Mouse Trap (2004)
Mouse Trap (2004) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- Gameboard
- 4 plastic mice
- 2 metal marbles
- Mouse Trap building parts and accessories
- Rubber band
- 52 cheese pieces
- Die
Warning: Choking hazard. Game contains small balls. Not for children under 3 years.
Object of the Game
Take turns building the Mouse Trap as you move around the gameboard. Then use the Mouse Trap to try to capture your opponents' mice. Be the last uncaptured mouse on the gameboard and win.
How the Mouse Trap Works
The player turns the crank (A) which rotates the gears (B) causing the lever (C) to move and push the stop sign against the shoe (D). The shoe tips the bucket holding the metal marble (E). The marble rolls down the rickety stairs (F) and into the rain gutter (G), which leads it to the helping hand rod (H). This causes the other metal marble (I) to fall from the top of the thing-a-ma-jig (J) and bathtub (K), landing on the diving board (L). The weight of the metal marble catapults the diver (M) through the air and into the washtub (N), causing the cage (O) to fall from the top of the post (P) and trap the unsuspecting mouse.
Assembly
Summary only. Pages 5-10 of the sheet are part-by-part diagrams for the bathtub contraption; the sheet's building plan is on pages 6-10 and Figure 2 (page 5) numbers the trap locations.
- Carefully punch out the waste from the slots and holes in the gameboard.
- Remove all Mouse Trap parts and playing pieces from the bag and runners.
- Snap the T-bar onto the top of the plumbing (see Figure 1).
- Carefully punch out the Cheese pieces from the cardboard parts sheet.
- Discard all waste.
Setup
- Place the gameboard on a flat surface.
- Place the Mouse Trap parts and playing pieces next to the gameboard.
- Place the Cheese pieces in a pile next to the gameboard.
- Each player chooses a mouse and places it on the gameboard START space.
How to Play
Pick a player to go first. Play proceeds to the left.
On your turn, roll the die and move your mouse the number of gameboard spaces shown. Then follow any instructions printed on the space you land on. Two or more mice may be on one space at the same time.
Collecting Cheese pieces: As your mouse moves around the gameboard, you will collect Cheese pieces from the Cheese pile and from your opponents. You may use Cheese pieces later in the game to help you spring the trap on your opponents' mice. More about this later in the instructions.
Types of Spaces
Build spaces: Build spaces have numbers printed on them (2, 2-3, 2-3-4). When you land on a Build space and the number of players in the game matches any one of the numbers on the space, then you build one part of the Mouse Trap and collect one Cheese piece from the Cheese pile. See the Building the Mouse Trap section below for details.
- In a 4-player game, you can build if you land on Build space 2-3-4.
- In a 3-player game, you can build if you land on Build space 2-3 or 2-3-4.
- In a 2-player game, you can build if you land on Build space 2, 2-3, or 2-3-4.
Go Back & Move Ahead spaces: When you land on one of these spaces, you must go to the space indicated, but do not follow any instructions printed on that space and do not collect any Cheese pieces! Your turn is then over.
Take Cheese spaces: When you land on one of these spaces, take the indicated number of Cheese pieces from the Cheese pile. If the Cheese pile is empty, take the Cheese pieces from the opponent with the most Cheese pieces. If two or more opponents are tied for the most Cheese pieces, you may take them all from one opponent or divide the amount between them. Your turn is then over.
When you land on the space marked Take Three Pieces of Cheese From Rival With Most, do as it says, even if there are Cheese pieces in the pile. If the opponent with the most Cheese has less than three pieces, just take the number of pieces the opponent does have. If two or more opponents are tied for the most Cheese pieces, you may take them all from one opponent or divide the amount between them. Your turn is then over.
Lose Cheese spaces: When you land on one of these spaces, return the indicated number of Cheese pieces to the Cheese pile. If you must return more Cheese pieces than you currently have, only return as many as you hold. Your turn is then over.
Dog Bone space: Do nothing when you land on this space. Your turn is over.
