Game Objective
Get ready for the most insane camel race in Egypt! In Camel Up (2nd Edition), your goal is to become the richest gambler at the table. You'll bet on the most promising camels, hope they carry each other on their backs (or get carried!), and try to predict who will cross the finish line first and who will fall behind. But beware, two crazy camels run in the wrong direction, adding an extra pinch of chaos and fun! The player with the most Egyptian Pounds at the end of the race will be the big winner.
Preparation (Setup)
Let's set up this table and get everything ready for the race to begin!
- Place the game board in the center of the table.
- Stack the 4 leg betting tiles of each color (totaling 5 Pounds per stack). Place the 1 Pound tiles at the bottom and the 2 Pound tiles on top. Then, place each stack on the tent of the corresponding tile on the board.
- Stack the 5 pyramid tiles and place them in the indicated space on the board.
- Separate the Egyptian Pound coins by value (1, 3, and 5 Pounds) and form a bank next to the board.
- Each player receives 3 Egyptian Pounds and places them in front of them. Remember, your money should be visible, but you don't need to reveal the exact amount.
- Each player chooses a character and receives 5 betting cards and the corresponding spectator tile. The betting cards should be face down and kept secret. Unused cards and spectator tiles are returned to the box.
- To determine the starting positions of the racing camels, take the 5 racing dice and roll them once.
- Each camel whose corresponding die shows 1 will be placed on space 1 of the track.
- Each camel whose corresponding die shows 2 will be placed on space 2.
- Each camel whose corresponding die shows 3 will be placed on space 3.
- Now, for the crazy camels! Roll the gray die. The white camel will be positioned on the space indicated by the die. If the space already has a camel, place the white camel on top of it. Remember that camels move counter-clockwise. Place the gray die back in the pyramid.
- Give the start player marker to the youngest player.
- If playing with 4 or more players, each player receives their character's partnership card and places it face up. In games with fewer than 4 players, partnership cards are not used.
Game Turn
The race begins with the start player, and the game proceeds clockwise. On your turn, you must choose one of the 4 possible actions:
- Take a Leg Betting Tile:
Take the top betting tile from any stack on the board and place it in front of you. By doing so, you are betting that the camel of that color will be leading the race at the end of the leg. There is no limit to the number of betting tiles you can take, and you can take multiple of the same color.
- Use your Spectator Tile:
Place your spectator tile on an empty space on the race track that has no camels or other spectator tiles. You cannot place it on a space adjacent to another spectator tile, nor on space 1. If your tile is already on the board, you can move it to a new space, following the same rules. You can use the cheering side or the oasis side, each with a different effect on camel movement.
- Take a Pyramid Tile:
Take the top pyramid tile from the stack on the board and place it in front of you. Then, take the dice pyramid, shake it, and reveal a die. The camel of the color corresponding to the die (or the white camel if it's the white die) must move the number of spaces indicated on the die. Remember: the camel on top of a stack is considered to be in front, and purple camels are ignored for placement purposes, as they cannot be carried. After the movement, place the revealed die back in the pyramid.
- Bet on the Winning or Losing Camel:
Choose one of your betting cards and place it face down in the appropriate space to bet on the winning camel (who you think will win the entire race) or the losing camel (who you think will come in last in the entire race).
End of a Leg
A leg ends when all 5 racing dice have been revealed by the pyramid (i.e., when the last pyramid tile is taken). At the end of each leg, a scoring occurs, where players gain or lose Pounds. The betting tiles are returned to the board and the 5 revealed dice are placed back in the pyramid for the next leg.
End of Game and Scoring
The game ends the moment a camel crosses the finish line. When this happens, another leg scoring phase occurs, followed by the final scoring phase. In this phase, players gain or lose Pounds depending on their bets on the winning and losing camel of the race. The player with the most Egyptian Pounds at the end of the count wins the game!
Important: If you need to pay a lost bet and don't have enough money, you don't owe the amount. The debt is forgiven.
Tips for Winning
- Observe the Camel Stacks: The position of the camels is crucial! The camel on top of a stack is considered to be in front. Use this to your advantage to predict movements and bet more intelligently.
- Manage your Leg Betting Tiles: There's no limit to how many leg betting tiles you can take. Try to take tiles for camels that seem to be in a good position to lead at the end of the leg, but don't be afraid to diversify your bets!
- Bet on the Crazy Ones Carefully: The crazy camels can mess up the race, but they can also be an opportunity. Understanding how they interact with other camels can give you an advantage, especially in losing bets.
In English
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