Taxi Wildlife
Taxi Wildlife Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 48 route cards
- 12 duel cards
- 4 start cards
- 4 round cards
- 24 animals
- 2 cloth pouches
- 1 set of game instructions
Preparation
Place two animals of a kind in each pouch so that there are 12 animals in each pouch. Take the 48 route cards and separate them into three piles according to the number on the back. Shuffle each stack of cards separately and place them in piles next to each other face down in the center of the table. Turn over the top card of each pile and place it face up in front of its pile.
Place the four round cards in a pile in numeric order so that you can see the "1" on the top card.
There are four start cards. Each one has a different color taxi on it. Each player picks a random start card and places it face up in front of him or her. Any excess start cards will not be needed for the game.
The duel cards show which players will have to play against each other later. Remove any duel cards from the game that do not match the taxi colors selected by the players. Shuffle the remaining duel cards and stack them face down in a pile.
(Game set-up for 3 players.)
How to Play
This game is played over several rounds. Turn over the top duel card and place it face up in the center of the table. The colors of the jungle taxis pictured determine who the two dueling opponents will be.
The player who has a taxi with a paw on the hood is the challenger. This player picks a pouch without looking inside it and places it in front of him. The opponent takes the other pouch and places it in front of him.
Both players must then reach into their pouches to try to pick an animal that matches the animal waiting at the bus stop on one of the three face up route cards. However, the particular route card must also match the player's own route cards (see "The correct route cards" below).
The Duel
Hold both hands behind your back. The opponent gives the command to start "Into the taxi, ready, go!" Both of you play at the same time, each trying to pick from the pouch the animal that matches an animal at the bus stop in the center of the table.
Important rules of contact:
- You are only allowed to reach into the pouch with one hand.
- You are not allowed to look in the pouch during the duel.
- As soon as you pick an animal out of the pouch, you cannot exchange it for a different animal.
Once one of the players has picked an animal out of the pouch, he places it quickly on one bus stop lying in the center of the table and calls out "Stop! Taxi!" The duel is over immediately.
Verification
Does the animal match the shape on the bus stop?
- Yes? Great! Take the relevant route card and place it next to your start card. If the card cannot be placed next to it, then you are out of luck and you will have to put it back. The duel is over.
- No? What a shame! Now your opponent can try his luck by picking an animal out of his pouch and placing one of the route cards next to him if he can.
Warning: The animals that are picked are always placed back in your pouch unless the picked and played route card has the shape of the animal AND the actual animal itself on it. In this case you may keep the animal figure and place it on the route card.
The Correct Route Cards
Closely examine the three face up route cards. Your goal is to get a card that can be placed to the left or right of your start card. You may also turn the card around. When doing so, it must be possible to continue the route without creating any dead ends.
Example: This player can place all three face up route cards next to his start card:
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The route card with the penguin at the bus stop can be placed on the left or right.
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The route card with the kangaroo at the bus stop can only be placed on the right.
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The route card with the snake at the bus stop can only be placed on the right.
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The route card cannot be placed here because a dead end would be created in the middle.
The player can choose whether to draw the penguin, kangaroo or snake out of the pouch. If he chooses the snake, he wins the duel and can also keep the snake figure, since the snake itself is on the route card.
Next Duel
Now the next duel can begin! Draw a route card so that there is a card face up in front of each pile. If no one is able to collect a route card during a duel, then it is not necessary to draw a new card.
End of a Round
The round is over when all duels have been carried out. Shuffle the duel cards again and stack them face down in a pile. Change the round card so that the next higher number card is visible, then start the new round.
End of the Game
The game ends immediately when
- all duels have been carried out during the fourth round, or
- all of the cards in one of the three route card piles have been played.
Now each player counts up the route cards and animals they have collected. Players receive one point for each card and each animal collected. The player with the most points secures the championship title and becomes the Jungle Taxi King! Players sharing in the most number of points all win the game.
Additional Game Variation for 2 Players
Follow the basic rules, but with the following changes:
- The duel cards will not be needed for this game.
- Players take turns challenging one another.
- The game ends as soon as one player has created a route composed of seven route cards.