Sewer Rat
You’re smart, you’re resourceful, and at times you’re shrewd. Your kind is the second most successful creature on this planet next to humans. To some you’re a dinner item waiting to be grasped in hungry teeth and claws, to others you’re a vermin, a harborer of plagues, a pest to be exterminated, but you’re much more, you’re a survivor. Survival can come at a high cost, even it means disposing of your fellow rats so that you can be the last rat standing, or crawling.
Contents: 20” x 20” neoprene board / 6 rat pieces / 120 / plumbing tiles / 64 two sided trap pieces /. 2 eight sided dies
Number of players: 2 – 6 rats can play this deadly game individually, or teams of 2 players or 3 players can be formed.
Objective: To be the last rat left on the board. When a rat is unable to move on its turn it is removed from the board.
Setup: All the players work together placing the plumbing tiles onto the board until all 64 white squares are filled up. After all the pipe tiles have been placed on the board players place their rat piece anywhere on the board that has a white dot in the plumbing. Players take turns going clockwise. Figure 1 below illustrates a board with plumbing tiles.
Plumbing Tiles: There are a total of 120 plumbing tiles. Only 64 of the 120 tiles are needed to fill in all the white squares. The tiles can be rotated to fit other pipes.
Players select and place the tiles on the board in any arrangement they want, but all the pipe ends must be connected to another pipe end except for the 16 pipes that end in a circle. There are 32 toilets that must be connected to a pipe. Players take turns placing one tile at a time until all 64 spaces are filled. It is possible not to have piping in every space and 3 blank tiles without pipes are provided to fill in those squares. If the pipes don’t fit at the end players can rearrange them as a group to make them fit.
Toilets: Printed on the board are 32 toilets outside of the white squares. Each toilet has a number in it and these numbers are used to reference the placement of traps when the dice are rolled. A player can travel from one end of the board to the other through toilets. Traveling can only take place if there is not another rat or a trap next to the toilet. Traveling is always at the exact opposite end of the board on the same row from which a rat enters a toilet. Traps cannot be moved through a toilet.
Black Traps: Every time the dice are rolled traps are placed on the board. Rats can never move onto or go across a trap. The two dice are rolled on each rat’s turn. The two numbers on the dice determine the placement of the traps. There is a green die and a yellow die that correspond with the green and yellow toilets. So if you were to roll a yellow 5 and a green 2 then you would go to the yellow 5 toilet and move across until you line up with the green 2 toilet. Where those two numbers meet is where you would place a black trap. Then you would flip the numbers, yellow 2 and green 5 to place the second black trap. If a rat rolls double then only a red trap is laid. If a trap lands on a rat then the rat moves to another location. The rat can only move in a straight line from where it is being displaced. Black traps can be moved by any rat on their turn. Black traps can only be moved one space at a time in one turn.
Red Traps: Red traps are created when any two black traps are combined. This combining can be done when a black trap is placed on top of another black trap from the roll of the dice or when a rat moves one black trap onto another. Red traps can never be moved. They are permanent. No black traps can be put on top of a red trap. Like the black trap, rats can never land on or go over a red trap.
Moving: Rats can travel more than one space at a time in a turn as long as it is in a straight line and not blocked by a trap. They can make a turn on their next turn. They can squeeze past another rat on their path, but cannot land in the same space of another rat. Rats can never land on or cross over a trap. Rats can hop in a toilet and travel to the other end (row), but only if it is not occupied by another rat or trap. They can only pop in on the first square at the opposite end. A rat must be able to move in their turn, or they are eliminated from the game.
Moving Traps: A rat can choose to move a trap in place of moving plumbing tiles. There are different reasons why a rat may do this. One reason would be to clear a path for it to travel, another would be to try to trap another rat. If a rat moves a black trap onto another black trap it becomes a red trap which is permanent and cannot be moved. Black traps cannot be moved onto red traps. Black traps can only be moved one space at a time and a rat can move any black trap on the board. Traps cannot be moved through the toilets.
Moving Plumbing Tiles: A rat can choose to move 4 plumbing tiles in place of moving a trap on their turn. Only 4 plumbing tiles can be switched out, but only if there is not a rat or trap on the tile that is being switched out. The ends of the pipes on the tile being switched out must match any open end.
Rolling Traps on Top of Traps: If a trap is rolled on top of an existing black trap then it is turned into a red trap. If a trap is rolled on top of an existing red trap then the one who rolled the dice can place that black trap anywhere on the board except on an existing red trap, or rat. Whenever a double is rolled on a clear space it is automatically a red trap and there is only one trap for that roll. If a double is rolled on top of a black trap it becomes a red trap with an extra black trap to be placed by the one who rolled the dice anywhere on the board except an existing red trap, or on a rat. If a double is rolled on top of a red trap then the one who rolled the dice can choose to place one red trap anywhere on the board or two black traps anywhere on the board.
Death of a Rat: When a rat is unable to move it is removed from the board. If after the end of your turn you are unable to move you are removed from the game. All the players pay silent homage to the departed rat and then continue the game.
End of Game: The game ends when there is only one rat left to move.