Elefant Hunt

Elefant Hunt Rulebook

Table of Contents

Inventory of Game Parts

Your Elefant Hunt game should contain the following parts:

1 Rules booklet (what you're reading)
135 Small square cardboard pieces (you must glue these down and cut them out yourself), consisting of:
- 24 Hunters (12 white, 12 native)
- 48 Wild animals
- 20 Player markers
- 33 Supply markers (various denominations)
- 5 Relic markers
- 5 Ivory markers
1 Playing map
Lots of six-sided dice, and a paper and pencil to keep score (you must provide this stuff).

The Playing Pieces

The playing pieces of Elefant Hunt are divided into five main types: player markers, hunters, wild animals, supply markers, and Relic and Ivory markers.

Player markers

Each player (any number from 2-5 can play) is given a set of four player markers. The colored marker is used to record the location of the player's hunting party on the playing map. The other markers are used, one at a time, to represent the player in his expedition. The number on each marker indicates the player's hunting ability. At the start, each player has a hunting ability of 1. As your expedition scores points, you may replace your marker with one of higher value.

Hunters

The number on each hunter marker indicates the hunter's value; the greater the number, the better the hunter. White hunters are printed in black ink, native hunters in red. It's nice to have native hunters in your expedition, because they consume less supplies than white hunters.

Wild animals

The number on each wild animal marker indicates the animal's value, and is also the number result you must get, when hunting, to capture the animal. Killer animals, identified by a red dot, will attack your expedition when they are discovered unless you capture them first.

Supplies

The numbered yellow counters represent supplies (food, clothing, ammunition, medical kits, etc.). Supply counters are kept in a bank beside the board. Players draw supply counters from the bank when they are eligible to do so, and return supplies to the bank as they are used up. If the bank runs out of supply counters, you can make more from bits of cardboard.

Relics and Ivory

When a player lands on the Elefant Graveyard, he takes an Ivory marker. When he lands in the Lost City, he takes a Relic marker. Ivory and Relics are worth a variable number of points upon their return to port, as determined by a roll of three dice.

Object of the Game

Each player is a big game hunter. Play starts in a port on the African coast, where each player must first hire other hunters and collect the supplies necessary for an expedition into the dangerous interior. When they feel that they are ready, the players set out with their men and equipment to hunt for wild game. A successful expedition will bring back lots of animals — alive. When a player's expedition returns to either port, he scores the point value of the captured animals. The first player to score 100 points is the winner.

Preparing for Play

Carefully remove the board and counter sheet from the center of this copy of DRAGON Magazine. Using a pair of scissors, cut the counter sheet away from the board, but do not cut out the pieces yet. Glue the counter sheet to a piece of card stock, or fasten it to the back of a piece of self-adhesive vinyl floor tile, and then cut out the pieces. If you don't glue the counters to something to make them thicker and heavier, you may find your game gone with the wind.

You will need a pencil and paper (for keeping score) and two clean, dry cups. The animals and hunters will be placed in the cups and drawn randomly during play. Finally, scrounge up some six-sided dice and you are ready to begin.

Setting Up

Back-fold the board so it will lie flat on the table. Sort out the hunters and the wild animals and place them into the cups. The Ivory and Relic markers and the supply markers are placed near the board for use during the game. Each player takes a set of player markers and places the one with the value of 1 in either Port Stanley or Port Livingston. (Stanley is better.) Any leftover sets of player markers are set aside and not used.

The players should elect one person to be the scorekeeper. Then everyone rolls two dice, and the player who rolls the highest number goes first.

Sequence of Play

Elefant Hunt is played in turns, with each player taking the appropriate actions during his own turn. Play proceeds clockwise around the table, one player at a time, until one player wins. On each turn a player is either in port or on the trail.

When in port, a player may do one of three things: (1) collect supplies (the amount for each port is indicated on the board); (2) hire a new hunter (draw from the hunter cup); or (3) leave the port by rolling one die and moving that number of spaces out onto the trail.

When on the trail, a player rolls one die, moves the amount indicated (clockwise around the board), and follows the instructions (if any) on the space in which he lands.

Player Markers

Each player has one board marker (colored) and three hunter markers. The board marker is used to mark your expedition's location on the board. One of your hunter markers is kept with your expedition. The others are kept in the bank with the Ivory, Relics, and supplies until they are needed.

You start the game as a hunter with a value of 1. As you capture animals and become an experienced hunter, your skill value will go up. At the start of the game, you use the piece with the 1 printed on it. Once you have captured and scored 33 points worth of animals, you may use your 3-point marker. When you have captured and scored 66 or more points worth of animals, you may use your 5-point marker.

The Expedition

While you are in port, you must organize your expedition into the interior. Your expedition consists of you (your current hunter marker), your hunters, your supplies, and, after you have been on the trail, the animals you have captured. Set aside an area on the table where you can organize the markers representing your current expedition. Any of your unused player markers are kept in the bank, away from your expedition.

