Queen Benevolence is hosting a celebration to honor her loyal subjects. To thank them, she will give away 12 extraordinary items from her treasure box that she keeps hidden away in a secret chamber in the castle.
But when the Queen goes to choose the items that she wants to bestow, she discovers the box is empty! A thief has stolen her treasures and is running away with them!
The celebration cannot happen without the treasures and there is not much time before daybreak and the start of the party. The treasures must be found!
Near the castle live a band of friendly gnomes who are loyal to the Queen.
She calls on two of her most trusted gnome friends to find the treasures and return them. The thief was last seen running through the winding maze of the castle, dropping the objects along the way.
The gnomes need your help to quickly guide them through the maze and find all of the treasures so they can bring them to the Queen in time for the festivities. Hurry before time runs out!
Components
- 21/2 minute sand timer
- 12 treasure cards
- 2 magnetic gnome movers
- 4 game boards
- 2 plastic posts
- 4 corner start cards
- 2 team cards
- Instructions
Object of the Game
Players cooperate to help the gnomes reach as many treasures as possible before the sand timer runs out.
Setup
Empty the box of all playing pieces, leaving the base inside the box.
Attach the two posts where indicated on both sides of the box bottom. Decide together which maze game board you want to play with and place it in the posts so the board is upright in the box.
The game boards are marked with levels of difficulty: A through D. A is the easiest level, B is a little harder, C is harder still, and D is the most difficult.
Start with level A and work your way up to D.
Shuffle the 4 corner start cards and place them next to the box, face down.
Shuffle the 12 treasure cards and place them next to the starting cards in a pile face down.
Place the sand timer where everyone can see it.
Set out the 2 gnome movers.
Players sit on opposite sides of the board while playing. Rules are for a 2-player game.
Team Cards for a Multiplayer Game
4-player game: Two players sit on either side of the board. Give each team one of the team cards.
Each player on that team chooses one color for the entire game. This color indicates when it is that player's turn based on the team colors shown on the treasure card.
Each treasure card shows two colors, which are the active players' colors while that card is being played. Only the active players talk and move the gnomes for that round.
3-player game: There is one team of two players and one single player. Give one team card to the team with two players. You may want to swap seats between rounds so that the single player changes each time.
Remember, everyone plays cooperatively and wins or loses together.
Game Play
The game is played in 3 rounds. Each round has 4 steps:
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Draw the top corner start card and place both movers in the corner of the game board indicated by the card - 1, 2, 3, or 4. If for any reason you drop a mover during play, turn over the next corner start card and place the movers in the corner indicated on the card.
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Turn over the sand timer and the top treasure card at the same time and start playing!
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As quickly as possible, locate the treasure depicted on the card on the board. It will be on one side of the board only. Begin communicating and moving the gnomes toward the treasure.
Sometimes you will be able to move easily toward the treasure, sometimes you will need to back track. Keep trying different routes until you reach the treasure you're looking for.
Once the movers reach the treasure, put that treasure card aside and quickly turn over the next treasure card to begin the next search!
The round is over when one of two things happen:
- The sand timer runs out.
- The players find all 12 treasures. In each round, players are always looking for the same 12 treasures, 6 on one side of the board and 6 on the other.
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Score the round by counting the number of treasures you found, 1 point for each treasure. Keep score on a piece of paper.
To start the next round, shuffle the treasure cards and the corner start cards and place them in a pile face down. Use the same game board again or switch it out for a different board.
Move in the Mazes
The Mazes
Front of maze board A: Player may move gnome along the path but cannot move the mover through a wall.
Back of maze board A: Player moves red gnome in the path on this side.
Front of maze board A: Red gnome pulls blue gnome with him through a wall on this side.
The maze paths are different on each side of the board. You may move your mover only along the paths on your side of the board.
You cannot move your mover through a wall in the maze - but the player on the other side of the board CAN move your mover through walls. That's how you help each other reach a treasure!
The Movers
To get a feel for how the movers move, place each magnetic mover on the #1A corner on opposite sides of the A game board. They should attach to each other. Each player is responsible for her own mover.
Take turns moving the attached movers around the board. When you move one, the other will move along with it. Move only the one on your side and don't peek at the opposite side of the board!
Let go of your mover while the other one is being moved. If you both try to move at the same time, they may become detached, which will require you to place the movers back on a corner during play.
The Queen S Treasures
Can you find them all before time runs out?
End of the Game
Each game is played in 3 rounds. Add up the points from all 3 rounds to determine your final score.
Score
- 0-9: The Queen likes your efforts but wishes you to try again.
- 10-18: Better but there are still treasures to be found.
- 19-24: The townspeople are impressed. Nice job!
- 25-30: The thief is no match for you. Keep up the good work!
- 31-36: Congratulations! The Queen's party will go on thanks to you!
This is a game of communication and speed. Challenge yourself next time to beat your best score!
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