Lemmings
Lemmings Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Setup
Figure caption (translated): "All lemmings start in the burrow" (Все лемминги начинают в норе); "And then they run to dive off the cliff" (А потом бегут нырять с обрыва).
Deal each player one hidden role card, face down. If any role cards are unused, return them to the box. Then deal each player 2 cards from the deck. Lay out 4 land cards. Place all six lemmings in the burrow, to the left of the land cards.
Turn Order
Players take turns clockwise, starting with the first player. The first player is whoever says first that they will go first.
Turn Structure
On your turn, first take one card from the deck. Then you may play one or two cards from your hand, or play nothing.
At the end of your turn, your hand may hold at most 4 cards. If you have more than 4, you must play or discard the extra cards (send them to the discard pile).
Lemming Movement
Lemmings move from left to right (from the burrow towards the cliff) using movement cards of the matching colour. When a card of a colour is played, the lemming of that colour moves one step forward.
When you play a double movement card, you choose which colour to play: the top colour or the bottom colour.
If other lemmings are already standing on the ground, the moving lemming climbs onto the head of the top lemming. If a lemming that has another lemming on its head is moved, it moves together with those lemmings.
After jumping off the cliff, lemmings bathe in the water. The players whose lemmings were thrown in keep playing and do not give up, because the game is only just beginning!
A lemming can be returned to shore with the cards "Back!", "Jump!" and "Whoosh!" (Вжух!).
Figure captions (translated from the rulebook illustrations): "Yellow forward card played" (Сыграна карта жёлтый вперёд); "Player chose blue" (Игрок выбрал синий); "Blue or white forward card played" (Сыграна карта синий или белый вперёд); "Three are already bathing!" (Трое уже купаются!); "Rodent and Yellow jump together" (Грызун с жёлтиком прыгают); "Game over. Screamer won!" (Игра закончена. Крикун победил!).
Action Cards
Action cards do what is written on them.
End of Game
The game ends when only one lemming remains on the ground. That player wins.
If all lemmings are in the water, the game is a draw.
Very Important Rule
If you have forward movement cards in your hand that you cannot play, because the lemmings of those colours are in the water, you may play that card to advance a lemming of any other colour that is closest to the burrow. If there are several such lemmings, you may choose any one of them.
In the water and in the burrow, lemmings are in arbitrary order. It does not matter which of them is on top.
Notes on Specific Cards
"No way!" (Ну уж нет!) — cannot be played if only one lemming is left on the ground, or if all lemmings are in the water.
"Back!" (Назад!) — played like a movement card, but in the reverse direction. A "Back!" card cannot return a lemming to the burrow.
"Chaos" (Хаос) — the player who played this card draws the top two cards of the deck and shows them to everyone. If the first card drawn is "No way!", it cancels "Chaos". If "No way!" is the second card drawn, it cancels the first card.
"Whoosh!" (Вжух!) — affects any lemmings, both in the water and in the burrow. Lemmings swap places. Lemmings that have other lemmings standing on their heads are not swapped.
"Jump!" (Прыжок) — affects any lemmings, both in the water and in the burrow. A lemming jumps without any lemmings standing on its head. A lemming cannot jump into the burrow.