Sample Expedition (illustration): Player marker; Hunters; Supplies; Captured animals.

Gathering Supplies

When you are in port, you may spend your turn gathering supplies for your expedition. You will need supplies to sustain your hunters while your expedition is on the trail. If you are in Port Stanley, you may take 4 supplies from the bank and put them in your expedition. If you are in Port Livingston, you may take 2 supplies from the bank and put them in your expedition. If you choose to gather supplies, you may not move or take any other action during your turn.

Hiring Hunters

While you are in port, you may spend your turn looking for a hunter to join your expedition. Without additional hunters to help you, you'll never win the game. If you are in either port, simply draw one piece from the cup containing available hunters (the hunter pool). Place the new hunter with your expedition. You may only draw one hunter per turn. If you choose to hire a hunter, you may not take any other action on your turn.

If the hunter pool is empty, no one can hire a hunter until someone either fires or loses a hunter. No player may have more than 10 hunters (in addition to himself) at one time.

Note: Although you may only hire one hunter per turn, and only when you are in port, you may fire one or more hunters at any time; simply return the hunter(s) you don't want to the pool. Firing hunters does not count as your action for a turn. If you want to fire hunters while on the trail, you must do so before you roll the die for movement.

Movement

Once you feel your expedition has enough supplies and hunters, you should hit the trail. You may not hire hunters or gather supplies on the turn that you leave port.

To move out of port, roll one die. Move your board marker out onto the trail and then clockwise along the trail the number of spaces indicated by the die. You must move the full amount rolled unless you want to enter a port you have reached, or until you come to the first intersection on the trail.

As you travel along the trail, you will come to two places where the trail continues in two directions. At the first intersection (Albert Falls) you must stop, no matter what you rolled, and wait till your next turn. On your next turn, roll the die and then choose which path you wish to take. If you are low on supplies or don't have many hunters, you'll probably want to take the shorter trail.

You don't stop when you reach the second intersection. The path you take is determined by what you rolled on the movement die. If you are moving on an even-numbered roll, you must take the outside track toward the Elefant Graveyard. If you rolled an odd number, you must head for the Lost City.

Remember, all movement along the trail must be in a clockwise direction. Where trails come together, you must follow the arrows. If you begin your turn on the space adjacent to a port (one with a two-way arrow), you may either head on along the trail or enter the port.

Hazards and Rewards

After each move, you will land on one of several different types of spaces. Some are hazards, and some are hunting areas. The following sections explain what you must do.

River crossings

If you end your move on a river crossing space, you must roll one die. If the result is a 6, you must lose one animal, chosen randomly from those you have captured. If you have no animals you must lose 1 supply. A lost animal is returned to the cup. Lost supplies are returned to the bank.

Swamps

If you end your move in a swamp, you must lose one animal, chosen randomly from those you have captured. If you have no animals, you must lose 1 supply.

Quicksand

If you end your move in a quicksand space, roll one die. If the result is an even number, nothing happens. If the result is an odd number, you must lose one of your hunters (chosen randomly). If you have no hunters, you lose 1 supply.

Lost!

If you end your move in the Lost! space, you must roll one die and move backward along the outside trail the number of spaces indicated by the die.

The Elefant Graveyard

If you end your move in the Elefant Graveyard, you must lose one elefant. If you have no elefant to lose, there is no penalty. Whether you lose an elefant or not, you may take one Ivory marker from the bank and place it with your expedition. Ivory is worth points when you return to port.

The Lost City

If you end your move in the Lost City, you must lose one of your hunters (chosen randomly). If you have no hunters, there is no penalty. Whether you lose a hunter or not, you may take one Relic marker from the bank and place it with your expedition. Relics are worth points when you return to port.

Empty spaces

If you end your move in an empty space, your hunters camp overnight and consume supplies. (Albert Falls and the even-odd space are considered empty spaces, even though they have words in them.) Each white hunter, including yourself, uses 1 supply. Every two native hunters use 1 supply between them (round fractions up). Used supplies are returned to the bank. (You may make change.)

If you do not have enough supplies to pay for all your hunters, you lose each hunter that is not supplied. You may decide which hunters are lost (returned to the hunter pool). You may not fire hunters at this time to keep from having to pay supplies for them. While on the trail, you may only fire hunters before you roll the die to move.

If you have any captured animals, you may use them for food, using the animal's point value as its supply value. However, if your expedition eats an animal, you get no change from the bank if you don't eat the whole thing — and you can't take it with you.

There is no penalty for not being able to supply yourself, but the only time you may go without supplies is after all your hunters are lost.

Hunting spaces

If you end your turn on a hunting space, you have reached an area where game is plentiful. You must draw a number of markers from the animal cup equal to the number printed on the hunting space. Place these animal counters face up near your expedition.

