Hungry Hamsters
Hungry Hamsters Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Place the die in reach and each take a pencil and a game sheet from the pad. The game sheets have a light (A) and a dark (B) side. Make sure that you are all playing with the same side. We recommend playing with the light side (A) for your first game. The dark side (B) uses an extra rule, which is explained later.
You all begin by circling the number next to a chamber of your choice. Then shuffle everyone's game sheets face down and deal them out again amongst you. The chamber marked with a circle on your new game sheet is your starting chamber. You must write the first roll of the game in this chamber.
Your burrow consists of 8 chambers, connected to each other through small tunnels. The number next to each chamber shows how many points it is worth at the end of the game if you fill all of its spaces with crosses. Some of the spaces also have hazelnuts and mushrooms in them. You score additional points at the end of the game for crossing these out.
Note your points on the scoring track along the bottom edge of your game sheet at the end of the game. We'll explain the round tracker and the 1s track above the scoring track later on.
How to Play
Roll the die exactly once each round. The roll always applies for all players. Then cross off as many spaces on your game sheet as the die result indicates. If you don't have enough space to do so, you cannot cross off any spaces at all. The following rules apply when crossing off spaces:
- All the spaces that you cross off on your game sheet using the roll must be connected, meaning either vertically or horizontally adjacent to each other. Diagonally adjacent spaces do not count as connected.
- You must enter the first die result of the game in your starting chamber.
Example: the players roll a 5 in the first round. Liz crosses off 5 spaces in her starting chamber.
- When crossing off any subsequent die result, it must be connected vertically or horizontally to at least 1 already crossed off space. Spaces that are connected by a tunnel also count as adjacent to each other.
- All the spaces that you cross off based on a single roll must be located in the same chamber.
Example: in the next round, the players roll a 6. Liz can't fit this many crosses in her starting chamber because she only has 5 free spaces left there, and she can't share the result over multiple chambers. The chamber above that, however, is connected to the starting chamber via a crossed-out space next to a tunnel. Liz crosses off 6 connected spaces in the upper chamber.
The 1s Track
If you roll a 1, decide individually how many spaces you want to cross off (0 to 7), following the above rules for crossing off. Colour in 1 circle on your 1s track for every space that you cross off in this way. You can only ever cross off as many spaces as you still have available on your 1s track. Once you've coloured in all the circles on your 1s track, you cannot cross off any more spaces when you roll a 1.
Example: the players have rolled a 1. Liz crosses off 3 connected spaces and colours in 3 circles on her 1s track.
Once everyone is finished crossing off, begin the next round and roll the die again. Cross off spaces again, as described above. Continue playing like this until the round tracker signals the end of the game.
The Round Tracker
You activate the round tracker in the bottom right of your game sheet if any player has crossed off spaces in at least 4 different chambers. You must all cross out the hourglass!
Starting in the next round, cross off a space on the round tracker every time you roll 4 or higher. You then use the die result to fill out your chambers as normal.
Example: the players have rolled a 4. Liz crosses off 4 spaces in the chamber to the right. This means that she has crosses in 4 different chambers in her burrow. Everyone must now cross out the hourglass, activating the round tracker. The players roll a 6 in the next round. Everyone must cross off the first space on their round tracker. Then all the players use the 6 to cross off spaces in their chambers, as normal.
End of the Game and Scoring
Once you have crossed off the last space, finish the current round, and then the game ends. You now score points for the following:
- Each chamber completely filled with crosses scores you points equal to the small number next to the chamber.
- You score no points for chambers that are not completely filled with crosses.
- Each crossed-off mushroom scores you 1 point.
- You also score points according to your number of crossed-off hazelnuts:
| Crossed-off hazelnuts | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 2 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
Example: Liz managed to fill 4 chambers in her burrow completely. This means she scores 6+6+7+5=24 points. Liz scores no points for the chambers she only started to fill. She also managed to cross off 2 hazelnuts. This means she scores another 4 points. The 6 mushrooms she crossed off score her a further 6 points. Liz's total comes to 34 points.
The player with the most points wins. If there's a tie, the tied players share the victory – we all have to stick together through the winter!
Side B
On side B, you use all the same rules as described above. However, this side also adds some holes to your chambers. Every time you cross off a hole on your game sheet, immediately cross off 1 other hole of your choice.
Solo Mode
If you're playing HUNGRY HAMSTERS on your own, use all the same rules. Decide on your starting chamber yourself. At the end of the game, compare your point total with the table below. How long will your supplies last?
| Points | Result |
|---|---|
| <22 | Not even 'til autumn… |
| 22–26 | Until the trees lose their leaves |
| 27–30 | Until you can see your breath |
| 31–33 | Until the first snow |
| 34–35 | Until the lakes freeze over |
| 36–37 | Into the depths of winter |
| 38–40 | Until the thaw |
| 41–44 | Until the birds sing again |
| 45–49 | Until spring |
| 50+ | With some left over for next winter! |