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Card game gnomes are pests. Saboteur: hey, who broke my minecart? goal maps

Board game

Number of players
3 to 10

Party time
From 30 minutes

Difficulty of the game
Average

Gnome Pests - Board card games dedicated to gold prospectors, developed by the Belgian Frederic Moerson. First released in 2004. Focused on family game... The number of players in the basic version is 3-11 people, in the extended version - 2-12 people.

Process and purpose in the board game Gnomes and Pests

  • In the course of the game, some players will take on the role of gnome gold miners, seeking to find and hack a path to this precious metal. But it's not that easy! Not all of this hardworking tribe are so eager to share gold. Other players take on the role of Saboteurs and try to prevent the Prospectors from making their way to the precious metal.
  • From this follows the goal of each group - Prospectors strive to dig a tunnel to deposits with minerals, Pests must prevent at any cost the successful completion of this task, in every possible way harming and interfering with the first.

Board game Gnomes and pests: rules of the game

Peculiarities

Russian edition Deluxe in addition to basic set includes:

  • New cards of actions and tunnels that complicate or make life easier for yourself and your potential colleagues;
  • New roles: Boss, Dealer, Geologist;
  • Dividing the Prospectors into two opposing teams;
  • Cards with gold are replaced with gold tokens with a value of "1" "2" "5" nuggets. Improves the convenience of the exchange.

Preparing for the game Gnomes and pests

Initially, the roles of "Prospectors" and "Pests" are distributed between the players by a blind choice: the gnome cards from the basic set (with "2" in the lower left corner) are shuffled and dealt face-to-face to the players one at a time. In the case of playing the extended version, only the cards of the gnomes from the expansion are used (put the unused cards face down on the table). The resulting role is not disclosed!

A tunnel entrance card is laid out on one edge of the playing space. On the other - three cards in a row with gold veins, turned face down. A distance of seven cards is counted between the mine entrance cards and the central card of the gold mine. Between the central and side cards of the gold veins, a distance of one card is deposited.

Action cards and remaining tunnel cards are well shuffled and dealt to each participant in the calculation:

  • 3-5 participants - six cards each
  • 6-7 participants - five cards each
  • 8-10 participants - four cards

Deluxe Expansion (2-12 participants) - six cards each (before that, put the top ten cards from the deck face down).

The remaining cards are placed face down on the table. This is a playable deck. Place the shuffled deck of gold nuggets next to it, also face down.
the youngest player moves first.

Game progress

The walker can either play one of the cards he has, or skip the move. In the first case, he has the ability to:

  • lay out on play place map tunnels to those already on the table, making sure that the maps match each other at the junction.
  • If, by laying out a card, the player finishes the tunnel from the beginning to at least one of the cards with nuggets, then he turns over the gold card.
  • In the case of the image on the card of gold, the round ends, in the case of an ordinary stone, the game continues, and the turned over card remains on the table.

In the extended version, in addition to the usual ones, the following tunnel cards are used:

  • Bridge. It depicts two tunnels that do not connect to each other. Cannot be used as a turning intersection. It is necessary that at least one tunnel be connected, one way or another, with the entrance to the mine.
  • Card with a ladder. All the laid out cards with the image of the stairs make up a system of secret passages that allow you to connect this section with the entrance to the mine and other similar cards with the stairs directly. The card must not be laid out next to the gold mine.
  • Two arc-shaped tunnels. There are two separate tunnels on the map. It is important that at least one of them is in contact with the tunnel leading from the descent into the mine.
  • Card with a door. Available in green and blue. Only a team player of the same color can go through a tunnel with a door of a certain color.
  • Precious crystals. The presence of a crystal on the map is important for Geologists. For each stone, he receives one gold nugget.
  • Use action cards. Used cards are discarded.
  • Wrecking cards. Are laid out in front of any players. When playing, a player cannot play a Tunnel card until a sabotage card is discarded. But the player retains the ability to use the action card. It is possible to damage the lamp, trolley, pickaxe. In front of one player, you can spread up to three cards sabotage, one of each type.
  • Repair cards with one intact item. Surrender in front of any player. The cards can only be used if there is a valid sabotage card on the table. By interacting with this card, a broken object is repaired. Only the item concerned can be repaired.
  • Repair cards with two intact items. They are laid out in front of any player. Unlike regular repair cards, this one can repair one of the two items indicated on the card.
  • The collapse. When using a card, the player discards one of the Tunnel cards to discard. Pests are used to delay the path to gold, while Prospectors are able to clear dead ends. In place of the resulting voids, new tunnels can be built.
  • Secret card. Playing this card allows the player to find out the contents of one of the gold nugget cards, then returning it to its place. The player should not show the card to other players, but he has the right to decide whether to speak about its meaning - the truth or not.

