Monkey Dash Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Aim of the Game
• Setting Up
• How to Play
  • Who Starts?
• Supervisors
• Banana Crates
  • Rotating a Crate
  • The Monkey Heave
  • Pushing a Crate
• Monkeys
  • The Monkey Dash
• Power Cards
  • Gaining New Power Cards
• Winning the Game
• Stalemate?
• An Example Turn
• Variants
  • Better with Bananas!
  • Pure Strategy

Components

• Rule Book (12 pages)
• Game Board
• Start Card
• 2x Supervisors (Red / Blue)
• 2x Monkeys (Red / Blue)
• 6x Banana Crates
• 6x Bananas
• 11x Power Cards

Learn the rules online! Visit MonkeyDash.co.uk to view a full tutorial, and for the latest FAQ, variants and gameplay tips.

Aim of the Game

Race to be the first player to move your Monkey, on a Banana Crate, into your Loading Bay.

Setting Up

• Each Monkey begins in its own coloured Nest.
• Each Supervisor begins in their own coloured Loading Bay.
• The Banana Crates begin on the six squares indicated on the board.
• Deal two Power Cards, face up, to each player. The remaining cards go face down, as the draw pile.

How to Play

Play alternates between the two players.

Each turn you must spend exactly four action points (4AP).

Each turn you have the opportunity to:

1. Move your Supervisor
2. Move Banana Crates
3. Move your Monkey
4. Play Power Cards

You may combine actions in any order, and need not carry out every type of action in a single turn.

Who Starts?

Method 1: The player who most recently ate a banana takes the Start Card, and begins the game.

Method 2: Flip the Start Card to randomly determine the Start Player.

Whichever method you choose, the Start Player must pay 1AP for the privilege of beginning the game, as indicated on the Start Card. This means they can only spend a further 3AP during their first turn.

Note: In subsequent rounds, the loser of the previous game may choose the Start Player.

Supervisors

Your Supervisor moves orthogonally (left and right, up and down, but not diagonally), at a cost of 1AP per square.

You can move your Supervisor into your own Loading Bay, but not into your opponent's Loading Bay. (Example: the Red Supervisor can move into the Red Loading Bay, but the Blue Supervisor can not.)

Your Supervisor can't move through a square occupied by a Banana Crate, a Monkey Nest, or another Supervisor. (Example: the Blue Supervisor is trapped and must move the Crate in order to move.)

Note: You can't move your opponent's Supervisor.

Banana Crates

Crates are moved by Supervisors.

There are two ways to move Banana Crates; both require that the Supervisor and the Crate are in adjacent squares.

Rotating a Crate

Crates can be pivoted through the eight squares surrounding your Supervisor at a cost of 1AP per square.

Note: Crates can't pass through other Crates or Supervisors.

The Monkey Heave

You can rotate a Crate with either Monkey on it (this is called a Monkey Heave), but you must spend an additional 3AP to fight the Monkey, who is alarmed by the intrusion!

A Monkey Heave costs 4AP… 1AP to rotate the Crate + 3AP to battle the Monkey!

Pushing a Crate

Crates can be pushed orthogonally by your Supervisor, who must move with the Crate into the space it leaves behind.

Pushing costs 2AP: 1AP to move the Crate, and 1AP to move your Supervisor.

Note: It is not possible to push more than one Crate at a time.

Note: Crates can't be pulled.

Monkeys

Monkeys are much more agile than Supervisors. They can move in all directions, including diagonally, but will not move on the warehouse floor, only on Banana Crates.

It costs 1AP to move your Monkey in a straight line, regardless of the length of the move.

Note: You can't move your opponent's Monkey.

The first move your Monkey must make is to jump from its Nest, onto a Banana Crate in a neighbouring square, at a cost of 1AP.

Your Monkey can't move onto a Crate occupied by another Monkey. (Example: the Red Monkey is blocked by the Blue Monkey.)

(Example: where the Crates do not form a straight line, the Blue Monkey must make four separate moves. Cost: 4AP.)

