Creature Features
Creature Features Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective of the Game
To acquire as many Monster Movie Productions, Ghoul Star Symbols and Tombstone Award Symbols as possible, thus becoming the wealthiest and most successful Creature Features Producer of all the players.
Contents of the Game
- A. Game Board
- B. Pair of Dice
- C. 16 Tombstone Award Cards
- D. 4 Tombstone Award Symbols
- E. 32 Ghoul Star Symbols
- F. Creature Features Money
- G. 6 Player Tokens
- H. 16 Dead or Alive Cards
- I. 16 Monster Title Cards
- J. 32 Ghoul Agency Cards
Setting Up Play
Assemble the Game Board on a table and put the Ghoul Agency, Dead or Alive, and Tombstone Award cards on their places. The Board has 16 well-known Monster Movie productions pictured. Each has a given cost. Each player is given a plastic token.
Money: One of the players is chosen to be Banker. Each player gets $4,500,000 as follows:
- 1 — $1,000,000 bill
- 5 — 500,000 bills
- 7 — 100,000 bills
- 5 — $50,000 bills
- 5 — 10,000 bills
The rest of the money goes into the bank.
Rules and Method of Play (Advanced Game)
Note: Advanced Game Play is about 2 hours. There are three versions of Speed games for beginners which are shown after the advance game rules. See No. 5.
To Begin the Game
Each player rolls the dice. The one with the highest total starts the play. He places his token on the space with the green 6-fingered hand marked "Start". He rolls the dice and moves his token to the left the number of spaces indicated. Then the next player on the left takes his turn, and so on.
Note: Two or more tokens may rest on the same space.
Doubles: If the player rolls the dice "Doubles", he moves the indicated number of spaces. Then he has the choice of either going to the nearest Ghoul Agency or rolling the dice again. If he elects to roll the dice and rolls Doubles again, he has finished his turn and must move the number of spaces shown.
Spaces on the Game Board: The players of the game are entitled to do one of the following, depending on which space they land:
- A. Purchase a Monster Movie Production (See A below)
- B. Draw Ghoul Agency Cards (See B below)
- C. Draw a Tombstone Award Card (See C below)
- D. Draw a Dead or Alive Card (See D below)
A. Film Purchase
When a player lands on a Monster Movie Production not owned by another player, he may purchase that Production at its cost. He pays the Bank the price indicated and receives the Monster Title Card which lists the movie stars needed for the completion of the production. If the player declines to buy, the Banker then offers the Production for sale at auction and sells it to the highest bidder. The player who declined to buy may not participate in the bidding. Bidding must start at half the printed Production cost.
Owned Productions: When a player lands on a Monster Movie Production owned by another player, he must pay a Fee as penalty based on how many Ghoul Star Symbols and/or Tombstone Award Symbols are on that Production.
Note: These fees appear on each Monster Title Card.
Note: If the Production owner fails to ask for his Fee before his next throw of the dice, the Fee is forfeited.
B. Ghoul Agency (Buying Movie Star's Contract)
A player must own at least one Monster Movie Production before he can buy a star's "contract" (Ghoul Agency Card). He may do so when one of the following happens:
- He lands on any Ghoul Agency space.
- He rolls "doubles" and elects to go to nearest Ghoul Agency space.
- He lands on one of his own Productions. This entitles him to go to nearest Ghoul Agency space.
- He picks a Dead or Alive card which loans a star for a fee of $300,000.
When a player lands on a Ghoul Agency space, he picks three cards from the top of the Ghoul Agency pile. If one or more of the three cards are movie stars necessary to complete one of his Productions, he may buy only those contracts. If none of the three cards represents stars needed for his Productions, he may buy only one Ghoul Agency card for speculation. Any cards purchased are kept by the buyer.
IMPORTANT: Do not show these Ghoul Agency cards contracts to the other players until the purchase has been made. All unbought cards are returned to the bottom of the pile unseen.
To pay for the star's contract, the player lays the Ghoul Agency card face down on the board and rolls the dice. The cost of this card (contract) is paid to the Bank. Payment is based on $50,000 times the sum of the dice roll. Follow the chart below.
