Elf: Snowball Showdown
Elf: Snowball Showdown Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object
You've joined Buddy the Elf and his friends for a snowball fight in Central Park! Knock players out of the game by scoring three hits against them. The last player standing wins!
Set Up
- Shuffle all the Snowball cards face-down into a large pile.
- Place the Hit cards and the Snowball die nearby.
- Leave room for a Discard pile.
- Each player draws four Snowball cards. Keep them hidden from your opponents.
The youngest player takes the Thrower Token and goes first.
How to Play
Players take turns throwing snowballs at each other. On your turn, you are the Thrower, and will choose a player to throw snowballs at. The Defender may try to Dodge or Counter. A turn proceeds as follows:
1. Thrower: Play Snowball Cards
The Thrower chooses one or more Snowball cards of the same color OR one Buddy card from their hand and places the chosen card(s) in front of another player – the Defender.
2. Defender: Roll the Snowball Die
Whenever a player becomes the Defender, they must immediately roll the Snowball die and check the result:
- Dodge Left or Dodge Right: Defender Dodges! The player to their left or right becomes the new Defender. They now roll the Snowball die. Play continues until one player receives a Hit card or the snowball is blocked.
- Draw 1 or Draw 2: Defender Draws! Take the number of cards shown from the draw pile into your hand. Now the Defender may Dodge or Counter.
3. Defender: Dodge, Counter, or Take a Hit
Dodge: To Dodge, the Defender must play a Buddy card. The player to their left or right (indicated on the card) will become the new Defender.
Example: The Defender plays a Buddy card. The player to their right is now the Defender. The new Defender starts at step 2.
Counter: If the Defender has cards that match the color of the Thrower's cards with an equal or higher number of snowballs, they can Counter. If the total number of snowballs on the Defender's cards are:
- Equal to the Thrower's snowballs, the hit is Blocked. No one takes a Hit card this turn.
- Higher than the Thrower's snowballs, the Thrower takes a Hit card. This cannot be Dodged or Thrown back!
Take a Hit: If the Defender is unable or unwilling to Dodge or Counter, they must take a Hit card.
4. End of Turn
Place all cards played this turn into the Discard pile. The current Thrower passes the Thrower Token clockwise to the next player, who will be the new Thrower.
Note: The Thrower cannot defend against their own snowball. If a Dodged snowball returns to them, the Thrower does not roll the Snowball die and MUST take a Hit card.
Getting Knocked Down
When a player receives their third Hit card, they are knocked down and must immediately discard their hand. Knocked down players cannot win the game, but on their turn they draw one card and may choose either to give it to a player still standing, or to discard it.
Wild Cards
Cards with all four colors are wild. They can be played by the Thrower or the Defender and may be played alone or with other cards. If played alone, the player must state what color the card is.
Wild Cards cannot be played in place of Buddy cards.
Ending the Game
The last player left standing wins the snowball fight!
Two Players Standing: If only two players are left in the game, a Dodge simply blocks any thrown cards (Elf Cards and Snowball Cards), and the turn ends.
No Cards in Hand: If a player's hand is ever empty, they draw two cards from the draw pile.
No Cards to Draw: If the center pile is ever empty, shuffle the discard pile to create a new draw pile.
Components
Contents: 46 Snowball cards, 12 Hit cards, 1 Snowball die, 1 Thrower Token, Instructions.