Along time ago, in the Ruhr valley, a young shepherd made a campfire in a pit to warm h imself. His campfire seemed to burn much longer than usual. The next day, he discov- ered shiny black stones amidst the ashes, which were still glowing and burning.
The boy told the farmer who employed him about this and together, when the work in the fields was done, they dug in the Pinge for these black rocks. The deeper they dug, the more nasty pit water appeared, making the digging increasingly difficult.
At home they discussed what techniques and tools could be used to get rid of the pit wa- ter and go deeper in the ground to get those magical shiny black rocks named coal.
Components
- 1 Year wheel board
- 4 Player boards
- 3 Resource boards
- 20 Development tiles,
- 4 "Coal-miner and Haspelknecht" tiles
- 4 assist tiles
- 16 building tiles:
- 4 improved farm- hands
- 24 action markers,
- 44 Player disks,
- 8 Pit water
- 1 Phase marker
- 24 Debt chits
- 16 Thaler coins
- 1 Year marker
- 36 Action disks:
- -80 Black coal cubes
- 34 Wood
- 18 Food
- 1 Bag
- Rulebook
Object of the Game
In "Haspelknecht", the players take upon the role of farmers who exploit the presence of coal in their lands in the southern part of the Ruhr region. Coal was found here close to the earth's surface.
The game is set in a time where the lands were mostly covered with forests and roads were rare.
The players will obtain knowledge, expand their farm and free coals located deeper in the ground from the pit water and bring them to the surface. The game has many ways that lead to victory.
Setup
Player Board
Each player receives 18 coal cubes, 11 player disks in one color and a player board displaying workers, a farm and a mining area.
Each player places a coal cube on every indicated place on his player board (18 in total).
Development Board
Depending on the number of players, the development board is formed from 12 to 20 hexagon tiles. The board will always contain four rows of 3-5 tiles of the same color. The assist tiles are placed alongside the development tiles.
The action markers and buildings that correspond to the development tiles in play are conveniently placed next to the board. The same goes for coins, debt chits, resources, pit water and the "Coal-miner and Haspelknecht" tiles
For your first play, it is recommended to use the tiles that have the lowest numbers per color and place them in numerical order with the assist tiles attached.
In a game with less than 4 players, the action markers which correspond to the development tiles which are not in play, are returned to the box.
- 2 Players: 12 development tiles (3 of each color)
- 3 Players: 16 development tiles (4 of each color)
- 4 Players: 20 development tiles (5 of each color)
Year Wheel Board
Place the phase marker on the first 'pit water' field and place the year marker on the first year on the Year wheel board. All players place one of their player disks on the "0/50" space on the scoring track.
Before starting the first round the players randomly determine the turn order. Once the turn order has been determined they place their player disks in the correct order on the turn order chart.
Each player now has 9 disks of his color remaining and places these beside his player board.
Resource Boards
In the middle of the table, within reach of all players, a number of resource boards are placed. Take the resource boards where the player symbols are less than or equal to the number of players.
Each resource board shows an action pool and a reserve pool.
Depending on the number of players a number of action disks are used and placed in the drawing bag as shown in the example on the left.
These numbers and the colors of the disks are listed in the left column of this page.
Prepare the Resource Boards.
Randomly draw the action disks from the bag without looking at them. At first, for each reserve pool, draw 3 action disks and place them on the reserve pools. Then, for each action pool, draw 6 disks from the bag and place them on the action pools.
After this, the drawing bag should be empty.
Coal Mining
Coal Mining Areas
Each player board has 2 areas, the Pinge and the Tunnel, where players break down coal with their workers. The Pinge and the Tunnel must be kept free from pit water.
 Pinge with 7 coal cubes |
Coal Mining in the Pinge
Each player has an area on his player board called the Pinge. At the start of the game there are 7 coal cubes on each player's Pinge.
The Pinge also has 2 fields with a wood symbol. As players have to access the coal cubes from the left to right, any coal up to the first empty wood symbol can be excavated.
If an empty wood symbol in the Pinge is covered with a wood, then the player can also excavate the coal cubes right from the placed wood until the next empty wood symbol.
A player can place wood at any moment. By placing wood, the player extends the area where coal can be taken from.
Coal cubes are removed from the Pinge when it is excavated, and wood has to be placed on the Pinge.
