Abtei der Rätsel Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Quick Guide
• Game Rules
  • Aim of the Game
  • Game Setup
  • Turn Sequence
    • 1. Moving the ABBOT
    • 2. Moving the Playing Figures
    • 3. Reading
    • 4. LOAVES and KEYS
    • 5. Special Rules
    • 6. Solving the Riddle

Quick Guide

2 Using your 2 playing pieces, you try to round up the books containing the clues. Your MONK can read these tomes, but he can't carry them – ever. And he can only move 2 spaces. Your NOVICE, however, can move 4 spaces and he can carry things – but reading isn't his forte! Everyone knows his place then: the MONK reads the books, the NOVICE fetches them.

3 The monastery is divided up into buildings and fields. The search begins in the starting field. The first 6 books are in the buildings near the outer walls. The Stable and Kitchen, for example, are just 2 spaces away and can be reached by every MONK. The other buildings are further away. To speed things up, every figure can use LOAVES, which the NOVICE can get from the Dining Hall and give to his MONK. Eating 1 LOAF allows you to walk 1 extra space. Certain doors are special and can only be crossed in the direction marked (following the red arrows).

4 There are 4 more books in the four-towered Library. It's a long way there, and you can only reach it via the secret entrance from the Graveyard – if you have a KEY. KEYS can be collected from the Church by NOVICES and given to their MONKS. Only MONKS may enter the Library! NOVICES are not allowed to enter the Library, so they can't retrieve any books from there either. Once in the Library, a MONK may only read 1 book before exiting again to the Herb Garden.

5 Of course, you won't be alone. Other MONKS have noticed your rummaging and have joined in the search. Soon there's a hustle and bustle within the monastery's walls: NOVICES carrying books hither and thither, MONKS studying them more impassioned than ever before! If you aren't careful, you'll have your books stolen from beneath your very eyes. Outrageous! But if the black ABBOT appears, everyone suddenly disappears. But do not despair. Gather your courage – the riddle is calling!

6 The riddle can be found on cards which are be slid into the reader – like a tiny bookshelf – without being seen. If a MONK is in the same place as a book, and the playing figure wasn't moved this turn, the player is allowed to read the book. For example, if the MONK is on book number 3, then the player may take the reader and open slider number 3! He may then mark down the letter in box number 3. But guessing the riddle word can only begin once you have found more letters. Every letter is a step closer to finding the solution! Understood?

7 That's right, the riddle! Ten empty fields are waiting for the solution. Well, up to ten fields, since the cards with the riddles come in different difficulties. The long words with 10 letters are usually easier to solve, since every letter gives you a clue. These cards are green. The spare fields in words with fewer than 10 letters are filled with asterisks. These cards are red. For example:

***CHAIR**

It's even more challenging when the asterisks appear between the letters, such as:

*TAB*LE***

8 When a player is sure they know the solution to the riddle – for example that from the letters

M E N T *

the only possible answer can be

C E M E N T *

they may try to solve the riddle on their turn. The player slides the card out of the bookshelf and checks. If the solution really is

* * * C E M E N T *

then that player immediately wins the game. But if the solution is

S A C R A M E N T

then the player kick themselves, and must slide the card back into the bookshelf without saying anything, and is out of the game. The other MONKS can giggle amongst themselves and continue playing. Hopefully they'll do a better job and solve the Riddle of the Abbey!

Game Rules

Aim of the Game

Whichever player finds the solution to the riddle first wins the game. The solution words on the cards are between 5 and 10 letters long. If the solution word is less then 10 letters long, the missing letters are replaced with asterisks. These asterisks can also appear in the middle of the word in the most difficult riddles. The riddle cards are hence split into 2 groups: the green cards are the easiest (no asterisks), whilst the red cards are harder and have up to 5 asterisks. We recommend playing with the green cards for the first few games. Important: the words are always in the singular.

Game Setup

• Each player chooses a colour and receives 1 MONK and 1 NOVICE in this colour. Each player puts their 2 playing figures on the starting square outside the walls.
• Each player needs 1 pen/pencil and 1 piece of paper, as shown:

__________

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

• The remaining game elements are distributed as follows:
  • The black ABBOT is placed in the middle of the Library.
  • The library KEYS (2 per player) are placed in the Church. Leftover KEYS are placed back in the box.
  • The LOAVES (5 per player) are placed in the Dining Hall. Each player takes 1 LOAF and places it in front of them.
  • Books 1 to 6 are distributed in the buildings abutting the outside walls; books 4, 5 and 6 as closed as possible to the Entrance Gate.
  • Books 7 to 10 are distributed randomly in the four towers of the Library.
• Preparing the bookshelf: All of the sliders on the front of the bookshelf must be closed. The bookshelf is then placed upside down to one side. Together the players select the difficulty of the riddle. One player shuffles the chosen stack of cards, and then takes the top card and places it concealed into the bookshelf arrow first. The front side with the letters should not be visible at any time!
• One player begins and receives the dice. The players take it in turns clockwise. On their go each player becomes the active player and carries out the following actions in the given order!

