Kalle Kanalratte
Kalle Kanalratte Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Idea
The aim is to collect the most pieces of cheese.
The game consists of several rounds. Each round a different player takes on the role of Ragged Rat Rascal. The other players are the policemen and try to catch Raggedy Rat. They need good memory skills and have to proceed systematically as Raggedy Rat constantly changes her hiding place. Whoever catches Raggedy Rat gets a piece of cheese as a reward. If Raggedy Rat remains undercover, she gets the cheese.
Preparation of the Game
The player with the sharpest teeth is Raggedy Rat first. If you can not agree, the oldest player plays Raggedy Rat and starts the game.
There are 17 different gully cards. Each of the 17 gully cards shows a lid on one side and a picture of sewer animal on the other. One of these 17 cards has a picture of Raggedy Rat. The starting player takes the card showing Raggedy Rat.
The remaining 16 cards are arranged in the center of the table into a square of 4 x 4 cards.
Get the pieces of cheese and the mouse guard ready.
How To Play
The starting player asks the other players to close their eyes. He then swaps any of the 16 gully cards on the table with the Raggedy Rat gully card. This has to be done as quietly and carefully as possible so that nobody notices which card has been swapped.
Then the starting player shouts: "Nobody can find Raggedy Rat!" and the other players open their eyes.
Moving the mouse guard
Now any one of the other players takes the guard and places it on one of the 16 gully cards.
Then the player on the left of the starting player starts searching for Raggedy Rat, by moving the guard one card in any direction; horizontally, vertically or diagonally. The guard can only be moved to an adjacent card; it may never jump over a gully card.
The player who moved the guard card, then flips over the card on which the guard is standing and looks at it.
Which card is it?
- Ragged Rat Rascal? Gotcha! Raggedy Rat's hide and seek is over. As a reward the finder takes a piece of cheese and the round is finished.
- Another sewer dweller? Way off! Raggedy Rat looks very different! The gully card remains face up and the mouse guard is once again placed on top.
Now it's the turn of the starting player again.
The turn of the starting player
The starting player can swap any two gully cards which are horizontally, vertically or diagonally adjacent, except for the card with the guard.
Tactical hints for swapping:
- The starting player should always remember where Raggedy Rat is hiding as it may be that Raggedy Rat isn't found at all. In this case the starting player only gets a piece of cheese if the location of Raggedy Rat is remembered.
- Raggedy Rat does not necessarily have to be swapped. It might even be helpful to swap other cards in order to confuse the other players.
- Swapping cards is a good opportunity to escape from the guard if the guard has come too close to Raggedy Rat.
- You can also swap a gully card that is face up with one that is face down.
- When swapping, the starting player has to take care that the other players don't see what is shown on the gully cards.
Then it's the turn of the next player, following on from the one who just moved the guard and changed its position.
End of a Round
A round is finished if ...
- Raggedy Rat has been spotted: Raggedy Rat is once again under lock and key; or ...
- the eighth gully card has been uncovered without Raggedy Rat appearing. Now the starting player has to demonstrate good memory skills, by turning over the card where he thinks that Raggedy Rat is hiding. If it is the right card the starting player may take a piece of cheese. If the guess was wrong, there is no reward.
New Round
A new round starts with the player on the left of the starting player. Now this player is the starter and is playing the role of Raggedy Rat.
End of the Game
In the case of two or three players, the game ends as soon as each one has been the starting player twice; in the case of four or five players, as soon as each one has been starting player once.
Count the pieces of cheese. The player who has the most, wins the game. In the event of a draw there are several winners.
Variation - the last chance!
This variation offers a last chance for the mice guards in case the eighth card has been uncovered and Raggedy Rat has still not appeared.
- Starting with the player on the left of the starting player the players indicate one by one the gully card where they guess Raggedy Rat is hiding.
- A gully card can be chosen only once; therefore each player must choose a different gully card.
- Once each player has made their guess, then each of these cards is flipped over.
- If Raggedy Rat is found, the player who selected that gully cards wins a piece of cheese.
- If no player was correct, the starting player may turn over a card. If the starter is correct, the piece of cheese is their reward.