Get Nuts Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Overview
• Detailed Rules
  • 1) Moving bulldozers
  • 2.1) Playing trick cards
  • 2.2) Moving the squirrel
  • 3) Discarding cards of your choice
  • 4) Drawing cards back up to 5
• Reaching the Goal
• Victory
• Trick Cards
  • Axe and Chainsaw
  • Bulldozer
  • Whirlwind
  • Divine Nut
  • Super Squirrel
  • "Stole!"
  • Sacred Tree
  • Leap of Faith
  • Peace Activist
  • Military Forces
  • Flamethrower
  • Thief!

Components

• 58 trick cards (red)
• 12 nut cards (green)
• 24 trail cards
• 6 double-sided wooden tokens (squirrel tokens)

Setup

1. Shuffle the red trick cards and place them face down in a stack where everyone can reach it.
2. Shuffle the green nut cards and place them face up in the centre of the table.
3. Each player builds a trail of 4 trail cards in their colour leading toward the nut deck: place one trail card face up in front of each player, then 3 more, laying the trail so that it leads to the nuts (see the example below).
4. Deal each player 5 starting trick cards as their hand.
5. Each player receives a squirrel token in their own unique colour (on its front side).

Example layout for 4 players (labelled areas in the printed rulebook): GAME DECK, NUTS, TRAIL, DISCARD, and HAND WITH 5 TRICK CARDS.

Overview

In Get Nuts, you must plot the best route through the trees and lead your squirrel along it as quickly as possible, trying to collect as many nuts as you can. The player who can hide the most forest nuts in their cheek goes first.

On your turn you must:

1. Move the bulldozers one card up your trail;
2. Play a trick card and/or move your squirrel;
3. Discard your hand (optional);
4. Draw cards back up to 5.

The game ends when the nuts in the deck run out. Each player counts the nuts they have collected, and the player with the most wins.

Detailed Rules

1) Moving bulldozers

If there are bulldozers on your trail, each of them moves forward one card. Bulldozers break or knock down the trees on the cards they reach. Each tree that a bulldozer reaches loses 2 points. If this brings a tree's points to 0 or less, immediately place that tree card in the discard pile. The bulldozer stays where it is.

After all bulldozers on your trail have moved, you may spend your 4 action points on your turn in two ways: by playing trick cards and/or by moving your squirrel.

2.1) Playing trick cards

With your 4 action points you may play trick cards (trees, sabotage, and special action cards). The number in the bottom right corner of a card shows how many action points it costs to play.

To build a path to the nuts for your squirrel, you must use tree cards (their strength is shown in the top left corner). To play one, place it face up next to any card of your trail that does not yet have a tree. Trees do not have to be placed in any order; they can go anywhere on the trail.

Be careful not to place a weak tree (with few points) in the path of a bulldozer, because it will be broken immediately.

Bulldozer example: At the start of the player's turn the bulldozer has been moved one card forward. A catastrophe occurs: the machine stops beside a weak tree (only 2 points). It easily knocks the tree down with its destructive force of -2 points, and as a result the squirrel hiding in that tree falls 2 cards down, onto the previous tree on the trail. The token is turned red side up to show the effect of the fall.

2.2) Moving the squirrel

For 1 action point a player may bring their squirrel into play (the token must lie player-colour side up), seating it on the first tree of their trail (the one closest to the player), provided the player has a tree on the first card from them.

Once a squirrel is on the trail, it may advance toward the nuts by one tree for 1 action point, but it may never move backward (except when it falls, described below). A squirrel cannot advance if the next card on the trail has no tree.

Players' objective is to do everything they can to stop other players' squirrels from reaching the nuts. If a player knocks down a tree on which another player's squirrel is sitting, the squirrel falls. The tree card is discarded together with all harmful trick cards attached to it (except the bulldozer), and the squirrel returns to the nearest available tree (toward the start of the trail, i.e. farther from the nuts). If there are no such trees, the squirrel returns to its player. When a squirrel falls, turn its token red side up to show that it has been hurt.