The Monkey Dash

Where three or more Crates form a straight line, the Monkey may sprint along the entire row for 1AP; this is called a Monkey Dash.

(Example: the Red Monkey can perform a Monkey Dash, but the Blue Monkey can't, as the crates do not form a straight line.)

When a player performs a Monkey Dash they are rewarded with a Power Card.

Note: There is no limit to the maximum length of a Monkey Dash.

Power Cards

Power Cards modify the rules, giving the player unique, single-use abilities.

Note: Multiple cards can be used during a single turn.

Note: Interrupt cards affect your opponent, and must be played at the start of their turn. All other cards are played during your own turn.

Gaining New Power Cards

Power Cards can be bought on your turn for 4AP, or can be won by performing a Monkey Dash.

Note: A Player may gain only one new Power Card per turn.

Players may hold a maximum of three Power Cards at any time.

Note: If a Player gains a fourth Power Card, they must immediately discard down to three.

Players always take the top Power Card from the draw pile and must place it, face up, on the table.

Used cards are placed on a discard pile. When the draw pile is exhausted, the discard pile is shuffled and placed, face down, as the new draw pile.

Winning the Game

To win the game, you must be the first to get your Monkey, on a Banana Crate, into your Loading Bay.

The game is won the moment the Monkey reaches the Loading Bay, even if the Player has action points remaining.

Method 1: Perform a Monkey Heave to lift a Crate, with your Monkey on top, into your Loading Bay (3 + 1AP).

Method 2: Place a crate in the Loading Bay, and move your Monkey on to it.

• [1] The Supervisor rotates an empty Crate into the Loading Bay (1AP)
• [2] The Monkey moves into the Loading Bay, and wins the game (1AP)

Stalemate?

If correctly positioned, a player can undo their opponent's entire turn.

In this situation the player who first made the move must stand down, since the original strategy has failed, and make a different move.

This way a stalemate can never occur.

An Example Turn

1. The Supervisor moves down one square. Cost: 1AP
2. The Supervisor rotates the central Crate one square to the left. Cost: 1AP
3. The Monkey jumps from its Nest onto the neighbouring Crate. Cost: 1AP
4. MONKEY DASH! The Monkey dashes along the diagonal line of three Crates. Cost: 1AP

The Blue Player has used all four Action Points, so the turn is over.

Variants

Better with Bananas!

Setting Up: In addition to the standard setup, each player is given 3 Bananas, which they place in front of them.

Drop / Throw Bananas: Monkeys may drop Bananas from a Crate into neighbouring, empty squares, for no cost, and may throw Bananas one square away for a cost of 1AP.

Note: Bananas can't be thrown into a Loading Bay, Monkey Nest or on a Crate.

Note: Bananas can't be dropped or thrown when the Monkey is Heaved.

(Example: the Red Monkey can drop Bananas into the striped Drop-Zone for free, and throw Bananas into the hatched Throw-Zone for 1AP.)

Picking Up Bananas: Bananas block the movement of Crates, but your Supervisor can pick up a Banana from an adjacent square for 1AP. The Banana is added to your store of bananas and may be reused.

Sliding On Bananas: A Supervisor who steps on a Banana will slide and continue moving, an extra square in the same direction, for no extra cost. This is called a Super Slide.

Note: A Supervisor can't Super Slide into a Crate, the opponent's Supervisor, or off the edge of the board! (Example: the Red Supervisor can't Super Slide due to the position of the Crate.)

Tip: You can create a line of Bananas to Super Slide over more than one square.

Super Sliding on a Banana causes it to disintegrate. It is removed from the board and discarded.

Pure Strategy

If you would like to remove the luck from Monkey Dash, so that it becomes a pure strategy game, simply play without using the Power Cards.

Tip: You can also use the Power Cards to balance the game where there is a large age or ability gap between players: an adult might choose not to use any Power Cards, while allowing a child to have an unlimited hand size.