Echidna Shuffle
Echidna Shuffle Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 12 Echidnas
- 18 Bugs: 3 Red Ladybugs, 3 Orange Butterflies, 3 Blue Ants, 3 Yellow Bees, 3 Green Grasshoppers, 3 Purple Beetles
- 18 Stumps (3 each in 6 colors)
- 1 Die (2-7)
- 25 Move Tokens
- 6 Pick-up Markers
- 6 Number Markers
- 1 Number Board (two-sided)
- 1 Game Board (two-sided)
Object of the Game
Roll the die and move any echidnas, picking up bugs of your color from your pick-up space. Drop off a bug when it reaches a stump of the same color. Be the first to deliver all three bugs and win the game.
Setting Up
Place the Game Board on the table, with either the Forest or Snow side up. Place all twelve echidnas on the Game Board, in random spaces, with only one echidna on each space. Place the Number Board next to the game board, with the matching side face-up, and keep the die nearby. If you are not playing with Variant 1 or 2, leave the Move Tokens in the box.
Each player chooses a color and takes the three bugs, three stumps, a pick-up marker, and a number marker of this color. Choose a start player. In reverse order (last player to first), each player chooses a pick-up space, and marks it with his pick-up marker. You may not choose a space with an echidna, or a space where another player has placed a marker. This will be your pick-up space for the rest of the game.
Hand your three stumps to the player on your left, who will place them on the board. All players place stumps at the same time. They may go on any board spaces, even spaces with pickup markers, echidnas, or another player's stumps. You may not put two stumps of the same color on the same space. Once all stumps have been placed, place your number marker beside the number board, near the top row of numbers. Hand the die to the first player, and GO!
How to Play
How to Move
On your first turn, roll the die and put your number marker on the number you rolled, at the top of the number board. Then make that number of moves. On your next turn, instead of rolling the die, slide your number marker to the connected number at the bottom of the number board, and make that number of moves. (See example.) Then remove your marker from the number board. Keep playing this way, alternating between rolling the die and placing your marker, and sliding your marker to the lower number (without rolling), until the game is over.
NOTE: If the players don't want to use the Number Board, try using Variant Rule 4: Roll Every Turn.
You MUST make all the moves you are allowed. Each move advances one echidna forward one space, following the arrows. You may move any echidna, whether it's carrying your bug, another player's bug, or no bug at all. You may move the same echidna several times, or you may move a combination of different echidnas. You may never move an echidna onto a space with another echidna, and echidnas may not move through or jump over other echidnas. If there is an echidna in your way, you must move it out of your way.
How come Betsy Butterfly gets seven moves, when I only got three? — Because Betsy rolled a seven, and you rolled a three.
But that's not fair! — Don't worry. Next time you'll have six moves and she'll only have two.
Really? — Yep.
All right!
EXAMPLE: Gregory Grasshopper rolled a three last turn. This turn he doesn't roll the die. Instead, he moves his number marker down to the six. He makes six moves this turn.
How to Pick Up a Bug
On your turn, if an empty echidna (carrying no bug) is on your pick-up space, you may put one of your bugs on that echidna. Each echidna can only carry one bug at a time.
SPECIAL RULE: In a 5- or 6-player game, your bugs may only ride two echidnas at a time. If two of your bugs are already being carried by echidnas, you must drop off one of them before you may pick up your third bug. In a 2-, 3- or 4-player game, all three of your bugs can be riding echidnas.
NOTE: You may only pick up bugs on your own turn. Picking up a bug is a free action; it does not use up one of your move points.
How to Drop Off a Bug
If an echidna steps onto a space with a stump, and it is carrying a bug of the same color, that bug will immediately hop off the echidna onto the stump. That bug is now home! Remove the bug and the stump from the board. If all three of your bugs are home, you win the game!
An echidna will deliver a bug to its home even if it is someone else's turn. This means you can win the game on someone else's turn.
Game End
The first player who delivers all three bugs home, wins the game.
Snow Board
On the back of the Forest Board is a second board, which can add variety to your game. The game is played the same on the Snow Board, but take note of the following:
- The six spaces in the center of the board are connected to the spaces on their left and right by double arrows. You may move an echidna from one of these spaces to either adjacent space.
- Be very careful to follow the arrows. The flow of movement is not in a circle, as it is on the Forest Board.
Variants
1) Catch-Up Tokens
Use this variant to help remove turn order advantage.
Before the game begins, give one Move Token to the second player, 2 Tokens to the third player, 3 Tokens to the fourth player, 4 Tokens to the fifth player, and 5 Tokens to the sixth player. The player who goes first gets no Tokens. On your turn, you may spend one or more Move Tokens to get extra moves: One extra move for each Move Token you spend. Once a Token is used, it is out of the game. (Unless you are also playing with the Home Stretch Tokens variant.)
2) Home Stretch Tokens
Use this variant to speed up the end game.
As soon as a player has only one stump left on the board, that player is in the Home Stretch. When you are in the Home Stretch, every time another player moves an echidna carrying your bug, you gain one Move Token, up to a maximum of four Tokens. You may spend Tokens for extra moves, just as in the Catch-Up Tokens variant above.
3) Extra Bugs
Another variant to speed up the end game.
During the game, when you deliver a bug, the bug and stump come off the board, as usual. Remove the bug from the stump, and it may be picked up again. The game ends when a player removes their third stump from the board, even if that player still has bugs being carried.
NOTE: In a 5-player or 6-player game, you may still have no more than 2 bugs being carried by echidnas at the same time. (If it will help, have everyone throw their third bug back in the game box.)
4) Roll Every Turn
To simplify the game, you can leave the number board and the number markers in the box when you set up. Then every turn you will roll the die to move.