Next, place your hunters adjacent to the animals you wish to try to capture. Several hunters may team up against one animal to increase your chances of capturing that one, but each hunter can only fight one animal during a turn. Each killer animal (marked with a red dot) that you do not capture is going to kill one of your hunters.

Once you have your hunters arranged the way you want against the animals, you are ready to resolve the hunt. First, you must return to the cup any non-killer animals that have no hunters adjacent to them. (These are the ones that got away.)

Now check to see if your hunters (and yourself) succeed in capturing any animals. Resolve each hunting situation (animal vs. hunter or hunters) one at a time. Total the hunting value of the hunters teamed up against the animal and roll one die. If the die roll is a 1, the animal gets away. If the die roll is 2 or more, add that result to the total hunting value of the hunters against that animal. If this total equals or exceeds the point value of the animal, it is captured. If the total is less than the animal's value, the animal gets away.

After all hunting situations are resolved, each killer animal that was not captured kills one of your hunters (your choice). If you have run out of hunters except for yourself, nothing happens. (You cannot be killed.)

Any animals that you captured are kept with your expedition. Any animals that get away are returned to the cup.

Scoring

Each time you enter either port with captured animals, Ivory, or Relics, the scorekeeper adds these points to your total. All animals are worth their printed point value. The value of each Relic and piece of Ivory is determined by totalling the roll of three dice. Once they are scored, animals are returned to the cup, and Ivory and Relics go back to the bank.

As soon as a player is in port and has scored 33 or more points, he may use his 3-point hunter marker. When a player reaches port and has scored 66 points or more, he may use his 5-point hunter marker. When a player is in port and has scored a total of 100 or more points, he wins the game!

Optional Rules

The following rules may be added at your discretion:

THE APE MAN: If you have captured the ape man, you may strike a bargain with him. If you release all your captured animals, he will go to another expedition of your choice and release all of that expedition's captured animals. Released animals are returned to the cup. The ape man will then return to your expedition.

HURRY HOME: Once you have captured as many animals as you want on your current expedition, you may speed your trip home by not hunting. If you land on a hunting space, you may choose to treat it as though it were a blank space (consume supplies). You may then roll the die and move again. Note: You may only roll again if you land on a hunting space and do not hunt.

Inventory of Game Pieces

Wild animals

No. of pcs.	Name	Point value
1	Mad Mom	16
1	Ape Man	14
1	Eagle	12
12	Elefant	10
1	Cheetah	10
3	Hippo	9
3	Lion	9
2	Rhino	9
2	Gorilla

Player markers

The sets of player markers are for Bill, Erik, Jack, Osgood, and Paula. Each set contains three expedition markers (1, 3, and 5 point hunting values) and a board marker (unnumbered), for a total of 20 pieces.

White hunters

Name	Value
Ned Net	4
Smudly	3
Tom Trap	3
Bill Brute	2
Binoc Bill	2
Colonel	2
Frenchy	2
Sam Smyle	2
Lliam	1
Louie	1
Otto	1
Pistol Pete	1

Native hunters

Name	Value
Aubrey	5
Percy	4
Amos	3
Ed Oop	3
Firemon	3
Zartan	3
Chief	2
Rongwae	2
Yessir	2
Fritz	1
Sleepy	1
Twoleft	1

Supply markers, Relics and Ivory

You can make more of these if you lose some or just need some more to keep the bank stocked. The 33 supply markers in the game include two 10s, two 8s, four 6s, six 4s, eight 2s, and eleven 1s. There are five Ivory markers and five Relic markers.

Summary of Board Spaces

RIVER CROSSING: Roll a die; on a 6, lose one random animal. If you have no animals, lose 1 supply.
SWAMP: Lose one random animal. If you have no animals, lose 1 supply.
QUICKSAND: Roll a die; on a 1, 3, or 5, lose one random hunter. If you have no hunters, lose 1 supply.
LOST!: Roll a die; immediately move backward along the trail that number of spaces.
ELEFANT GRAVEYARD: Lose one elefant, if you have any to lose. Take one Ivory marker for your expedition.
THE LOST CITY: Lose one random hunter, if you have any to lose. Take one Relic marker for your expedition.
EMPTY SPACE: Consume supplies, 1 for each white hunter (including you) and 1 for each two native hunters in your expedition.
HUNTING SPACE: This is what you came for. Pick the indicated number of animals from the cup and hunt away.
ALBERT FALLS: Stop without passing through this space and wait until your next turn, then choose which way you want to go.
EVEN/ODD: If your move started on or before this space, follow the proper path depending on what your movement roll was for the turn you're about to take.
PORT LIVINGSTON and PORT STANLEY: You can stop off at either place (exact roll not needed) to score captured animals, gather supplies, and hire hunters.