Ghoul Agency Multiplication Table
| Dice Total | Total Contract Price | Dice Total | Total Contract Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $100,000 | 7 | $350,000 |
| 3 | $150,000 | 8 | $400,000 |
| 4 | $200,000 | 9 | $450,000 |
| 5 | $250,000 | 10 | $500,000 |
| 6 | $300,000 | 11 | $550,000 |
| 12 | $600,000 |
If the player decides the cost of a card is too expensive, he does not have to buy that card. In this event he returns the unbought card to the bottom of the Ghoul Agency pile unseen.
Note: If the player is entitled to buy more than one of these cards for his Productions, each must be purchased separately by a new roll of the dice.
Ghoul Star Symbol: When a player buys a Ghoul Agency card that is needed for one of his Productions, he is given a Ghoul Star Symbol from the Bank which he places on the Production.
C. Tombstone Award Cards
In order for a player to be eligible for a Tombstone Award Card, he must own at least one completed Monster Movie Production with the two Ghoul Agency cards necessary for that production.
The three ways a player may get Tombstone Award cards are:
- By landing on a Tombstone Space.
- Landing on his own completed production.
- By receiving a special Dead or Alive card which sends him to a Tombstone Space.
The player takes the top Tombstone Award card and follows the instructions. The card is then returned to the bottom of the pile unless it is one of the Major Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor or Best Actress.
If the player receives one of these four Major Award cards, he keeps it permanently for the entire game and receives a Tombstone Award Symbol to place on his completed Production, the one nearest to the right of his playing token.
When another player lands on a film that has won a Major Award, he must pay to the owner $150,000 in addition to the regular fee as printed on the Monster Title Card.
D. Dead or Alive Cards
A player who lands on a Dead or Alive space takes the top card from that pile and follows the instructions. The card is then returned to the bottom of the pile.
Loaning of Stars: There are some Dead or Alive cards which loan a star for a fee of $300,000. This entitles the player to go immediately to the nearest Ghoul Agency space. He draws 3 cards from the top of the pile and may buy only one of them. The remaining 2 are returned to bottom of pile. He pays the money to the Bank. If he does not want to buy one of the cards, he returns all 3 to the bottom of the pile.
Awards: There are also Dead or Alive cards which entitle the player to go to the nearest Tombstone space. If player owns at least one Monster Movie Production, he picks a Tombstone Award card.
E. Selling & Trading Productions (Monster Title Cards), Ghoul Agency Cards & Tombstone Award Symbols
These may be sold back to the Bank at any time. The player receives the full original Production cost; $100,000 for each Ghoul Agency card, and $200,000 for each of the four Major Tombstone Award cards. A player may also trade or sell Productions (Monster Title Cards) and Stars (Ghoul Agency Cards) to another player any time during the game, making the best deal he can. Tombstone Award cards cannot be traded. They must be earned according to the rules.
F. Bankruptcy
A player may sell some of his productions (Monster Title cards) and stars (Ghoul Agency cards) to the Bank or to another player to help pay his debt. If he is unable to pay his debt, he is considered bankrupt and is out of the game. The Bank immediately auctions off all cards it has received from the bankrupt player.
Note: Tombstone Award cards may only be sold back to the Bank.
Winner: The last player in the game wins.
Rules for Speed Game Versions
Playing Time: Approximately one hour.
Speed Game #1
A. The 16 Monster Title Cards are shuffled by the Banker. If up to 4 people are playing, each gets 3 cards. If 5 or 6 people are playing, each receives 2 cards. The remaining cards are bought in the normal fashion.
B. When the player becomes eligible to buy Ghoul Agency cards as detailed in the regular rules, he may pick four cards from the top of the Ghoul Agency pile rather than the three.
C. The game then proceeds according to regular rules.
Speed Game #2 — Financial Success Winner
This game is played according to regular rules, but before starting, the players can set a money figure which will automatically make the first player to accumulate that amount the winner of the game. In determining this dollar amount, use the following chart:
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Cash | Face value |
| Monster Title Cards | Price paid (listed on each card) |
| Ghoul Agency Cards | $200,000 each |
| 4 Major Tombstone Award Cards | $300,000 each |
For example: The players may agree that the first one who accumulates $9,000,000 in wealth becomes the winner. This could be considered that he has doubled his original investment before anyone else.
Speed Game #3 — Time Limit Winner (One Hour)
When this time is reached, the wealth for each player is determined as in Speed Game #2, and the wealthiest player becomes the winner. The game is played according to regular rules.