Candle Quest
Candle Quest Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Contents
60 cards representing candles:
- 24 "expensive" Lit Candles with face values of 5 to 8
- 24 "low cost" Lit Candles with face values of 2 to 6
- 6 Dancing wild candles, 3 each with face values of 9 and 10
- 6 Unlit sad candles, 3 each with face values of 4 and 6
5 player screens 5 player mats 54 coins: 40 white 1-shekel coins, 12 blue 5-shekel coins
Components
Lit Candles Lit Candles and Dancing Candles have two values: The higher number is the candle's face value. The lower number is the candle's sell value.
Dancing Candles Dancing candles may be used in place of any Lit Candle of any color. You may have any number of Dancing Candles. Dancing Candles are bought, sold, auctioned, and looted the same way as are Lit Candles.
Unlit Candles Unlit Candles when flipped from the draw pile threaten your Lit Candles and have to be dealt with by either discarding Lit Candles or Shekels. Unlit Candles have only a face value because they cannot be sold to the bank.
Shekels Shekels are used to get new candles through auctions, buying, or looting. They are also used to guard your Lit Candles from Unlit Candles.
NOTE: You are required to use Shekels to buy candles from the draw stack, you cannot buy those by discarding.
Object of the Game
Be the first player to collect all 8 Lit Candles, each in a different color.
For additional games, see Game Variants on page 11.
Setup
- Shuffle all candles into one or two draw stacks and place the draw stacks face down in the middle of the table.
- Place the Shekels on the table to form a bank.
- Give each player a player screen, a player mat, and 12 Shekels.
- Each player draws a candle from the draw stack. The player who draws the candle with the highest face value is the starting player (in case of a tie, the tied players draw again until there is no tie). Reshuffle the drawn candles back into the draw stack.
Play
On your turn, do one of the following:
- Buy, sell, OR auction a new candle
- Loot a discarded candle
After taking your turn, play passes clockwise to the next player on the left.
Buy, Sell, or Auction a New Candle
Turn over the top candle of the draw stack and place it face up on the table. Note: if the candle is an Unlit Candle, you must guard your Menorah! See Guarding Your Menorah on page 9.
Buy
Pay to the bank the candle's face value in Shekels. Place the candle behind your screen.
Buy a Candle Example: For a candle with a face value of 5, pay the bank 5 Shekels and take the candle.
TIP: Buying may cost you more than auctioning, but you are guaranteed to get the candle.
Sell
Sell the candle to the bank. Receive from the bank the sell value of the candle in Shekels. Place the candle face up on top of your discard pile in front of your screen.
Sell a Candle Example: For a candle with a sell value of 3, take 3 Shekels from the bank, and place the candle on your discard pile.
TIP: Selling ensures that other players don't get their hands on the candle cheaply, but may earn you fewer Shekels than auctioning.
Auction
You can choose to auction the candle if you have at least 1 Shekel. Announce the amount that you are willing to pay for the candle; the amount can be as little as 1 Shekel or as much as all of your Shekels (but no more).
Each other player, starting with the player on your left and proceeding clockwise, has one chance to bid or pass on the candle. Each bid must be higher than the previous bid. Players cannot bid more Shekels than they have. The last player to bid or pass is the player on your right. After the player on your right has either bid or passed, the auction is over; you do not get to bid again.
If you are the high bidder, pay your bid to the bank and take the candle. If another player is the high bidder, the high bidder pays you the amount that they bid in Shekels and takes the candle.
Auction a Candle Example: For a candle with a face value of 4, you say that you are willing to pay 2. The player on your left passes. The player across from you bids 4, and the player on your right bids 5. You do not get another bid. You accept 5 Shekels from the player on your right, who takes the candle and places it behind their screen.
- First Player (You) bids 2 Shekels
- Second Player passes
- Third Player bids 4 Shekels
- Fourth Player bids 5 Shekels
- Fourth Player, the high bidder, pays 5 Shekels to You and takes the candle
TIP: Auctioning may get you a candle cheaper than buying it, but another player may get it instead of you. You may get more money than by selling it, but if no one outbids you, you will have to pay for it yourself, even if you do not want it.
Loot a Discarded Candle
To loot a discarded candle, take a candle off of the top of any discard pile, including your own. Discard the total of the candle's face value plus sell value in Shekels, the face values of previously collected candles (you may discard Unlit Candles for this purpose), or a combination of both, as follows:
- Pay to the bank the candle's face value plus sell value in Shekels.
