Buddel-Wuddel Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Description
• Setup
• Types of Spaces
• Course of the Game
• End of the Game
• Simplified Game

Components

• 1 game board
• 12 mole figures in 4 colours
• 1 friendly goblin, Gorgan
• 2 mine carts
• 20 treasures
• 1 special die

Game Description

Before you is a small system of tunnels along which the mole treasure-seekers travel from the surface of the earth to the treasures (glass pebbles) at the end of the cave. You have a die which, in addition to the numerical values 2 to 4, has a goblin symbol. Obstacles lie along the way. The players' task is to extract as many treasures from the mine as possible.

Setup

Each player chooses three mole figures of their own colour. The treasures are placed at the end of the cave. The Gorgan figure is placed near the treasures. Some of the moles are placed in the four-seat mine carts, an equal number from each player (when playing with 3 or 4 players, the extra moles enter the game later). The mine carts are placed on the two starting spaces at the entrance to the mine.

Types of Spaces

• Spaces with rails, along which the mine carts move
• Spaces with stones, which cannot be entered
• Spaces with goblin pictures (when a mole lands on one, it must wait until it gets out by itself or is rescued by Gorgan)

Course of the Game

The active player rolls the die.

1. If a number comes up, the player moves one of their moles, or the whole mine cart, that many spaces toward the treasure chamber. Not all of the player's moves have to be used. A mine cart may only be pulled toward the treasure chamber or sideways, never backwards. You may move a mine cart even if it contains no moles of your colour. At the end of the movement, the mine cart must be turned 90 degrees in any direction. If it is not next to a goblin space, the next player's turn simply begins.

However, if a goblin space is adjacent to the mine cart vertically or horizontally, you are in danger!

• If there is no mole at the seat of the mine cart nearest the goblin space, and there is no goblin on the goblin space, nothing happens.
• If a mole is sitting in a seat adjacent to the goblin space, and there is no one on the space, the unlucky mole leaves the mine cart and remains on the goblin space. In this way an opponent may set you up, by turning the mine cart at the end of their turn so that your mole faces the goblin space.
• If Gorgan is already standing on the goblin space, you are lucky: the mole continues its journey in the mine cart.
• If a mole of another player is standing on the goblin space and the seat of the mine cart adjacent to the space is empty, that mole gets into the mine cart.
• If a mole of another player is standing on the goblin space and the seat of the mine cart adjacent to the space is occupied by a mole, the two moles swap places.
• It may happen that your moles land one after another on goblin spaces. In that case the mine cart continues on empty.

2. If the die shows the goblin face, this is a good sign.

   • If one of your moles is languishing on one of the goblin spaces, Gorgan goes there and frees your mole, sending it to a free seat in any mine cart. If all the seats are occupied, the player receives a treasure and places their mole figure in front of them.
   • If none of your moles is captive, you may send one of your moles to a captive mole of an opponent, thereby freeing it and seating it in a free seat of any mine cart. Or you place Gorgan on any goblin space, thereby protecting the future routes of the mine carts near that space. It makes sense to secure a space that you are yet to pass.

As soon as a mine cart reaches the treasure chamber, it is turned 90 degrees, and the moles sitting in it each receive one treasure. The mole that is located directly at the treasure chamber is permitted to take a second treasure for itself.

Then the mine cart returns to one of the two starting spaces, and a new round of the game begins with the seating of the moles that have received treasure and that have not yet travelled, and were only waiting above ground. The other moles remaining in the mine stay in their places.

If a player brings an empty mine cart with no moles to the treasure chamber, it is sent to the start and a new round begins with the seating of moles from the surface of the earth. The game continues until the last treasure has been handed out.

If there are no longer enough treasures left in the treasure chamber, the distribution proceeds as follows. One treasure each is received by: the front mole, the central mole on the left (marked by the miner's lamp), the central mole on the right, and the rear mole.

End of the Game

The game ends when all the treasures have been handed out. The player with the greatest number of treasures wins. The game is more interesting with four players.

Simplified Game

Use the die differently: do not choose how many steps to use for movement; instead, activate all the steps that are rolled.