Additional action cards from the Deluxe expansion.

  • Thief. Lay out in front of you. Allows, after the end of the round, to steal one nugget from any player.
  • Hands off. The cards can only be used if there is a Thief card on the table. Both cards are discarded.
  • Change of map. When used, the player chooses someone and exchanges all cards in his hand with him. After that, the opponent takes 1 card from the game deck.
  • Investigation. Allows you to see any player's role. The player himself decides whether to announce this to other players or not.
  • Role reversal. It gives a chance to choose a player who will be obliged to exchange his role card for one of the ones remaining in the deck.
  • Trap. Laid out in front of another player. Traps the target player. If a player does not get out of it by the end of the round, he in any case does not participate in the distribution of gold.
  • Liberation. Cancels the effect of the Trap card. Both cards are discarded.

If the move is missed, if the player does not want to use one of the cards he has, then he must discard one of the cards of his choice. If the player has no cards, then he retains his presence in the game and also skips a turn. Next, the player takes the outermost card from the game deck. The move passes to the next player.

In the updated version of the game, the player can also discard any two cards from his hands to remove the card lying in front of him. After that, take one new card from the game deck.

The round ends on two occasions. If the game deck runs out, and all participants missed on the move. In this case, the victory is awarded to the Wreckers team. If, when playing the Tunnel card, the player finishes the path from the entrance to the mine to at least one card with gold, which actually depicts gold, then the victory is awarded to the Prospectors.

Then all the players reveal their role, and the gold is distributed among the winners in the following order:

  • Prospectors
    • From the deck with gold, as many cards are taken as the total number of players involved (in the case of ten players, only 9 cards are taken).
    • The player who built the tunnel takes a card from the deck, then passes the deck to the next Prospector.
    • Each next prospector also takes a card with a gold mine. This happens until the gold runs out.
  • Pests
    • If there is one Pest, 4 gold cards (with nuggets!) Are given to that one. In the case of two or three Pests, each gets 3 nugget cards. If four - 2 cards of gold veins with nuggets.

In the updated version, regardless of the winning team, the winners receive gold in the following order:

  • 1 player - 5 nuggets;
  • 2 players - 4 nuggets each;
  • 3 players - 3 each, four - 2 each;
  • 5 and more - 1 nugget each.

Additional Victory Views from the Deluxe Expansion.

  • Geologist. The Geologist's victory is not affected by the construction of tunnels to the gold nugget maps. But it depends on the presence of crystals in the labyrinth. How many crystals are on the map of tunnels, so much gold is received by the player.
  • Dealer Always wins, regardless of the winning side. The dealer always gets two units less than the others.
  • Boss. His victory depends on the victory of any of the Prospector teams. In any case, he always gets gold, but one less than the others.
  • The thieves. When distributing gold, those who have a Thief card can steal a nugget from one of the players. If there are more thieves or more, the player who has laid out this card the last

When starting a new round, players save the mined gold (in cards or tokens, depending on the version of the game). The Dwarf cards are shuffled and dealt again. The player next to the player who finished the round goes first.

The game "Gnomes-pests" will allow your company to visit the skins of the gnomes, leading tunnels through the thickness of the earth to the place where the coveted gold awaits them. After all, as you know, do not feed the gnomes with bread, but let them dig up some shiny thing.

But strange things are happening in the mine: either the tunnel, on which so much effort was spent, unexpectedly ends in a dead end, then the props break and the collapse destroys part of the course, then it turns out that the mining tools have been spoiled by someone's treacherous hand ...

It's just that some of the gnomes believe that gold is unimportantly divided into such a large crowd and by all means are trying to direct their gullible friends along the wrong route, so that later they can lay that same insidious hand on the gold.

The game was invented by a man named Frederick Moerson. It was released under the name Saboteur in 2004, and seven years later acquired an add-on called Saboteur 2.


The first part, entitled "Pest", was previously published in Russian, but passed me by. I got acquainted with this game at boardgamearena.com, where its online version is presented.


