Vagabond
Vagabond Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
Rules, game board (world map), compass tray with 4 number tiles, score pad, ruler, spinner, 140 travel cards, 50 picture cards, 50 compass cards and 40 flag cards.
The printed rulebook shows sample compass, picture and flag card faces as illustrations; they are not transcribed here.
Setup
- Assemble the game board from its 4 parts and place it in the middle of the table.
- Place the ruler and the compass tray beside the game board.
- Place the lid with the spinner beside the game board.
- Each player takes one sheet from the score pad and provides themselves with a pen (not included).
- Sort the cards into 5 different piles and shuffle them well.
- Each player takes 1 black travel card and 1 flag card. Note: do not look at the question side!
- The player who was most recently abroad starts. Playing in teams is fine if preferred. Spin the spinner and the adventure can begin!
Game Overview
The spinner stops on one of the four competition categories, and the player (or team) whose turn it is plays that category:
- Travel card (travel cards, blue and black)
- Compass card (compass cards)
- Picture card (picture cards)
- Flag card (flag cards)
After each category, the turn passes to the next player or team, who spins the spinner.
Score Pad
Each player writes their score (flight points) on their own score sheet directly after each step, and is responsible for making sure no illegal points are noted!
Travel Cards
Each travel card has 6 questions to be answered. When all 6 questions have been read, the card is finished. On the front of the card the player can see the country where they start, the country where they make a stopover and the country where they end their journey (some travel cards have no stopover). The questions relate to the countries on the front. The numbers on the cards also appear on the map, so you can easily see where you are geographically.
When all 6 questions on the card have been read out, the player puts the card in front of them with the question side up. The next time it is the player's turn, a new card is taken from the top of the travel card pile. When a player has used up 2 whole cards (12 questions), the game ends.
When the spinner stops on Travel card: The player gives their card to the player on their right. This player reads the first question and makes clear to the player which country they are in (shown on the front of the card). If the player answers the question correctly without answer options, the next question is read out immediately. As long as the player keeps answering correctly without answer options, the question session continues.
If the player cannot answer the question directly, the player has the right to use answer options. The reader then reads out both answer options (A and B) to the player. The correct answer is marked in bold. As soon as all 6 questions on a card have been read, the question round is interrupted, and a new card is taken the next time the player is on turn. Then it is the next player's or team's turn to spin the spinner.
Scoring travel cards: The player gets 20 points for a correct answer, 10 points if answer options were used, and 0 points if the answer is wrong. A card can give at most 120 points, but then the player must have answered all the questions correctly in a row and without answer options.
Travel Cards and the Ruler
As soon as a card is finished, the player measures on the game board how far they have travelled. Measure regardless of whether the questions were answered correctly or incorrectly. Measure the distance between the destinations (2 or 3) and write down the points. The ruler's graduation gives your travel distance directly in points. Write down the point total!
Measure from outer edge to outer edge of the red circles. Always round the points up to the next even number.
Compass Cards
Each compass card has two tasks, A and B. Play through all the A tasks first, then turn the pile over. Do not look at the answers on the back!
When the spinner stops on Compass card: The player takes the top card from the pile, takes the compass with its associated markers 1, 2, 3 and 4, and turns the map toward themselves. The player must now decide which city lies furthest north, south, west or east in relation to the others. For example, if the player thinks Munich (no. 1) lies furthest west, they place marker 1 furthest to the left on the compass. When all the cities have been placed, the player turns the card over and checks their answer. The card is then placed back at the bottom of the pile. Then it is the next player's or team's turn to spin the spinner.
Scoring compass cards: The player gets 40 points if all 4 items are correctly placed, 20 points if 2 items are correct, and 10 points if 1 item is correctly placed. (30 points can never be obtained.)
Picture Cards
Each picture card has 6 questions on its back, related to the picture on the front.
When the spinner stops on Picture card: The player to the right takes the top card and shows the picture to the player, then reads out the first two questions (A and B), regardless of whether the player answers the first question correctly or not. The card is then placed back at the bottom of the pile. The next time the same card comes up, question 2 (A and B) is read, and so on. Then it is the next player's or team's turn to spin the spinner.
Scoring picture cards: The player gets 20 points per correctly answered question (maximum 40 points).
Flag Cards
Everyone plays at the same time, and everyone can score points!
Each flag card has 3 flags, and on the back are the continent and the country that each flag belongs to. Note: do not look at the answer side!
When the spinner stops on Flag card: The player who spun the spinner looks at their flag card and decides which continent applies for the round (Europe, South America, North America, Africa, Asia or Oceania).
If the player believes they can name one or more of the flags on the card, they choose the continent that has the most flags on the card, and say the continent and the country or countries aloud. The player must choose a continent whether or not they know their flags.
The turn then passes to the next player, who may choose to take part or not, for example:
- "I abstain, I have no flags from that continent."
- "I'm in, I have 1 to 3 flags from that continent" and then says the name of the country or countries aloud.
The turn continues until all players have answered. Then everyone turns over their cards and sees whether they answered correctly. All flag cards are then placed back at the bottom of their pile, and the players each take a new card. Then it is the next player's or team's turn to spin the spinner.
Scoring flag cards: The player gets 20 points for each correct flag (continent plus country), to a maximum of 60 points. Note! If a player is wrong, they get minus 20 points for each incorrectly guessed flag. Note the minus points clearly on the score sheet.
Final Duel
As soon as a player has used up 2 black travel cards, the game ends.
Each player adds up their points but does not reveal how many points they have. The player who ended the game may choose to take an extra card and gain a further 150 points, or lose 100 points.
If a player already believes they have the most points and does not want to gamble on a further 150 points, everyone reveals their total score. The player with the most points wins. Congratulations!
If a player believes they need more points to win, they simply gamble and accept the challenge. One of the other players takes a travel card from the blue pile, which contains only questions about Europe. If the player answers all 6 questions without answer options, they receive an extra 150 points, and hopefully take home the overall victory! If the player fails, they lose 100 points.
Scoring Quick Reference
- Travel card: 20 points per question, and 10 points if answer options were used.
- Compass card: 40 points if all correct, otherwise 20 or 10 points.
- Picture card: 20 points per question.
- Flag card: 20 points per correct flag (continent plus country), and minus 20 points for each incorrectly guessed flag.
Tips
- Always have younger players hear the answer options read out on the travel cards; this makes the game fairer for everyone.
- Lengthen or shorten the playing time as you like. Instead of playing to the first 2 travel cards as normal, choose a shorter game of 1 card or a longer game of 3 cards.
- If the blue travel cards run out, they can be replaced with black travel cards, under the same conditions that apply to the blue cards.
Airport Codes on Travel Cards
On the front of the travel cards there is always, besides the country and city, a code consisting of three letters, for example (LHR). This identification code follows the international standard and identifies the airport you have landed at in the Vagabond game. IATA code: International Air Transport Association.
Have a pleasant journey!