You will need:
The Board above, printed or recreated on an A3 Size sheet of Paper or larger.
An Opaque Bag (Dig bag) that contains:
(The cubes used are standard board game cubes in various colours)
- 1 Yellow “Treasure” cube.
- 71 Black “Dirt” cubes
- 12 Red “Bobby Dazzler” cubes
- 24 Light Blue “If So” cubes
- 28 Green “Ad Break” cubes
To the side you will also have
- Pile of $100 notes
- 36 Dark Blue “Clue” cubes
- One token for each character (Blue, Green, Red, Black, Purple, Yellow, Orange, White, Pink)
Before the game begins, remove 7 cubes unseen from the Dig bag, and hides these. (no one knows what was removed). You can use a pocket, or underneath a cloth etc.
Start the Game with the Laird Character Token on the Interpretive Center.
How to play
Each Round has one “War Room” phase, and two “Episode Phases”. Play Rounds until someone finds the Treasure and wins, or the Dig Bag is empty.
Each Player receives $100 at the start of the Round.
Each Round starts with the “War Room” phase. Where all Character Tokens (Except for Laird) are placed on the Compass on the Board. Players then take turns moving any one Character from this place to a location on the map. You can also relocate a character that has already been moved for $100 dollars paid back to the bank.
The player to move a character first is determined by who has the most Bobby Dazzlers, if a draw, who has the most Money, if a draw the youngest player goes first.
Once all characters have been moved “out of the War Room”, the first Episode starts.
Episode Round
Players now take turns (same rule as above to determine first player to act) selecting a Location that is Active and performing the Action for that Location.
A Location is active when it contains the required Characters. The Character requirements are shown on the board. Each line of coloured dots represents Characters required in that Location.
Lines with Coloured dots containing the number 2, means you needs two Characters from that line.
You must also have the required amount of Money to perform the action. You pay this to the bank when performing the action.
Each Location will allow you to Dig a number of cubes from the bag. This is shown on the board (before the + symbol)
It’s best to do this one at a time for dramatic effect.
Note: Each player will keep a pile in front of them made up of “If So” cubes, “Clue” cubes, “Bobby Dazzler” cubes, Money, and sometimes the “Laird Character”, so it’s best to place cubes taken from the on your turn onto the middle of the board. When your turn ends, move all dirt cubes to the Dirt Pile (a pile of dirt cubes accumulates to the side of the board), and all other cubes into your pile.
For each Light Blue Cube you dig out, you should say “If So”. For each Red Cube you dig out you should say “It’s a Bobby Dazzler!”. For each Green you pull out you can say “Ad Break!” or “What’s that?!”. If you Pull the Yellow Cube out you win instantly.
Note: If you Dig a Red Cube during your turn at the “Swamp” or “Lots” Locations, place Laird in front of you.
Note: You can only have a total of six “If So” and “Clue” cubes (combined) in front of you. Any excsess you took from the bag this turn, return to the bag.
In the Swamp, and Money Pit locations, You may dig extra cubes from the bag for each Dark blue “Clue” cube you have in front of you. However, there is a limit to how many extra cubes can be pulled, this is shown on the board after the +. For example, you dig a Bore Hole, and you take 2 cubes from the back, (you also have 6 Clue cubes) – so you are allowed to dig an extra 2 from the bag.
When you pull a Green cube, you instantly get $100 from the bank.
At the end of your turn, return Green Cubes to the bag.
New Round
After everyone has done one action. You repeat the Episode Round once more. Then a new Round begins. (ie Each round is two Episodes)
Interpretation Center
There is a location on the map for “Interpretation” Center. Here you can use your turn to convert all of your “If So” cubes into “Clue” cubes. OR you can use the turn to convert one Bobby Dazzlers into $100 and a “Clue” cube.
If you have Laird in front of you, move him to the Interpretation Center.
When “If So” cubes and “Bobby Dazzler” cubes are converted in this way, They are removed from the game (put them in the Dirt Pile).
Laird (The Archaeologist)
If you have Laird in front of you at the start of your turn, you can’t dig in the “Lots” or the “Swamp”.
You can get rid of the Archaeologist by using your turn to move him to the Interpretation Center (where you must trade in your If So cubes or a Bobby Dazzler cubes if you have any of each). Or you can wait for someone else to dig a Bobby Dazzler and take the Archaeologist from you.
No Treasure?
It’s possible that every cube gets removed from the bag, and no treasure is found. In this case, Whoever has the most Bobby Dazzlers in front of them wins. (If a tie, the youngest wins)