Now I have at my disposal a publication called "Gnomes-Pests" and includes base game along with the add-on. But since we have not yet mastered the add-on, in this review I will consider the basic version.

The Gnomes Pests are housed in a neat box with a handy organizer that allows you to compactly store four base and expansion decks without mixing them together.

In addition to the cards, the box contains two sheets with the rules for the basic version and the expansion, as well as a small cardboard form with gold tokens.


The main Saboteur decks contain action cards, player roles and gold nuggets, as well as tunnel cards, among which are the entrance to the mine and three gold veins.

At the beginning of the game, an entrance card is laid out on the table, and at some distance from it - three core cards, which lie face down. There is gold under one of these cards, and lumps of coal under the other two. Nobody knows exactly where the precious metal is.

Players receive role cards, among which there are both ordinary gnomes and pests. There is one here interesting moment: The number of role cards dealt is one more than the number of players. The extra card is out of the game until the next round and is not shown.


Thus, the number of "dispatched Cossacks" with the same composition of players can change. For example, if seven gnomes are gathered at the table, then there are two or three saboteurs among them. Even they themselves cannot say for sure, because, unlike the "Mafia" and, in the "Gnomes-saboteurs", traitors do not get to know each other, and just like hardworking miners, they have to figure out "friends" in the course of the game.

The task of the gnomes is to build a tunnel from the entrance to the correct vein. As already mentioned, in which vein there is gold is still unknown, but occasionally gnomes come across secret maps... Having played one of them, the player can look at any of the veins and tell others what he saw there. Naturally, the pest can lie and immediately direct the tunnel as far as possible from the right place.


The key to successful work is working tools. Each gnome has three of them: a pickaxe, a lamp and a mine cart. If at least one of them is disabled, the miner will not be able to continue digging the tunnel. Players can use special action cards to break each other's tools. Pests do this to prevent miners from continuing to work. Ordinary gnomes spoil the belongings of the exposed pests, so that they do not twist with such difficulty rebuilt tunnel into an intricate fig, which will go to workers instead of gold nuggets.

That's all for now. I'll write about the features of the add-on when I play it properly.

Deep underground, the gnomes continue their work. But the nuggets are becoming less and less, and new prospectors, grabbing picks and lanterns, all come and come in search of easy money. The corridors are gradually getting a little crowded ... Today on the Pink Sofa there is a geological team board game Gnomes - pests.

When there is little gold, and there are many applicants for it, then bosses appear who are ready to distribute the production among the miners, and do not forget themselves at the same time. But for every bag of treasure there is a thief who is ready to sneak through the dark corridors and take possession of the object of his dreams, and behind every door there is a traitor who has lost his way in the dungeon, ready to make another landslide. Yes, it became hard for an honest gnome to work - there were only troubles all around.

The game "Gnomes - Pests" is localized by "Lifestyle" company and includes a basic version of Saboteur and an add-on - Saboteur 2. Inside a small box there is an organizer that allows you to separate decks, providing convenient storage and quick preparation for the game.

I reviewed the basic version earlier, and you can read it by clicking on this one. If you are not yet familiar with the adventures of the gnomes, then read and come back.

Take your time, I will wait for you; for now, for the rest, I suggest short review localized components, and then we will get acquainted with the second part of this wonderful game.

The small and cramped box of the original edition and the localized version from the company "Lifestyle" proudly wear the "Amigo" logo on the lid. Having both versions available, I can answer the question that torments the inquisitive minds of many players - is the quality of the original edition different from the localization.

See for yourself:

The texture and weight of the paper are exactly the same, the right card is slightly lighter - this is the original edition. To be honest, I like the darker localization color scheme more. Otherwise, there are no differences, and it is safe to say that the pictures came from the same printing house. Therefore, given the attractive price, the rules in Russian and the availability of localization, there is no point in ordering the game from abroad.

Let me remind you that the first part is designed for 10 participants, whose roles will be determined by seven cards of gnomes and four cards of gnomes - pests. The goal of the gnomes is to get to the nuggets, the goal of the pests is to prevent this.

28 nugget cards, ranging in value from 1 to 3, will be prey for successful prospectors or for insidious pests.

