How to Play Mouse Trap (Board Game)

Make sure your game is complete. You should have:

• Gameboard
• 4 plastic mice
• 2 metal marbles
• Mouse Trap building parts and accessories
• Rubber band
• 52 cheese pieces
  • If you find you are short any pieces, you might be able to improvise. It probably won't matter if you are a couple of Cheese Pieces short.
• Die

Know the objective of the game. To win, you must have the last free mouse on the board. Players take turns building the Mouse Trap as they move around the gameboard. The constructed Mouse Trap is then used to try to capture players' mice.

Set up the game. Place the gameboard on a level surface, a table works well. Place the Mouse Trap parts and playing pieces next to the gameboard. Put the cheese pieces next to the gameboard. Have each player chooses a mouse and place it on the START space on the gameboard.

Decide which player will go first. Play proceeds to the left. Each player rolls the die in turn, and moves their mouse the number of gameboard spaces shown. Follow any instructions printed on the space the mouse lands on. In this game, two or more mice may be on one space at the same time.

Collect cheese pieces. As the mice move around the gameboard, they will collect cheese pieces from the cheese pile and the other players. Players use cheese pieces later in the game to help spring the trap.

Do what each different space you land on requires. There are types of spaces:

• Build Spaces. The Build spaces have numbers printed on them (2, 2-3, 2-3-4). When a mouse lands on a Build space and the number of players in the game matches any one of the numbers on the space, build one part of the Mouse Trap and collect one cheese piece from the cheese pile.
  • In a 4-player game, you can build if you land on Build space 2-3-4.
  • In a 3-player game, you can build if you land on Build space 2-3 or 2-3-4.
  • In a 2-player game, you can build if you land on Build space 2, 2-3, or 2-3-4.
• Go Back & Move Ahead Spaces. If a mouse lands on one of these spaces move only the spaces indicated, but do not follow any instructions printed on that space and do not collect any Cheese pieces!.
• Take Cheese Spaces. When a mouse lands on one of these spaces, take the indicated number of cheese pieces from the cheese pile. If the cheese pile is empty, take the cheese pieces from the player with the most cheese pieces. If two or more opponents are tied for the most cheese pieces, the player whos' turn it is can take them all the cheese pieces from one opponent or divide the amount between them. If a mouse lands on the space marked Take Three Pieces of Cheese From Rival With Most", do as it says, even if there are cheese pieces in the pile. If the player with the most cheese has less than three pieces, just take the number of pieces the opponent does have. If two or more opponents are tied for the most Cheese pieces, the player whose turn it is may take them all from one opponent or divide the amount between them.
• Lose Cheese Spaces. If a mouse lands on one of these spaces, return the indicated number of cheese pieces to the cheese pile. If this board-space says to return more pieces then the player has, the player must return as many as cheese pieces as they hold.
• Dog Bone Space. A player landing on this space does nothing
• The Loop. These are the six spaces at the end of the path beginning with the Safe space and ending with the Cheese Wheel space. This section of the path is called The Loop and it is where mice are captured. When players arrive at The Loop, they take turns circling it as many times as necessary until the Mouse Trap is completely built and only one mouse remains uncaptured on the gameboard.
• Cheese Wheel Space. Every time a mouse lands on the Cheese Wheel space, the player takes two cheese pieces from the cheese pile. If the cheese pile is empty, the player can take any pieces they are entitled to from the opponent with the most cheese pieces. If two or more opponents are tied for the most cheese pieces, the player may take them all from one opponent or divide the amount between players with equal numbers of cheese pieces.

Build the mousetrap. Build one part of the Mouse Trap whenever a mouse lands on a Build space as already described. Mouse Trap parts must be assembled in numerical order. Build the Mouse Trap by placing each numbered part in its proper position following the Building Plan. The first player to land on a Build space places part #1 (Base A) on the game- board. The next player to land on a Build space would position part #2 (Gear Support) in place and so on until the Mouse Trap is completed. After placing a part of the Mouse Trap on the gameboard, players should immediately take one Cheese piece from the pile.

• Whenever a mouse lands on a Build space that's located on The Loop section of the game path, add two parts to the Mouse Trap and take two cheese pieces from the cheese pile. When the Mouse Trap is complete, players do nothing when their mouse lands on a Build space.
• Realize that in this game, trapping pieces on the board must be set up to create a chain reaction. If the game completes an incomplete chain reaction, you are missing something and play must continue until everything is set up.

Trap mice. When the Mouse Trap is complete, use it to try to capture mice. When a player's turn ends on the Turn Crank space in The Loop and there's another player mouse on the Cheese Wheel Space, players turn the crank slowly in a clockwise direction. This sets the trap in motion. If the trap operates correctly, the opposing mouse will be captured and is out of the game. Any cheese pieces held by the captured player must be turned over to the player whose turn it was.

• If the trap doesn't capture the mouse, the opposing player immediately moves his or her mouse to the Safe space. If more than one mouse is on the Cheese Wheel space, they may all be captured (or missed) together. If there is no opposing mouse (or mice) on the Cheese Wheel space, try to move one or more mice there. Mice can be moved - this procedure is covered in a later step.

Move opponents' mice. If a player's turn ends on the Turn Crank space and there is no opposing mouse on the Cheese Wheel space, try to move an opponent's mouse onto the Cheese Wheel space and then try to trap that mouse.

• Return a cheese piece to the pile.
• Select the opponent's mouse you wish to move.
• Roll the die and then move the other players mouse the indicated number of spaces.

Allow play to continue. Players may continue doing this as many times and to as many opponents as desired as long as they have Cheese pieces to return to the pile. If a player manages to move a mouse (or mice) onto the Cheese Wheel, then turn the crank as described above. Players may only use cheese pieces when they are on the Turn Crank space. If an opponent's mouse is on the Cheese Wheel space when a player lands on the Turn Crank space, they may still use their cheese pieces to try to get other opponents' mice onto the Cheese Wheel space before setting the Mouse Trap in motion. Players may not move mice out of the Safe Space in The Loop.