Coal cubes which are excavated from the Pinge end up directly in the player's Farm area.
A player receives 2 victory points when he excavates all 7 coal cubes during the first year in the game. If this goal is fulfilled in the second year 1 point is received.
Pinge Exhausted
Once all coal cubes have been excavated from the Pinge, it is exhausted. Then, coal excavation in the Tunnel starts. Move all remaining pit water in the Pinge to the designated area in the Shaft and return the wood placed in the Pinge to the general supply.
Finally, place a "Coal-miner and Haspelknecht" tile on the player board so that it covers the Coal-digger and Pinge.
 Put the Haspelknecht and Hauer Tile onto the Playerboard |
Coal Mining in the Shaft and Tunnel
When the coal close to the surface was exhausted, the early miners went deeper into the ground. A shaft was first constructed, and then a tunnel would be built. Once this was done, coal could be excavated and be brought back to the surface.
Coal can only be excavated from the tunnel when the Pinge is completed.
Pinge (or Binge) is a German word which at best can be translated as a mine slump or mining sink hole. It is a direct result of mining activity close to the earth's surface.
The tunnel is the mining area where coal cubes are excavated underground. The tunnel has 7 areas which contain a total of 11 coal cubes. These coal cubes can only be accessed for excavation from the left to the right.
The tunnel also has 7 fields with a wood symbol. As players have to access the coal cubes from left to right, any coal to the left of the first empty wood symbol can be excavated.
If an empty wood symbol in the tunnel is covered with wood, the player can Put wood excavate the coal cubes to the right of the placed wood until the next empty wood into the symbol. tunnel -
A player can place wood at any moment he wishes to. By placing wood the player extends the area where coal can be taken from.
At least one wood has to be placed in the tunnel before any coal can be excavated from the tunnel.
The Miner, the Farmer and the Farmhand are able to excavate coal cubes in the tunnel. The Coal-digger is no longer available.
Unlike the Pinge, excavated coal cubes are not moved directly from the tunnel to the player's farm area. The coal is first placed in the designated area in the Shaft, located at the left from the tunnel.
The coal cubes have to be reeled in by the Haspelknecht. Once they have been reeled up to the surface, the coal cubes are moved to the player's farm area.
The tunnel scores victory points at the end of the game. Players will receive victory points depending of the completed areas in the tunnel. Each completed area provides 1 to 3 victory points.
Acquired developments can provide additional victory points.
Note: during the same phase the Farmhand or the Farmer can only excavate coal cubes in either the Pinge or the Tunnel!
However, it is possible to excavate the last coal cube with one of the workers and then use the other worker to excavate the first coal cube from the tunnel during the same phase.
Pit Water
During the game pit water will gather in the Pinge or shaft. The player's Workers will have to remove pit water to enable coal excavation.
Pit water or mining water is water that collects in a mine and which has to be brought to the surface in order to enable the mine to continue working
Placing Pit Water
Until completion of the Pinge, pit water is placed on the water field in the pinge area on the player board.
After completion of the Pinge, pit water is placed on the water field in the Shaft at the bottom left of the player board.
Game Play
The game is played over 3 rounds which represent 3 years. Each round is divided into 3 action phases (spring, summer and autumn), followed by a payment, scoring and storage phase (winter).
Players will keep track of all phases during the round by using the phase marker. A year has the following phases:
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Spring Pit Water:
Each player receives a pit water.
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Spring Action Phase:
Every player takes action disks up to two times and places them on his player board. The player order is then changed accordingly.
After that, all players place their action disks simultaneously on their player boards.
Finally, the action discs are all used in player order.
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Summer Action Phase:
See Spring action phase. (Yellow disks on a Farmer field generate a summer bonus of 1 extra food).
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Autumn Pit Water:
Each player receives a pit water.
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Autumn Action Phase
see Spring action phase.
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Winter Scoring Phase:
Players count the number of coal cubes on their farm area and score victory points according to the coal chart on the year wheel board.
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Winter Payment Phase:
Each player pays the cost (in food and Thaler) as indicated on the winter chart on the year wheel board or takes a Debt chit for each food and/or Thaler not paid.
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Winter Storage Phase:
Each player stores resources in his buildings. Resources in the correct buildings will earn the players victory points. Finally each player returns the resources he cannot store to the general supply.