The next time the player wants to bring the squirrel back into play or move it, they must first spend one action point on healing, turning the token back to the player-colour side up.

3) Discarding cards of your choice

This action is optional. It may be used to free up your hand for new cards.

4) Drawing cards back up to 5

After this action is completed, the turn passes to the next player clockwise.

Reaching the Goal

When a squirrel reaches the last tree, the player may spend one action point to take the top nut card from the deck. They place the nut card face down beside themselves and take the squirrel back to their own supply. The player must spend one action point if they want to bring the squirrel back into play. They must also remove from their trail those tree cards whose total points (counting the effect of harmful cards placed beside them) equal or exceed the total number of nuts received. For example, a 3-nut card means the player discards one or more trees with a total of 3 or more points. If the player's trail holds sacred trees, they are discarded at once. This means a player cannot receive a nut card without "paying" for it with trees.

Victory

When the last nut ends up in someone's stash, players count their nuts (subtracting points for theft). The player with the most points wins. If scores are tied, the winner is the player with the greater total of tree points. If that is also tied, the winner is the player whose squirrel is closest to the nuts. If they are also at the same distance, the players sharing that position are all winners.

Trick Cards

Axe and Chainsaw

These two frequently found cards help players make the way harder for others by felling opponents' trees. Players simply play these cards next to an opponent's trees. If the destructive power of the card or cards equals or exceeds the total points of the tree card, the tree is considered felled and is discarded together with the axe or chainsaw that felled it.

Several axe and chainsaw cards may be played on one tree card.

Bulldozer

Place this card next to the first tree card on another player's trail. Unlike the stationary axes and chainsaws, this card moves at the start of each turn of the player whose trail the bulldozer is on. When a bulldozer appears next to a tree card, it reduces the tree's points by 2 in one turn. At the end of the trail, the bulldozer card is discarded.

Whirlwind

When a player uses a whirlwind card, they turn the nut deck face down, shuffle it, and place it face up again.

Divine Nut

This special nut cannot be stolen from another player's deck, but it is hard to obtain. When you draw a Divine Nut card, place it next to a tree on your trail. If the tree survives until it is discarded as payment for collected nuts, the Divine Nut goes into the player's stash and counts as 3 points. But if the tree is felled, both the tree and the Divine Nut are lost. A Divine Nut must never be placed next to a Sacred Tree!

Super Squirrel

During this turn, the player gains one additional action point.

"Stole!"

This card allows a player to steal any card from one of their opponents. It may be a nut from the stash or a card from the hand. A Divine Nut cannot be stolen from a stash. Players may shuffle their cards before anything is stolen from them.

Sacred Tree

This special tree cannot be damaged. It cannot be felled by an axe or chainsaw, knocked down by a bulldozer, or burned by a flamethrower. It may be placed on the trail like any other tree. It must be discarded as payment for received nuts first. If a player has several Sacred Trees, they must discard 1 Sacred Tree for a 2-point nut and 2 Sacred Trees for a 3-point nut.

Leap of Faith

This card allows the squirrel to safely jump over one missing tree card on the trail. It may also jump over a missing last card before the nuts, which lets the squirrel grab the nut. No extra action point is needed for the jump: it is included in the cost of playing the card.

Peace Activist

Place the activist next to a tree to protect it. It does not actually increase the tree's points, but it gives up its 2 points when any harmful card placed next to the tree takes effect. This card is discarded if the tree takes 2 points of damage.

Military Forces

This card may be used at any time to cancel a harmful card played on you, or to discard such a card already in play.

Flamethrower

The player against whom this card is played must choose and discard tree cards from their trail with a total of at least 4 points. If the player does not have enough points, they discard all of their trees.

Thief!

This card is part of the nut deck. The player who draws it must immediately play it on another player. The victim places this card face down in their nut stack. The negative value of this card lowers the victim's final point total. As with an ordinary nut card, this card must also be paid for with trees in proportion to its strength: -1 = 1 point of tree.