Turn Sequence

1. Moving the ABBOT

The player must roll the dice and move the ABBOT onto the BOOK corresponding to the rolled number. If the ABBOT is already on this BOOK, the dice is not re-rolled.

• The ABBOT immediately disperses all other playing figures from this location (whether building or field). The figures are moved into a neighbouring location by their owners. If more than one player has figures in this location, the players take it in turns to move their figures (starting with the active player).
• The ABBOT blocks the BOOK where he is standing – this book may neither be read nor carried away.
• Other playing figures can pass through the location where the ABBOT is, but may not end their turns there.

Important: Every player may spend one LOAF to have the dice re-rolled if they do not like the result! This may happen more than once. The active player may also carry out this action. Cost: 1 LOAF each time.

2. Moving the Playing Figures

Each player has 1 MONK and 1 NOVICE. It is up to the player which piece they move first. Moves may also be interrupted. The player can also choose to move one of their figures, or even none of them. Buildings can only be entered and left in the directions indicated by the red arrows! Entering a building or field counts as 1 space.

a) Moving the MONK

• The MONK can move up to 2 spaces. He can enter both buildings and fields. LOAVES increase his range (see later).
• On his turn a MONK may either move or read.
• A MONK may never carry a BOOK.

b) Moving the NOVICE

• The NOVICE can move up to 4 spaces. He can enter both buildings and fields. LOAVES increase his range.
• On his turn a NOVICE may carry 1 BOOK with him. He may also cross locations where BOOKS are situated. Important: At the end of a turn, however, there may only be 1 BOOK in any location.
• NOVICES cannot read.
• A NOVICE can carry different books during his turn, e.g. carry one BOOK away and retrieve another. LOAVES can be used to increase the number of paces a figure can move.

The 'Reading' phase may follow the 'Movement' phase – see next section. Otherwise the player ends their turn and passes the dice to the player on their left.

3. Reading

If on a player's turn their MONK is in the same location as a BOOK, then the player may do some 'reading'!

Reading is only allowed if the MONK did not move this turn (the NOVICE may move as normal).

• The player takes the bookshelf and states aloud the number of the BOOK which the MONK is standing next to.
• The player opens the slider (outwards) corresponding to the number of the BOOK, remembers the letter, and closes the slider again.
• The player then notes the letter down in the space on his sheet next to that number. Make sure that the other players can't tell which letter is being written down.
• Tip: A MONK can even read more than 1 BOOK on a turn: for example, a MONK can read a BOOK, after which the NOVICE moves it away and retrieves another BOOK and places it next to the MONK. The MONK may read this book as well, as he hasn't moved this turn.

The player may of course move his NOVICE as usual.

4. LOAVES and KEYS

LOAVES can be found in the Dining Hall, KEYS in the Church.

• Only the NOVICE may carry these items with him: either 2 LOAVES or 1 KEY. He can pick them up when he enters the building. The items are transported in the NOVICE's hood.
• The NOVICE must hand the items to the MONK when they are standing in the same location. Only then are the items active and can be used. After that the player may then place the items in front of them. The player may not have more than 5 LOAVES and 2 KEYS. The items in the NOVICE's hood count toward this total.

LOAVES

• A player may give up one LOAF (back into the Dining Hall) to move his playing figure 1 extra space.
• A player may use up as many LOAVES on his turn as they want to move their playing figures.
• A player may use up one LOAF at the beginning of a turn to have the ABBOT dice re-rolled.

KEYS

• Entering the Library is only possible with a KEY.
• If a player gives up a KEY (back into the Church) when their MONK is standing on the Graveyard, they may enter the Library on the same turn.
• Entering the Library counts as 1 space. The player must immediately select one of the four towers and move their MONK onto the chosen BOOK.
• The BOOK may only be read on the following turn. The player must move their MONK into the middle of the Library immediately after reading the BOOK.
• In the following turn the player must move their MONK out of the Library via the Herb Garden.

5. Special Rules

• A NOVICE can also carry a BOOK when he is already carrying 2 LOAVES or 1 KEY.
• No more than 1 BOOK may be in any one field or building at the end of a turn.
• A BOOK may never be left in the Church or the Dining Hall, but they may be carried through these buildings.
• A BOOK can be taken from a location even if other NOVICES are standing there.
• However if a MONK is standing in the same location as a BOOK, other NOVICES may not remove the book.

6. Solving the Riddle

On a player's turn they may try to solve the riddle. It is not necessary for them to have noted down every single letter of the word.

The player writes down their solution on their piece of paper (without saying it out loud!). Then they slide the card far enough out of the bookshelf so that they (and only they!) can read the word.

• If the word is correct, they prove it by showing the solution on their piece of paper. The player has won and the game ends.
• If the word is incorrect, they simply say 'Wrong!' and slide the card back into the bookshelf. This player is then out of the game. The other players continue playing until a player finds the solution or until all but one player is out of the game.