of the cave towards the camp, but may only roll two dice.
Remember: If you take more treasures, you can't run as fast over the bridge!
Note: If more than one player is pushed into the cave in the same turn, the active player takes his treasure first. The other players then follow clockwise. If there is no more treasure, a player goes empty handed.
Back at Camp
If a player reaches the camp, his turn is over. He puts all the treasures on his backpack on his camp. These treasures are safe for the rest of the game.
Dangerous Gaps in the Bridge!
As the game goes on, planks of the bridge get broken. As long as they repaired, no player is in danger of gaps in the bridge. If a player's figure is pushed into a gap or a player lands on a gap, all the treasures in his backpack fall into the river (the box). He puts his figure back in the camp and will start his next turn from there. Treasures that have fallen into the river remain there until the end of the game.
Example of pushing chain reaction and gap: The black player may only roll one die and chooses yellow. He rolls two footprints and moves his figure 2 boards towards the camp. His movement ends on the board with the red figure, which is pushed a board further to the board with the blue figure. The blue figure is pushed into a gap. The blue player throws the two treasures from his backpack into the river and puts his figure in the camp. The black player's turn is over.
The Cave's Curse
If a player leaves the cave with the last treasure in his backpack, the game will end soon. One board after another falls off of the bridge into the depths, and all players should make their way quickly back to camp. Beginning on the next player's turn, the game play changes as follows: Before a player rolls, he first removes the board of the bridge that is nearest to the cave. A figure on this board drops all the treasures out of his backpack into the river, and the figure is returned to camp. Only then does the active player take his normal turn, with dice and actions.
End of the Game
The game ends when there are no more treasures in the cave and no more treasures in the backpacks of the players. The player who has the most treasure in his camp wins. In case of a tie, there are multiple winners.
The game ends prematurely if a player brings a set number of treasures to camp:
- 2 players - 7 treasures
- 3 players - 6 treasures
- 4 players - 5 treasures
The player who manages to do this first wins. If a push results in several players getting the set number of treasures to camp, the one with the most treasures in his camp wins. In case of a tie, there are multiple winners.