- Discard one or more previously collected candles (Lit or Unlit) whose combined face values equal or exceed the candle's face value plus sell value (you do not receive change!). Previously collected Unlit Candles discarded this way are removed from the game. Any other candles discarded this way are placed face up on top of your discard pile in the order of your choice.
- You can combine Shekels and candles when discarding.
Loot Example: Select a candle from a discard pile. This candle costs 5 plus 2, or 7.
Pay 7 Shekels to the bank.
OR
Discard candles adding up their face values (you do not receive change).
OR
Discard and pay any combination of candles and Shekels.
TIP: Looting is expensive because you pay both the candle's face value and sell value. It is worthwhile when you need a specific candle or to avoid the risk of drawing an Unlit Candle.
Guarding Your Menorah
If you turn over an Unlit Candle, you must immediately guard your Menorah by discarding the Unlit Candle's face value in either Shekels, the face value of previously collected candles, or a combination of both, as follows:
- Pay to the bank the candle's face value in Shekels.
- Discard one or more previously collected candles (Lit or Unlit) whose combined face values equal or exceed the Unlit Candle's face value (you do not receive change!). Unlit Candles discarded this way are removed from the game. Any other candles discarded this way are placed face up on top of your discard pile in the order of your choice.
- You can combine Shekels and candles when discarding.
After guarding your Menorah, take the Unlit Candle and place it behind your player screen. You then get a bonus turn. If you draw any other Unlit Candles on the same turn, set them aside and draw again. Mix any Unlit candles that you set aside back into the deck at the end of your turn.
Guarding Example: If you draw an unlit candle with a face value of 6, you need to either:
- Pay 6 Shekels to the bank
- OR discard lit or unlit candles adding up their face values (you do not receive change)
- OR discard and pay any combination of candles and Shekels
Take your bonus turn.
Game End
The game ends immediately when one player has collected candles in all eight different colors. That player wins the game!
Additional Rules
Draw Stack: If the draw stack runs out during the game, take all candles, except the top candles, from all discard piles and shuffle them to make a new draw stack. The top candles remain where they were.
Duplicate Candles: Duplicate Lit Candles with the same color do not help you win the game, but you may discard the unneeded ones to loot a discarded candle or to guard your Menorah.
FAQ
Can I discard two Unlit Candles in one turn? You may discard more than one previously collected Lit or Unlit Candle to loot a discarded candle or to guard your Menorah. As always, Unlit Candles are removed from the game when discarded, instead of being placed on top of your discard pile.
Can I discard candles to buy a candle from the bank or in an auction? No, you may only discard candles to guard your Menorah or to loot a discarded candle.
What if I draw an unlit candle and don't have enough Shekels or candles to Guard my Menorah? If you don't have enough Shekels and/or candles with high enough values to guard your Menorah, discard either your highest valued candle (if there is a tie, choose one of them) or all of your Shekels (minimum 1). In this case, you don't keep the Unlit Candle; it is removed from the game. If you have no Shekels and no candles, the Unlit Candle is removed from the game with no effect. You still get your bonus turn.
Game Variants
Advanced Game (ages 8 and up)
The goal of the advanced game is to have the most valuable collection when somebody completes their Menorah.
The advanced game is played the same as the basic game, but the scoring is different. Each player calculates their score by adding the face values of all the candles they have collected, excluding duplicates or Unlit Candles, and then adds the number of Shekels they have. You can only add Shekels up to half your total candle value, rounding down. The player who completed their Menorah receives a three-point bonus. The player with the highest score wins.
Scoring Example:
- Cards = 44
- Coins = 9
- Bonus = 3
Junior Game (ages 5-6)
This simplified game is played the same as the basic game, but without auctions. You cannot loot discarded candles. Remove the three Unlit Candles with a face value of 6 from the game.
On your turn, turn over the top candle of the draw stack and either buy or sell the candle. You pay for Unlit Candles as in the basic game, with an additional option: Instead of taking your turn, you can discard a previously collected Unlit Candle to force any one other player to give you a candle of their choice; your Unlit Candle discarded in this way is removed from the game.
Background: Hanukkah
Do you know what Hanukkah is? Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday which lasts for eight days. Over two thousand years ago, the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem had an oil-lit eternal light which was supposed to burn all the time. After defeating the enemy soldiers that had ransacked the Temple, Jewish fighters, called Maccabees, found only enough oil to burn for one day. Jewish tradition says that, through a miracle, that tiny bit of oil lasted for the eight days needed to prepare new oil.
How about a Menorah? A Menorah used during Hanukkah holds eight candles and a helper candle (shamash) that is used to light the other candles. Each night of Hanukkah one new candle is lit, until there are eight candles burning on the last night of the holiday.