Monster Highway
Monster Highway Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 4-fold game board
- 44 Road tiles
- 1 Ground Zero tile
- 4 Home Base tiles
- 18 Special tiles
- 4 Player Cars
- 1 Car Movement die
- 2 Specialty dice
- 30 Monster Cards
- 1 Monster piece & stand
- 4 Player Reference cards
Objective
Build roads using the Road tiles from Ground Zero to your Home Base, and be the first player to navigate your car to Home Base to win.
Setting Up the Game
Every player is dealt 5 (five) Road tiles and 1 (one) Monster Buster tile. Divide the remaining tiles into two equal draw piles and place on either side of the board. Monster Cards are placed off the board; players do not start with any of these cards. Place Monster next to the Monster Card deck until "Monster" is rolled on a die.
Each player picks a Home Base at a corner of the board and takes that car, Home Base tile, and Player Reference Card. The Ground Zero tile is placed on the center of the board. All players place their cars on the Ground Zero tile to start.
The player who most recently watched a monster movie goes first.
Gameplay
Play moves clockwise. On your turn, begin by rolling both specialty dice. You then immediately resolve the results for the roll. At the end of your turn, draw back up to 5 (five) Road tiles, if needed. Once a player uses their Monster Buster tile, they can draw back up to the maximum of 6 (six) Road tiles.
Specialty Dice Results
- Road + Road: You may play 2 (two) Road tiles extending off of any open roadway on the board.
- Road + Car: First, play 1 (one) Road tile extending off of any open roadway on the board. Then roll the Car Movement die to determine the number of spaces to move your car.
- Road + Monster: First, play 1 (one) Road tile extending off of any open roadway on the board. Then draw a Monster Card from the top of the deck and move the Monster accordingly.
- Car + Car: Move your car to any road space that has been built. You must follow the path of the road, and you cannot move past the Monster if it blocks the path. You can move your car as little or as far as desired on existing roads.
- Monster + Monster: Move the Monster to any space on the board, except Ground Zero or any Home Base.
- Car + Monster: First, roll the Car Movement die and move your car that many spaces. Then draw a Monster Card from the top of the deck and move the Monster accordingly.
Special Tiles You Can Play on Your Turn
Special tiles are played as follows.
- Swap: Use this tile to swap one Road tile on the board for another on the board, as long as it does not result in any dead ends or roadways leading off the board. You may orient the Road tiles however you wish as you place them back on the board. If the car or Monster is on that Road tile, the car or Monster moves along with it. You may only play this card if you rolled "Road" on the Specialty Dice. Once used, it gets placed into the discard pile.
- Radioactive Roadway: Use this tile to remove the last piece of road on any built roadway. That Road tile is removed from the board and placed at the bottom of the Road tile draw pile. If there is a car on that Road tile, it must go back to Ground Zero. You may only play this tile if you rolled "Road" on the Specialty Dice. Once used, it gets placed into the discard pile.
- Re-Roll: Use this tile to re-roll either 1 or 2 Specialty Dice again before playing a Road tile, moving a car or the Monster. Player does not need to roll a "Road" on the Specialty Dice to play this tile. Player may also use this tile to force another player to re-roll their dice during their turn. Once used, it gets placed into the discard pile.
- Road Closed: Use this tile at the end of any roadway; turning it into a dead end.
- Monster Buster: Use this tile to move the Monster back to its previous position on the board. A player may use this tile at any point in the game, even if it is not their turn. Once used, it gets placed into the discard pile. Player then draws a new Road tile.
- Home Base: This is the last tile to be played to complete the road into your Home Base. A "Road" must be rolled on the dice in order to play this tile.
Road Rules
- Roadways may only be constructed off of other existing roadways already on the board.
- Roads cannot be built on a space occupied by the Monster.
- Once a Home Base tile is placed on a player's Home Base, that tile may not be destroyed by the Monster, swapped or turned into a dead end.
- A Road tile cannot be played in such a way that prevents another Road tile from being played off of it (i.e. leading off of the board).
- If you roll "Road", instead of placing a tile on the board, you may discard a Road tile from your hand in order to draw a new one from the top of the Road tile draw pile. Place discarded Road tile into the discard pile.
- Road tiles can be placed on any space with an object on it (i.e. pond, mountain) except for Ground Zero and Home Base.
- Once a Road tile is removed from the game board, it is placed into a discard pile. When the last Road tile is drawn, shuffle the discard pile and divide into two equal draw piles.
Car Rules
- The number you roll on the Car Movement Die is the maximum amount of spaces you can move your car. You may move fewer spaces if you wish.
- A car may not move on a roadway past the point where the road ends.
- Cars may share a space on the board.
- Cars can move either forward or backward.
- Cars cannot move past the Monster if it blocks the roadway.
Monster Rules
- If one "Monster" is rolled, a Monster Card is drawn from the top of the deck and the Monster moves to the space shown on the card. That card is then placed into a discard pile. After the last Monster Card is drawn, shuffle the discard pile and use as the new draw pile.
- If you draw a "Wild" card from the Monster Card deck, move the Monster to any space on the board, except Ground Zero or any Home Base.
- If the Monster lands on a car, that car must return to Ground Zero.
- If the Monster lands on the end of a roadway, that Road tile is removed from the board and placed into the discard pile. If there is a car on that tile, it must go back to Ground Zero.
- If the Monster lands on a Road tile that is not at the end of a road, that tile stays intact.
- Monster cannot be placed on Ground Zero or a player's Home Base.