Gold Connection
Gold Connection Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Aim of the Game
Whoever collects the most, and the most valuable, gold bars at the end of the game wins. Complete 5- and 6-series earn extra bonus points.
Materials
- Game board
- 84 gold bars (per color: 6x1, 5x2, 4x3, 3x4, 2x5, 1x6)
- 4 transport cases
- 4 robber stones
- 4 arrows
- 20 consolation chips
- 2 dice
- 1 turn marker
A short explanation for those who have already played the game is on the last section ("Short Rules").
Preparation
The board shows a bank vault with 14 safes. Each safe is a playing space. Most safes are numbered. The numbering is used only for the starting placement of the robber stones. The wall is used as a turn counter. It shows how many turns remain to empty the safes. Each player moves the turn marker at the start of his turn.
Then all 84 gold bars are distributed randomly over all safes (also those without a number). 6 gold bars are placed in each safe.
The 20 consolation chips are placed beside the board.
Each player receives a transport case, a robber stone and an arrow of the same color. The transport case is placed on the table in front of the player and consists of:
- a deposit compartment (on the lid of the case), where the gold bars collected during the turn are placed;
- numbered spaces in four colors, on which the gold bars are placed at the end of the turn. Per color, three series (of 4, 5 and 6 gold bars) can be collected. With four players the row of 4 is not used!
The starting spaces for the robber stones are determined by rolling the two dice. The player can choose whether to take the value of one of the dice or of both dice together. The oldest player begins and places his robber stone on the safe with the rolled number. Only one robber stone may stand on each safe. If the rolled space is already occupied, the player must keep rolling until he can stand on a free space.
The player standing on the safe with the highest value is the first to lay his arrow on his robber stone; the others follow clockwise. The arrow indicates the direction in which one will move in his first turn. One may not cross the walls.
The player who stands on the safe with the highest value begins and places the turn marker on the first space of the turn counter. He may start first; the others follow clockwise.
Course of the Game
Each player moves his arrow across the board to take gold bars from the safes and to take gold bars from other players. It is important that the gold bars are placed in the case by color and in ascending order.
With every action the dice determine whether the action succeeds. The longer the route and the more valuable the loot, the higher the number of pips one must roll.
If the dice roll succeeds, the player decides himself whether he continues, in order to collect still more gold bars in the same turn. Only when the player voluntarily decides to stop may he place the gold bars lying in his deposit compartment into his transport case.
If the dice roll fails, the collected gold bars from his deposit compartment go back to the safe where the arrow lies. The arrow returns to its starting point, the robber stone.
Whoever takes risks and has some luck can collect many gold bars during one turn.
Moving
The player whose turn it is moves the turn marker one space (the starting player places the marker on the first space).
Then he moves his arrow one or more spaces further. The robber stone stays where it is. Each player decides himself how far he moves. The arrow is always moved in the direction the arrow was pointing: one may not turn around. Only on the unnumbered safes (at the ends of the central corridor) can one choose between two directions. The arrow may pass every safe, even one where another player already stands. One cannot, however, jump over the walls.
Emptying Safes
A player whose arrow is on a space where no foreign robber stone stands can empty this safe. The player indicates which gold bars he wants to collect by sliding them beside the safe. He can take as many gold bars as he wants; they may be of different colors.
Game tip: At the end of the turn the gold bars are laid in the transport case in ascending order and by color. It therefore makes no sense to collect gold bars of high value at the beginning of the game.
The player takes the gold bars he wants to collect, lays them beside the safe and rolls the two dice:
- he counts the steps his arrow has been moved in this turn;
- and adds to it the numbers of the gold bars.
The sum must be reached or exceeded with the two dice.
Example 1: A player moves his arrow two spaces and takes the blue bars 2 and 3 from the safes. To succeed he must therefore roll at least 7 (2+2+3).
If it succeeds, the selected gold bars remain lying beside the safe (they may not yet be laid on the numbered spaces!). Then he can:
- end his turn and place the gold bars on the numbered spaces;
- or continue his turn, lay the gold bars in his deposit compartment and move his arrow further to collect still more gold bars.
If it fails, the player must put all gold bars lying beside the safe back on the board. The gold bars are laid in the safe where the arrow is. Then the arrow is put back on the robber stone. The turn is over and the next player is to play.