A special map marks the entrance to the dungeon, a landslide will block the road in the tunnel, and the map will give a chance to determine the location of the nugget at the end of the path. There is nothing to do in the dungeon without a pickaxe, a wheelbarrow and a lantern, so broken objects will block your movement. It's good that they can be repaired - 27 special cards will keep you busy and sharpen the game!

Somewhere in the box, there are three more endpoint maps with one nugget and two "dummies".

And here are the corridors themselves, which we have yet to build. The designers approached the work with humor, so teapots, cups are scattered here and there, underground hedgehogs and mice are running around. There is even a skeleton - a local landmark. A total of 44 tunnel maps will make the path to gold, and this path will not be easy.

This concludes my acquaintance with the components of the first part of the game - novice prospectors have already read my review, and the rest were able to assess the quality of the components and draw appropriate conclusions for themselves.

It's time to move on to the expansion, in which new characters appear, and mysterious doors and stairs appear in the tunnels.

To play Saboteur -2 you will need all tunnel maps (including special ones) from the basic version, three path endpoint maps with nuggets and a dungeon entrance map. Put the role cards and the deck of nuggets in the box - you won't need them.

In the kingdom of the gnomes, there was a rumor that there would not be enough gold for everyone, so the prospectors decided to split up into teams and extract treasures separately. Therefore, a team of blue and green gnomes was formed, recruiting up to four workers into their ranks. And, of course, these teams need a sensitive leader, who will be taken over by the boss. He will receive his share in the event that either of the teams reaches the goal, but earns one less nugget than the others.

The two geologists decided that crystals of rare rocks were no less valuable, and, leaving the gold, they set off in search of jewelry separately from the rest. Three pests, as always, hinder everyone and are rewarded for this with gold in case of successful mischief. The cunning businessman will benefit in any case - it does not matter to him who wins. The main thing is that there are more nuggets, since he will receive two tokens less than the rest.

Pay attention - the cards can be easily separated from each other by looking at the lower left corner - the number "two" indicates that they belong to the add-on. In total, 12 gnomes can now go down into the mine - they will be cramped there ...

30 new tunnel cards will complement the main deck: the dungeon is expanding and acquires new features: doors, stairs, crystals and peculiar intersections have appeared. I will tell you more about them later.

More people - more events. Having entered an unfamiliar door, you can stay there - well-wishers will gladly put you under lock and key in order to eliminate an unwanted competitor. But maybe you will be lucky and a special card will "release" you from captivity. A thief will be able to steal a nugget for you at the end of the game, however, there is also protection against robbery.

If you are not satisfied with the cards in your hand, you can exchange them with any player by taking his set for yourself. Want to see if your neighbor is an ally or an enemy? Then play a special card and see the role of any one player!

And if you understand that the result of the party will not bring you treasures, or you want to leave your friends or enemies without loot, then it is not too late to change your role - play a card and force any player (you can also) discard a character card and take a new one for yourself.

Special symbols will tell the players about new possibilities, so the rules will not be needed after the first game. The set also contains landslides familiar to us from the first game, broken tools and so on - a total of 21 special cards.

Instead of treasure cards, the second version uses tokens worth 1,2,3 nuggets - a total of 32 hexagons will make up the total bank of players.

Back to the mine.

The rules remained practically unchanged, only tokens are used instead of nugget cards, and players will receive treasures not randomly, but in the amount specified in the rules. At the beginning of the game, it is necessary to separate the top 10 cards from the deck (mixed tunnel and action cards) and put them separately - they will not take part in the game. Character cards are distributed according to the rules and depending on the number of players.

So what's new?

Blue doors block the passage of the green mining team, green barriers, in turn, prevent the blue gnomes from reaching the treasures. The purpose of this innovation: if the miners win, the blocked team does not participate in the division of the loot.

Crystals scattered along the corridors will give geologists one nugget token for each crystal, but they will not participate in the treasure sharing. The stairs serve as a link between the sections of the dungeon - through one staircase you can get to another, bypassing obstacles and dead ends.

The rest is the same fun and dynamic game of finding treasures and building tunnels. I will add that there is an opportunity, by discarding two cards from your hand, to remove the blocking card lying in front of you. At the same time, you reduce the total number of cards in your hand, since instead of the thrown two, you get only one.

Upon reaching the goal (cards with a nugget) or blocking the path by pests, the game ends, and the loot is divided depending on the results. Read about it in the rules.

At the start of a new game, draw the set 10 dungeon cards, shuffle them into the main deck, and count out 10 cards again, placing them separately.