The Loop: These are the six spaces at the end of the path beginning with the Safe space and ending with the Cheese Wheel space. This section of the path is called The Loop and it is where mice are captured. (See Figure 2 on page 5.) Once you arrive at The Loop, you and your opponents will take turns circling it as many times as necessary until the Mouse Trap is completely built and only one mouse remains uncaptured on the gameboard. See the Trapping Mice section below for details.
Cheese Wheel space: Every time you land on the Cheese Wheel space, you automatically take two Cheese pieces from the Cheese pile. If the Cheese pile is empty, you may take any pieces you are entitled to from the opponent with the most Cheese pieces. If two or more opponents are tied for the most Cheese pieces, you may take them all from one opponent or divide the amount between them. Your turn is then over.
Turn Crank space and Safe space: See the Trapping Mice section below for details.
Building the Mouse Trap
You may build one part of the Mouse Trap when you land on a Build space as previously described. Mouse Trap parts must be assembled in numerical order! Build the Mouse Trap by placing each numbered part in its proper position following the Building Plan shown on pages 6-10.
Example: If you are the first player to land on a Build space, you would place part #1 (Base A) on the gameboard. The next player to land on a Build space would position part #2 (Gear Support) in place and so on until the Mouse Trap is completed.
Immediately after placing a part of the Mouse Trap on the gameboard, take one Cheese piece from the pile. Your turn is then over.
Whenever you land on a Build space that's located on The Loop section of the gameboard path, you add two parts to the Mouse Trap and take two Cheese pieces from the Cheese pile. Your turn is then over. Once the Mouse Trap is complete, you do nothing when you land on a Build space.
Trapping Mice
Once the Mouse Trap is complete, use it to try to capture your opponents' mice. Here's how:
When you end your turn by landing on the Turn Crank space (in The Loop) and there is an opposing mouse on the Cheese Wheel space, turn the crank slowly in a clockwise direction. This will set the trap in motion. If the trap operates correctly, the opposing mouse will be captured and is out of the game. Any Cheese pieces held by the captured player must be turned over to you. If the trap fails to capture the mouse, the opposing player immediately moves his or her mouse to the Safe space. If more than one mouse is on the Cheese Wheel space, they may all be captured (or missed) together.
If there is no opposing mouse (or mice) on the Cheese Wheel space, try to move one or more mice there. See the Moving Opponents' Mice section below.
Remember! You may only turn the crank after the Mouse Trap is complete and when your mouse is on the Turn Crank space and an opponent is on the Cheese Wheel space.
Moving Opponents' Mice
When you end your turn by landing on the Turn Crank space and there is no opposing mouse on the Cheese Wheel space, try to move an opponent's mouse onto the Cheese Wheel space and then try to trap that mouse. Here's how:
- Return a Cheese piece to the pile.
- Select the opponent's mouse you wish to move.
- Roll the die and then move that opponent's mouse the indicated number of spaces.
You may continue doing this as many times and to as many opponents as you like as long as you have Cheese pieces to return to the pile. If you manage to move a mouse (or mice) onto the Cheese Wheel, you may then turn the crank as described above.
You may only use your Cheese pieces when you are on the Turn Crank space. If an opponent's mouse is on the Cheese Wheel space when you land on the Turn Crank space, you may still use your Cheese pieces to try to get other opponents' mice onto the Cheese Wheel space before setting the Mouse Trap in motion.
Safe space: When an opponent's mouse is on the Safe space (located on The Loop), you cannot try to move that mouse onto the Cheese Wheel space.
Winning the Game
If your mouse is the last one left uncaptured on the gameboard, you win!
Special Rules and Reminders
- Before operating the Mouse Trap, check the following. (Refer to Figure 2 for numbered locations.)
- A metal marble is in bucket (10).
- Helping hand rod (14) is properly set.
- A metal marble (17) is in position on the thing-a-ma-jig (15).
- The diver (19) is facing away from the washtub (21).
- Cage (23) is balanced on top of cage post (22).
- All parts are positioned properly on the gameboard.
- When turning the crank, always turn slowly in a clockwise direction.
- The player who has just operated the Mouse Trap must reset the Mouse Trap should it fail to capture the opposing mice. To reset the trap cage, remove cage post (22) from the cage base (20). Lift up cage, reinsert cage post and place cage in position on top.