Continuing the Turn
If, after a successful dice roll, the player decides to continue, he again moves his arrow one or more spaces. This raises the number of pips he must roll to succeed; one must always count the complete distance between the arrow and the robber stone!
Example 2: After the roll in the first example succeeded, the player moves his arrow one space further. He takes the blue 1 and the yellow 1 from the next safe. This time he must roll at least 5 (3+1+1), because he already moved two spaces in the same turn.
Ending the Turn
After a successful dice roll the player can end his turn voluntarily:
- he takes his robber stone from the starting space and places it on the space of the arrow; the arrow is laid on top of the stone;
- then he sorts the gold bars lying beside the safe or in his deposit compartment in ascending order onto the numbered and colored spaces.
In his turn one can decide not to take any gold bars from a safe. One may do this only if no other player stands on the same space. In this case the player must still roll the dice; he must only roll the number of pips needed for moving his robber stone. If he does not succeed, he must put the gold bars lying beside the safe or in his deposit compartment back on the board and put the arrow back on the robber stone.
Sorting Gold Bars
A player who voluntarily ends his turn sorts the gold bars from his deposit compartment by color and lays them on the numbered spaces in his transport case.
As a reminder: with four players the rows of 4 stay empty.
The series are collected in ascending order. First the gold bars of value 1 are laid, then value 2, etc. If a player cannot lay down gold bars because a number is missing, these gold bars go back to the board (into the safe where the robber stone and arrow stand). The deposit compartment must be emptied completely.
Example 3: A player has obtained the green gold bars 1, 3, 3 and 4. From an earlier turn he has already collected the green 1 and 2. He can complete the green row with 3 and 4. With the green gold bar 1 he starts a new row. The second gold bar 3 he cannot lay down, since he has no 2. He puts the 3 back on the board.
Game tip: When placing the gold bars each player must decide in which row he lays them. For a complete 5-series one receives 5 at the end, for a 6-row 10 bonus points. The 6-series is of course harder to complete than a 5-series, since of the 6 there is only one gold bar per color. If at the end of the game only 5 gold bars lie in a 6-series, one gets no bonus points. Moving the gold bars in the transport case is never allowed: "touched is played" (the table sticks).
Consolation Chips
Each time a player's dice roll fails, he receives two consolation chips. One may, however, hold a maximum of 5 chips, so if the player already has 4 chips, he receives only 1 more.
Whoever has chips can use as many of them as he wants to improve his dice roll. 1 chip counts as 1 extra pip on the dice. Using the chips does not have to be declared before rolling the dice. Used chips go back to the supply. Whoever makes a dice roll succeed by using chips cannot receive new consolation chips because he rolled so low. Players can thus also use their chips to gamble on a dice roll of more than 12.
Plundering Foreign Transport Cases
Whoever has collected at least 10 gold bars in his case arouses jealousy among the other robbers. The player whose turn it is can, if he wants, place his arrow on the robber stone of such a player and steal gold bars from his opponent. The opponent cannot resist this.
Plundering works just like emptying the safes. The player says which gold bars he wants to take from the transport case and lays them in the deposit compartment of the attacked player. The number rows are plundered from top to bottom (the highest number in the 4-, 5- or 6-series first).
Example 4: From the 6-series, gold bar 4 must be taken first; from the 5-series, gold bar 2 must be taken first. The player can also take several gold bars from one row. The indicated gold bars go into the deposit compartment of the case of the attacked player. Then the dice are rolled to determine whether the robbery succeeded.
If the dice roll succeeds, the player must continue his turn and move his arrow further. He may not end his turn on this space and may not try to steal gold bars from this safe.
If the roll fails, the player who is being robbed receives two consolation chips from the supply, and puts the gold bars from his deposit compartment back on the numbered spaces; he must put the bars back in the same places as before! The player whose turn it was must put all the gold bars from his deposit compartment back into the safe where his arrow stands. Then he puts his arrow back on his robber stone.
Game tip: Whoever robs a foreign transport case must take to his heels and run as far away as possible. He can be sure that the robbed player will want his stolen gold bars back if his arrow points in the same direction!
End of the Game and Scoring
The game ends when the turn marker reaches the last space. The player who placed it there still has his last turn.