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Next Year
After a year is concluded, move the year marker to the next year. A new year starts.
Action Phase (Spring, Summer, Autumn)
An Action phase is divided in the following steps:
- Refilling the resource boards
- Taking action disks
- Determining player turn order
- Planning and executing actions
1. Refilling the Resource Boards
This is skipped in the first phase of the first round. At the beginning of each ac- tion phase all players return all their action disks, whether used and unused. The disks are put into the drawing bag.
The 3 disks in the reserve pool are moved to the action pool and added to the disks that were not taken in the previous action phase.
Then 3 action disks are drawn from the bag and placed on for each reserve pool. Then, for each action pool that contains less than 6 disks, draw as many disks from the bag and place them on the action pools until the action pools each contain 6 disks. After this, the drawing bag should be empty.
It is possible that a resource board contains more than 6 disks. In this rare case, the final resource board that has to be supplemented will get less than 6 disks.
Special Rule for the First Round:
If a player takes less than 5 disks during the spring action phase of the first round, he may return his one pit water to the general stock.
2. Taking Action Disks
The action disks are taken in 2 steps.
In the first taking step, in player order, each player takes action disks from one of the action pools. He chooses 1 pool from which he has to take all disks in one single color. Then the next player follows.
Only if a player took less than 5 disks during the first taking step, is he allowed to take disks a second time.
The second time a player can only take as many disks, so that his total number of disks does not exceed 5. (So this depends on the number of disks the player took in his first taking).
Example: A player took 3 black action disks in the first taking. When it is his turn to take action disks in the second step, he chooses an action pool which contains 3 brown disks and 1 yellow disk. He takes 2 brown disks from that action pool. The player now has the maximum of 5 disks.
Some of the action pools show a water symbol. When a player takes action disks from one of these pools during the first step of the action disks taking, the player also receives 1 pit water.
Every player places his action disks at the cart fields on his player board. The disks taken during the first step are placed at the cart field marked 1.
The disks taken during the second step are placed at the cart field marked 2.
3. Determining Player Turn Order
Then each player adds up the values of his action disks placed at the cart field marked 1. Yellow disks are worth 3 points each, brown disks 2 points each and black disk 1 point each.
The player with the lowest total value places his turn order marker on the leftmost field of the turn order chart (marked I). The other players follow in order of increasing total value.
In case of equal values, the last player in the current turn order (the player who took his resource disks last) will go before the other player(s) in the new turn order.
4. Planning and Executing Actions
The players can use their action disks, food and Thalers to plan actions for their workers. The players can do planning simultaneously.
If players feel that their actions depend on what other players do, the players can decide to conclude planning in turn order.
 Action discs |
Each worker has a field where the action disks or other requirements can be placed. Below the fields are symbols showing which actions the worker can do.
When all players have planned their actions, in turn order, the players will execute all their workers' actions.
Players decide in which order the workers do their actions. A single worker has to finish his actions before a next worker can do his actions.
It is possible in a single player's turn that a worker finishes the Pinge and a next worker works in the tunnel.
Own Workers
Farmer
The farmer can use action disks in various ways: produce resources, excavate coal, remove pit water or acquire a development.
Only one of these actions can be used in a single phase. Exceptions are removing pit water and producing coal, these two actions can be combined.
Farmhand
The farmhand can use action disks to various ways: produce resources, excavate coal or remove pit water.
Only one of these actions can be used in a single phase. Exceptions are removing pit water and producing coal, these two actions can be combined.
Development
Once per phase the farmer can do a development. At the start of the game, this can only be done with the farmer.
To acquire a development, place the required action disks as shown at the top side on the development tile, on your worker's field.
The requirement shows colored and grey disks. Colored disks can only be met by corresponding colored disks. Grey disks can be matched by disks of a color of your choice.
Important: Only when the farmer develops, disks of different colors can be placed on the farmer.
Example: for development tile "31 mining timber" the player needs 4 action disks. One of those has to be black. The other 3 disks can be of any color. The player places 2 black and 2 brown disks at the farmer.
Resources
Place 1 or more action disks of the same color to receive one or more resource(s) (food, wood or coal). Per disk you get 1 resource of the same color. Yellow disks are for food, brown disks for wood and black disks for coal mining. Food or wood is taken from the general supply.
