Ghosts of the Moor
Ghosts of the Moor Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents & Setup
- 1 Game Board: Place this in the middle of the table, within easy reach of all players. This depicts a track with a Start space at the beginning, and an End space at the end.
- 25 Explorer Pawns, in 5 colors. Each player should select a different color and take a number of pawns in their color based on the number of players. Return any leftover pawns to the box. Place all players' pawns on the Start space.
| Players | Pawns per Player |
|---|---|
| 2 | 5 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 3 |
| 5 | 2 |
- 1 Die: Give this to the player who was most recently cursed. That player will take the first turn of the game.
- 5 Goal Tokens, depicting the getaway vehicle. Stack these in numerical order, with the highest number on top and the lowest number on bottom. This stack of tokens should then be placed on the End space at the end of the track.
- 38 Square Path Tiles, consisting of: 25 lost treasures, 7 spooky ghosts, and 6 wooden planks.
- Lost Treasures: Bone, Axe, Coin, Mask, Urn.
- Give each player 1 wooden plank tile.
- Shuffle 1 wooden plank tile in with the ghosts and the lost treasures. If there are remaining wooden plank tiles, because you are playing with fewer than 5 players, return the extras to the box. They will not be used this game.
- Take the shuffled stack of 25 lost treasures, 1 wooden plank, and 7 ghosts, and deal them onto the board.
- Deal 2 tiles onto each of the 14 green spaces after the Start space.
- Deal 1 tile onto the next 5 brown spaces. Leave the remaining spaces empty for now.
- Note: Path tiles do NOT have to match the picture on the space they are dealt to.
- When there is more than one tile in a space, you may not look at the tile that is covered up.
Gameplay Overview
When it is your turn, roll the dice and move one of your explorer pawns that many spaces. If you just left a space containing a tile and no other pawns, you pick up the top tile from the space. If you left a space with NO tiles, you must discard a tile instead.
Then your turn ends - pass the dice to the next player in clockwise order around the table, who will take the next turn.
Continue until all explorer pawns have reached the End space on the board, at which time the player who has the most points worth of tiles will win!
Gameplay in Detail
On your turn, you will perform the following steps, in order:
- Roll the dice and move ANY ONE of your explorer pawns a number of spaces exactly equal to the value shown on the dice. All movement must progress along the track towards the End space of the track. Note: This can be any of your pawns that has not yet reached the End space.
- If you have a wooden plank tile and you are moving to a space that has no tile on it, you may (optionally) place the plank tile underneath your pawn on the space where you END your movement. Note: The wooden plank creates a bridge over that obstacle, so that you don't have to discard a tile when leaving a space without a tile. It is possible that another player will be in that space when you leave, so you may have to leave the plank behind - and someone else might be able to pick it up!
- If the pawn you just moved began the turn in a space containing one or more tiles AND no other explorer pawns (of any color), you MUST now take the top tile from that space. This tile is now yours until the end of the game or until you are forced to discard it. Place the tile in front of you, where everyone can see what you have. Note: This occurs after the option to lay down a wooden plank on your destination space. You can not pick up a wooden plank and set down the same plank in a single turn.
- If the pawn you just moved began the turn in a space containing NO tiles (regardless of how many other explorers were there), you must discard a tile matching the symbol on that space. If you do not have a tile with a matching symbol, you must either discard 1 ghost or any 2 other square path tiles which you have collected. The discarded tile(s) are placed on the space that is closest to the Start space on the track, and which does not already contain tiles or explorer pawns. Note: If you discard 2 tiles, place both tiles in the same space, stacked in the order of your choice. If you do not have a matching tile, a ghost tile, or 2 other tiles, then discard as many tiles as you can. Leaving the Start space does not cause you to discard a tile.
- If your pawn reaches or goes past the End space, that explorer has reached the end and escaped! Leave that explorer on the End space, it may not move any more for the rest of the game. If there are any Goal Tokens remaining on the End space, take the top one now. Once all of your explorer pawns have reached the End space, skip the rest of your turns. Note: It's possible to collect more than one Goal Token during the course of the game, and you can never discard Goal Tokens.
Movement Example 1
James, the yellow player, has rolled a 4. He chooses one of his explorers and moves it 4 spaces forward. After moving his pawn, James picks up the Urn tile from the otherwise unoccupied space he just left.
Movement Example 2
Later, James has rolled a 1, and is leaving a square with no tiles on it. The space depicts an Axe. He does not have an Axe tile, and so discards two other tiles to the empty space closest to the Start space.
Game End & Scoring
Once all explorer pawns belonging to ALL players have reached the End space the game is over. Total scores as follows:
- Score points equal to the value printed on any Goal Tokens acquired.
- Score points based on how many of the SAME type of treasure you have for EACH of the five types of treasure: Axe, Bone, Coin, Mask, Urn.
| Points Earned from Treasure | |
|---|---|
| 5 matching tiles | 15 points |
| 4 matching tiles | 10 points |
| 3 matching tiles | 6 points |
| 2 matching tiles | 3 points |
| 1 tile that doesn't match other tiles | 1 point |
- You lose points equal to the value printed on any Ghost tiles you have.
- Plank tiles are worth no points.
Scoring Example
James ends the game with 3 tiles that earn him 6 points, and 2 tiles earning an additional 3 points. Then he subtracts 4 points for holding a 4 point Ghost tile. His final score is 5 (6+3-4).
The Winner
After adding points for Goal Tokens and Treasures, and subtracting points for Ghosts, the player who has most points wins!
Ties
In the case of a tie, the tied player with the most wooden plank tiles wins. If still tied, the tied player who was latest in turn order wins.