Then the points are counted. Each player counts his points:
- add up the numbers of the gold bars;
- and add 5 bonus points for each complete 5-series and 10 bonus points for each complete 6-series.
Whoever reaches the highest score wins. In case of a tie, the one with the most consolation chips wins; if it is still tied, there are two winners.
Any Questions?
- The player whose turn it is must move his arrow at least one space. He may not stay standing. He also may not take gold bars from the safe where he begins his turn.
- Whoever ends his turn on an unnumbered space must determine, when laying the arrow, in which direction he will move the next turn. He must clearly place the arrow in a particular direction.
- Whoever had bad luck on his dice roll and rolled a smaller number than needed must put his arrow back on his robber stone, and may not change the original direction.
- Safes occupied by the robber stone and arrow of another player may not be plundered.
- It is also forbidden to plunder a safe or a foreign transport case twice in the same turn.
- The turn marker is moved only when a player's turn begins, and not when he continues his turn.
- Whoever possesses at least 10 gold bars can be robbed by the other players. When plundering opponents' transport cases, a player can take as many gold bars as he wants; the number of gold bars may even go below 10.
Variant
One can agree beforehand to determine the moment the game ends differently than with the turn marker. The game ends when a player has two (6-series) or three (5-series) complete rows. With this variant each player must keep an eye on the other players' transport cases. It can therefore happen that the player who ends the game is not the winner!
Short Rules
Aim of the game: Collect the most and the most valuable gold bars.
Preparation
- Mix the gold bars and place 6 gold bars in each safe.
- Place the consolation chips beside the board.
- Each player receives a transport case, robber stone and arrow of the same color.
- Determine the starting spaces of the robber stones with the two dice (only one robber stone per space).
- Lay the arrow on the robber stone (the arrow direction is the direction of movement).
- The player on the safe with the highest value begins.
- With 4 players the 4-series is not used.
Course of play
Movement
- Move the turn marker one space (the starting player places the marker on the first space).
- Move the arrow one or more places in the arrow direction.
Plundering safes
This can only be done in a safe where no other robber stone stands.
Procedure:
- select gold bars and lay them beside the safe;
- roll the dice. The sum of the pips must be at least as high as the total of the number of steps and the value of the gold bars;
- if the roll succeeds: place the bars in the deposit compartment; end the turn or continue the turn;
- if the roll fails: put the gold bars from the deposit compartment back in the safe where the arrow lies; put the arrow back on the robber stone, in the direction it pointed; take two consolation chips (maximum of 5).
Continuing the turn
- Move the arrow one or more spaces forward again;
- and possibly plunder other gold bars.
One may do these actions only if no other player stands on the same space.
Ending the turn
- After a successful roll: lay the robber stone under the arrow; lay the gold bars from the deposit compartment in the transport case.
- Ending the turn without collecting gold bars: only on a space where no other player is present; the dice roll must be enough to make the move.
Sorting gold bars
- Only allowed when the turn was ended voluntarily.
- Lay gold bars from the deposit compartment by color on the numbered spaces.
- Rows must be completed in ascending order.
- Gold bars that do not fit in the ascending order go back to the board.
Consolation chips
- If the turn fails, the player receives two consolation chips.
- A player may have a maximum of 5 consolation chips.
- Consolation chips improve the dice roll: 1 chip = 1 point.
Plundering opponents' transport cases
Whoever has at least 10 gold bars can be robbed:
- the arrow is laid on a foreign robber stone;
- take gold bars from the foreign transport case and lay them in the deposit compartment of that foreign transport case (the rows must be plundered from top to bottom);
- roll the dice.
- If the roll succeeds: collect the gold bars and continue the turn (ending the turn here is not allowed!).
- If the roll fails: the robbed player receives two consolation chips and puts the stolen gold bars (from his deposit compartment) back on the numbered spaces. The player whose turn it is must put the gold bars in his own deposit compartment back on the space where his arrow stands. He puts his arrow back on his robber stone.
End of the game and scoring
The game ends when a player places the turn marker on space 36 and then plays out his turn.
Scoring:
- Add up the numbers of the gold bars in the transport cases;
- plus 5 bonus points per complete 5-series;
- plus 10 bonus points per complete 6-series.
On a tie, the one with the most consolation chips wins. If still tied, there are two winners.