Food and coal are placed in your farm area. Wood can be used immediately in your mining area or can also be placed at your farm area instead. Wood is the only resource which can be used immediately. It is used according to the rules as explained in the Coal Mining section.
Coal cubes are taken from the appropriate mining area on the player's player board. Coal can only be excavated if the excavation is not hindered by pit water. Black action disks can be used to remove pit water or to excavate coal.
With one black disk a personal worker can either:
- remove 1 or 2 pit water
- excavate 1 coal cube
Removing Pit Water From the Pinge
Once there are at least 2 pit water tokens in the Pinge, pit water has to be removed before any coal cubes can be taken. Removed pit water goes to the general supply.
2 or more pit water: No coal can be taken from the pinge
Removing Pit Water From the Shaft
Once there are at least 2 pit water in the Shaft, pit water has to be removed before any coal cubes can be transported from the shaft to the farm area.
If there is 5 or more pit water in the tunnel, no coal can be excavated.
Removed pit water goes to the general supply.
2 or more pit water in the shaft: No coal can be transported from the shaft up to the farm area.
5 or more pit water in the shaft: no coal can be excavated
Synergy Bonus
If the farmer and farmhand both produce the same resource or both work in the mining area to remove pit water or to excavate coal, then the player receives an additional action as if there was an additional disk for the worker who was activated last in the phase.
 Synergy bonus |
Contract Workers
The contract workers are specialists; the Coal-digger, Coal-miner and Haspel- Knecht. Each can be activated only once during an action phase by paying 1 of their requirements.
The Coal-digger is available in the beginning of the game. Later in the game the Coal-digger will be succeeded by the Coal-miner and Haspelknecht.
Coal-digger
To pay the Coal-digger, you have to place exactly 1 yellow disk, 1 food or 1 Thaler at the Coal-digger's field.
The Coal-digger only works if he is paid. He performs 2 actions.
If there is more than 1 pit water, the Coal-digger will remove 2 pit water per action until there is no more than 1 pit water.
If there is no or 1 pitwater the Coal-digger excavates 1 coal cube per action.
The Coal-digger only works in the Pinge.
Coal-miner
The Coal-miner comes into play when the Pinge is exhausted. The miner excavates coal in the tunnel only.
To pay the miner you have to place exactly 1 food or 1 Thaler on the miner's field.
The miner only works if he is paid. He then excavates up to 3 coal cubes. He can- not remove pit water.
Coal excavated in the tunnel is moved to the shaft.
Haspelknecht
The Haspelknecht removes pit water from the shaft or he reels up coal from the shaft to the farm.
To activate the Haspelknecht, you have to place exactly 1 yellow disk, 1 food or 1 Thaler on the Haspelknecht's field.
The Haspelknecht only works if he is paid. When paid, he can perform up to 3 ac- tions. Per action, he can remove 2 pit water from the shaft or excavate 1 coal back to the surface.
Excavated coal is stored in the courtyard area on the player board. If there is more than 1 pit water in the pit, he must remove it first.
Haspelknecht or Haspler can be translated as reel farmhand. In early coal mining, he is taking care of the vertical transport in the shaft.
Example: There are 5 pit water in the Shaft. The player uses one yellow action disk on his Haspelknecht. With this he gets 3 actions. Per action he can remove up to 2 pit water or reel up one coal cube.
He removes 4 pit water and moves 1 coal to his farm area.
Scoring, Payment and Storage Phase (Winter)
Each winter 4 phases will take place:
- Scoring points
- Paying leases to the nobility
- Storage
- Next year
With certain development tiles owned by the players, the winter phase can be influenced in their advantage.
1. Scoring Points
 Yearwheel - scoring points |
Each player counts the coal cubes in his farm area to determine the number of victory points he scores.
You get no points for 1 or 2 Coal cubes. 3 Coal cubes will yield 2 victory points, after which every extra coal cube will yield 1 more victory point (see the coal chart on the year wheel board).
2. Paying Leases to the Nobility
 Yearwheel - paying leases |
Each player must pay a lease for his lands to the nobility. During the first round you have to pay 2 food, the second year will cost you 2 food and 1 Thaler, the third year costs 2 Thalers and 1 food. The costs per year are displayed on the year wheel board.
Players have to take one debt chit for each commodity they cannot pay. Debt chits will cost you victory points at the end of the game. Payment is obligatory, if you possess the appropriate commodities you must pay.
