Components
- 20 Empty Room cards
- 20 Moose in the Room cards
- 10 There's a Moose in the House cards
- 5 Door cards
- 3 Moose Trap cards
- Instructions
Object of the Game
The object of the game is to keep moose out of the rooms of your house, put moose into your opponents' houses, and have the fewest moose in your house when the last card is played.
Setup
The first time you play, look through the deck to get familiar with the cards. Note that each Empty Room card has a matching color-coded Moose in the Room card.
Choose a player to be the dealer. The dealer shuffles the deck, deals four cards to each player, and places the remaining cards in a face-down draw pile in the center of the playing area. Players look at their cards but keep them secret from opponents.
Game Play
All players start the game with an invisible empty "house" in front of them on the playing surface. As the game progresses, players fill opponents' houses with rooms and then their rooms with moose.
The player to the left of the dealer goes first and play continues clockwise. Start each turn by drawing one card from the face-down deck. Then take ONE of the following actions:
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Play a There's a Moose in the House card on any opponent that doesn't already have one.
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Play an empty room card on any opponent that has less than three empty rooms.
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Play a matching Moose in the Room card on top of any opponent's empty room (providing they have a There's a Moose in the House card in front of them).
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Play a Door card on one of your empty rooms.
If you can't play any of your cards, simply discard one into a face-up pile next to the draw pile. This ends your turn, and play moves to the next player.
Card Actions
There's a Moose in the House
This is a very important card early in the game, as you cannot put any moose into opponents' houses until they have one of these in front of them.
To play this card, place it face up in front of any opponent and announce, "There's a Moose in Your House!" Once you get a There's a Moose in the House card, it stays for the duration of the game.
You can't stop anyone from giving one to you and you can't get rid of it. However, each player may only get one There's a Moose in the House card during the game.
Notes
Once all players have a There's a Moose in the House card in front of them, discard any extra There's a Moose in the House cards from your hand, and draw new cards to bring it back up to four.
Also, if you draw a There's Moose in the House card after all players have a There's a Moose in the House card in front of them, simply discard it and draw another card.
Empty Rooms
There are four different empty rooms in the house: a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. During your turn, try to give one of these cards to another player.
If an opponent gives you an Empty Room card, place it face up in front of you, visible to all. Once you get an Empty Room card, opponents may play a matching Moose in the Room card on top of it during subsequent turns, unless you close it first using a Door card.
Empty Room cards are the only cards you can give opponents before they have a There's a Moose in the House card in front of them.
Notes:
Build your "house" from left to right in front of you, keeping the There's a Moose in the House card on the outside left.
You can have multiple matching rooms in your house (for example, two kitchens, three bedrooms, etc).. However, you cannot have more than three empty rooms (without a Closed Door or Moose) in your house at once during the game.
Moose in the Room
Each empty room has a matching Moose in the Room card. Once opponents have a There's a Moose in the House card, you can put moose in their rooms. Look at the Empty Room cards in front of your opponents.
If someone has an Empty Room card that matches a Moose in the Room card from your hand, place the card face up on top of the Empty Room card and announce, "There's a Moose in your [name of room]!" Moose in the Room cards are counted at the end of the game.
Notes
You may only play Moose in the Room cards on opponents who have a There's a Moose in the House Card in front of them. Also, you can only play one Moose in the Room card per Empty Room.
Door
Door cards keep moose out of the rooms in your house. Play a Door card face up on top of any Empty Room card in front of you.
When you do, say "Slam!" Doors permanently shut rooms and stay in place until the end of the game.
Note
This is the only card that you may play to your house and you may only play it on an empty room.
Moose Trap
Use a Moose Trap card to get rid of pesky moose! When someone tries to put a moose in one of your empty rooms, play this card immediately from your hand.
Show the card to your opponent and say "Moose Trap!" Take both the Moose Trap card along with the opponent's Moose in the Room card and place them in the discard pile. (Leave your Empty Room card as players may still try to put another moose there later in the game).
Then, draw another card to bring your hand back up to four cards. Play continues as usual with the player to the left of the person who tried to put a moose in your house.
Note
You can only play this card as an instant action during someone else's turn, not during your turn.
Here's an example of how the playing area (the "houses") might look in the middle of a four-player game:
End of the Game
When the last card is drawn from the deck, continue playing out the cards in your hand. Take turns as usual, playing one card at a time.
If you can't play a card from your hand, say "pass". Keep going until all players are either out of cards or cannot move (have to pass). At this point, add the total number of Moose in the Room cards, both in your hand and in your house.
The player with the fewest Moose wins. (In the case of a tie, the player with the most closed doors wins).
Fun Playing Suggestions
Having moose in your house is just plain silly! Therefore, we encourage you to create quips and witty banter throughout the game.
Some examples: Play a Moose in the Kitchen card and say, "I'm coming over for some Chocolate Mousse". Play a Moose in the Bedroom card and say, "Bedtime for Bullwinkle!" Whatever you say, have fun and be creative!
Interesting Facts about Moose
Moose are hoofed mammals - the largest of the deer family. They can weigh up to 1500 lbs and can grow to be 7 feet tall.
Moose are herbivores, eating mostly aquatic and marsh plants. Some moose eat up to 130 pounds of plants a day.
The origin of the word MOOSE is thought to be from "mus" of the Algonquian (North American Indian) family of languages thought to mean 'eater of twigs.'
Only male moose have antlers, which can grow as large as 6 feet in length and weigh up to 50 pounds. Males shed their antlers once a year during the winter and re-grow them with a new larger rack each spring.
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