Sand Castles Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Game objective
• Preparation
• Playing
• Game end
• Publisher's suggestion

Contents

Game board, game rules, die, reference chart, 3 waves, 6 sand walls, 12 castle pieces (circular pieces), 6 sand piles, 6 shovels, 6 pails.

Game objective

The players try to build 3 beautiful sandcastles before the waves reach the beach. Using sand, shovels and pails we can build the castles. Or we can build a sand wall to stop the waves! To succeed in this co-operative game, we try to help each other as much as we can.

Preparation

1. Put the sand piles in a stack on the sand pile depicted on the game board. Put the shovels on the shovel and the pails on the pail.
2. Put the sand walls and castle pieces in two separate piles off the game board, but nearby.
3. Put the waves at their starting places at the left end of the board. One of them starts on the top left space, one in the middle and one on the 'Sunny Games' logo.
4. Put the reference chart near the board.
5. Decide together who will play first.

Playing

1. Roll the die in turn. The reference chart shows you what to do. If you roll 1, you collect one sand pile from the board. On a 2, you collect a shovel. On a 3, collect one pail. Keep these cards in front of you. If there are no pieces left on one of the piles, you can pick any one of the other pieces still left. An important rule!!!
2. Castle pieces and sand walls: Whenever a player has collected 1 sand pile piece, 1 shovel and 1 pail, this set of 3 can be traded for 1 castle piece or 1 sand wall. The players can also combine their pieces to make up a set. For example, a player can build a castle piece on his or her turn by handing in a shovel and letting another player hand in a pail and a sand pile. The used pieces are returned to their stacks on the game board. Note: You don't have to trade in a set of pieces right away. You can wait until you get a good collection and then, at the best strategic moment, build a lot of castle pieces and/or sand walls.
3. Waves: If you roll 4, 5 or 6, you must move one of the three waves one space closer to the shore. The players choose which one is moving. When a wave reaches the castle space (the last space), it washes away the castle pieces that were built there. The castle space is flooded until the end of the game (the wave card remains there). You can't build a castle there anymore!
4. Sand walls: To stop a wave, you can build a sand wall on the space just before the castle space. Of course, the wall has to be in place before the wave comes to the wall place. When the die is thrown and the wall place is flooded, you are too late to build a sand wall. The wave has gone by and is ready to wash out the castle!
5. Stopping the wave: When a wave lands on a sand wall, it loses its force and disappears. But a new wave will come, starting on the space on the left side of the board. The sand wall is washed away and can't be used again. There are only six sand walls, so use them wisely!
6. Sandcastles: The castle pieces are put on the castle spaces. You are building the castles bit by bit. The top castle needs 5 pieces to be complete, the middle one needs only 3 and the bottom castle needs 4. You can choose to build one castle after the other, or to build several castles at the same time.

Game end

1. You have completed the three sandcastles: Hurray! Everyone take a bow and thank each other for a good team effort!
2. One wave reaches a castle space: Now you will not succeed in building all three of the castles. But the game is not over yet! Keep playing until you have built one or two castles. Then celebrate that you did have some success, in spite of the bad luck! Can you think up a better strategy together, to build all three sandcastles?

Publisher's suggestion

We have noticed that this game entices the children to think up new rules. With a co-operative game, this is OK as long as all the players agree with the new rules. Have fun with the added play dimension!

An exciting variation that we love to play:

• With 4, move the top wave, with 5 the middle one and with 6 the bottom wave. When the wave is already on a castle space, choose one of the other two.
• Building a sand wall takes one extra sand pile. So 2 sand piles, 1 shovel and 1 pail.
• Gain 1 point for each castle piece, and 1 bonus point for a completed castle. Maximum score is 15, but 11 points is quite good already!