3. Storage
 Yearwheel and farm area - storage |
Each player can store one single unit of food, wood or coal in the farm area on his player board. Stored resources can be used later in the game.
The winter phase ends with each player returning his redundant resources (the resources he cannot store) to the general stock.
A player is granted 1 victory point when he stores 1 unit of wood on the farm area. Acquired developments can provide additional storage and victory points.
4. Next Year
A year is concluded, move the year marker to the next year. A new year starts. The game ends after 3 years.
Development Tiles
At the beginning of the game, in 4 different levels, a number of development tiles are placed on the table. When acquired, these development tiles provide players with victory points and/or advantages during the game.
Development tiles can be owned by all players. A player can own each development tile once and get the appropriate advantage.
To acquire a development tile, the player places the right number of action disks of the correct color on his Farmer. When the action is executed the player places one of his player disks on the development tile to show that he now owns it.
The player disks are stacked on a development tile. The player places his disk on top on already placed disks. The bottom disk belongs to the player who took the development first. The top disk belongs to the player who took the development last.
 possible developments for red player |
If a player wants to acquire a development, the following rules have to be followed:
On the top row, a player can acquire any development tile.
On non-top rows, a player can acquire a development tile if the development tile is adjacent to a development tile the player already owns.
Alternatively, a player can acquire a development tile if the development tile is already owned by another player and not adjacent to a development the player already owns.
In this case the player has to pay a resource, as indicated on the assist tile, to the last player who previously acquired this development (the current top disk). The resource the player pays, is taken from his farm area.
Additional cost, to pay to the player whose disk is on top of the development tile, if the player has no development adjacent to the targeted development:
- Level 1: no costs (top row)
- Level 2: a coal cube, wood or food
- Level 3: a coal cube
- Level 4: a food
If a player obtains a development he immediately gains victory points. The points are also displayed on the assist tiles.
- Level 1: 1st player: 1 victory point
- Level 2: 1st player: 2 victory points, 2nd player: 1 victory point
- Level 3: 1st player: 3 victory points, 2nd player: 2 victory points, 3rd player: 1 victory point
- Level 4: 1st player: 4 victory points, 2nd player: 3 victory points, 3rd player: 2 victory point, 4th player: 1 victory point
 Assist tiles with victory points and costs for distant development |
End of the Game
The game ends after 3 completed years.
At the end of the game victory points are awarded as follows:
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Tunnel
Players get 1 to 3 victory points for each emptied section. The number of points is printed on player board.
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Tunnel Bonus
If the player owns the development "Wheelbarrow", he gets 1 victory point for each emptied section that has the corresponding symbol.
If the player owns the development "Oil lamp", he gets 1 victory point for each emptied section that has the corresponding symbol.
If the player owns the development "Lorry", he gets 1 victory point for each emptied section that has the corresponding symbol.
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Development Bonus
If a player owns the development "Hand cart", he gets 1 victory point for each agricultural "fork" symbol on development tiles the player has.
If a player owns the development "Coal driver", he gets 1 victory point for each mining "hammer and pick" symbol on development tiles the player has.
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Buildings Bonus
Players get victory points for the number of building symbols on development tiles the player has:
- 1 building symbol - 1 victory point
- 2 building symbols - 3 victory points
- 3 building symbols - 6 victory points
- 4 building symbols - 10 victory points
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Unused Action Markers from Development Tiles
Players get 1 victory point for every unused action marker.
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Thaler Coins
Players get victory points for the number of coins the player has left:
- 1 Thaler - 2 victory points
- 2 Thaler - 5 victory points
- 3 Thaler - 9 victory points
- 4 Thaler - 14 victory points
Every additional Thaler - 6 victory points.
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Debt Chit Deduction
Players lose victory points for the number of debt markers a player owns: 1 debt chit - minus 1 victory point
Each additional debt chit - minus 2 victory points.
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Pit Water Deduction
If the player has more than 1 pit water, the player gets as many points deducted as the number of remaining pit water minus 1.
So, 1 pit water - no deduction, 2 pit water - minus 1 victory point, 3 pit water - minus 2 victory points, etc.
The winner is the player who got the most victory points.
In case of a tie, the player who removed most coal from his mining area is declared winner. If this is equal as well, the tied player who stands first in the player order wins.
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