Returning from the dungeon.

I already wrote my impressions on the first part in the last review, this time I will share my thoughts on the continuation.

The addition sharpens the game and makes it more dynamic. It seems that this is a completely different game in which three teams compete (two gnomes and pests). In addition, geologists have their own interests in the formation of tunnels and very often interfere with others. The dealer keeps track of the quantity prize fund and takes the side of the richer team, and the boss monitors what is happening from the outside and in the end prevents one of the teams from receiving the prize - after all, the fewer applicants, the greater its share. It turns out that everyone pursues their own goals and these goals are different: before, only gnomes and saboteurs fought, but now - every man for himself.

Additional special cards make the result of the fight unpredictable. For example: you are a dwarf, close to victory, but a special card has been played and now your destiny is sabotage. That’s bad luck, but the gold was so close ... Imagine if this card was played by a member of your team of gnomes - it’s profitable for him that there were fewer applicants for gold. So trust people after that ...

An excellent game and it is doubly pleasant that in one box there are both basic version, and addition. Considering the low price of the set, the game "Gnomes Pests" can be a welcome purchase for big company funny people.

Before buying, be sure to try board game in the "Igroved" store, the sellers of which will provide expert advice in the selection and selection of the product you are interested in.

More characters, opportunities, treasures in a competitive and cunning dwarf game that is adored all over the world. In a beautiful metal box (it's ready to become a gift), the basic version of the game Gnomes-pests, which is familiar to many, and a great cool addition are also conveniently settled. A velvet organizer, cards are dense and pleasant to the touch, and even cardboard chips have appeared! Okay, then touch it yourself, let's fight for gold - now you can even spread it out for 12 people.

Gnomes are known to be miners

And they chase the jewels, tunneling through the mountain. Only bad luck, real pests have entered your company of hard workers! They are all possible ways prevent the team from breaking through to the gold mine: either a piece of the tunnel is blown up, the lamp is smashed, or some other set-up is made. The winner, of course, is the dwarf who collects the most gold by the end of the game.

And where exactly the gold is stored, you do not know, so sometimes you build passages at random. Unless, there are some ways that allow you to spy on where the jewelry is, and where are just stones.

You have cards in your hand, and each turn you can

  • Continue the tunnel,
  • Play an action card on a tunnel or another player,
  • Discard an unnecessary card.

It's even more interesting with the addition

When you get tired of playing the main version, put away the gold nuggets and all the dwarfs from it in the box. Get the rest and distribute (do not give out your roles, then you get a real dwarf mafia):

  • Now the game takes place between two teams, which, even without being pests, can interfere with each other,
  • The dwarf boss generally plays for everyone, it is beneficial for him that at least someone collects gold,
  • The dealer does not care who wins, gold diggers or pests, so he can help both, further confusing the situation on the table,
  • The geologist, of course, does not care about the winning side, he needs to build a tunnel and find gems in order to get gold for them later,
  • Anyone can become a Thief if they come across a corresponding card, and can squeeze a piece of gold from another gnome at the end of the round. This often solves a lot!

The gnomes' caves are full of treasures

In the base deck:

  • 44 tunnel maps,
  • 27 Action Cards,
  • 28 gold nugget cards,
  • 7 cards of honest gold diggers,
  • 4 Gnome Pest Cards.

In addition, the cards are marked with the number 2:

  • 30 Tunnel Cards,
  • 21 action cards,
  • 15 gnome cards (4 blue, 4 green, 2 geologists, 3 pests, a boss and a dealer),
  • Rules of the game.

Other games in the series

It seems, according to the description, a children's mafia, with cards to do interesting things with pens. Uh-huh, now. Fluffy dreams, before the first game. And then suddenly - this is really a game about senseless and merciless sabotage of all to everyone! How else to explain that in theory there are two gnomes pests among the players, but in fact - I'm the only one digging for gold, like an honest worker ... The other five look sideways at each other, flashlights hit and carts break ?! And after all, adults, twenty years old, no less. Verdict: whoever did not break a pickaxe about a neighbor did not recognize the real fun. Particularly harsh gnome elders can also pomp, calculating criminals by trembling lips. And those who find psychology with difficulty (me, for example) can break the whole strategy with wild moves and vile giggles. Oh yes. As a reward for the victory - kusman of gold.

Ilya, salesman in St. Petersburg