How to Play Saboteur Gold

Objective of the Game

In Saboteur, dwarves are down in a mine, seeking treasure. Some dwarves are nice (Diggers), and some are nasty (Saboteurs). There are as many dwarves in the mine as there are players.

Diggers aim to dig a tunnel towards treasure. They win if they get to the treasure and there is a path to it from any ladder. Only the team (Green or Blue) that completed the path can grab gold. If a door of their own color blocks the path, they are allowed through, but if there's a door of the other team's color blocking the route, they cannot get through.

Saboteurs win if the treasure's not reached and the deck is used up and no players have playable cards in hand. They aim to get in the way of the Diggers and stop them from getting a pathway to the treasure.

Other dwarves, like the Boss, Profiteer, and Geologist, have their own objectives for gaining gold pieces, regardless of whether the treasure is reached or not, or who reaches it.

Preparation (Setup)

1. Deal each player a dwarf card, which they keep secret.
2. Take 10 path & action cards and set them aside; they will not appear in this game.
3. Deal each dwarf 6 cards.

Flow of the Game

The game progresses through turns. Each turn, a player must choose to do one of four actions: A, B, C, or D.

Each turn, do A, B, C or D

• A - Lay down a mine-path card: The card must be put next to a path that's already on the table, and the new section of path must join paths that can be reached from a ladder. Cards are laid short sides to short sides: long to long. They may be rotated before being placed.
• B - Take action - affecting either the mine, or a miner: Actions are put face-up in front of oneself, another dwarf, or onto the discard. They can be used to hinder or help yourself or others, to take a card out of the pathway, or to gain information about the goal cards. The actions take place immediately. After taking the action, take a new card. Discard means removing the card from play, not back into the draw pile.
• C - Pass and discard: Discard one, two, or three cards and take the same number back. If there are not that many available, take less. Simply discarding and not taking anything back may become the only available option.
• D - Discard and repair (or escape): By discarding two cards, a dwarf can repair one of their broken tools or break free from jail. This option cannot be used to help others. They then get only one new card, thus reducing the size of their hand.

Actions and How to Play

Players can perform various actions using action cards. These cards can be played in front of a dwarf or onto the play-pile to wreak havoc, put things right, or look at maps.

Types of Action Cards

• Map (6): Secretly look at any of the three treasures. Whether to tell others, and whether to tell the truth, is the dwarf's choice.
• Theft (4): Put a theft card in your own player area. After the gold has been distributed, you can steal 1 piece of another dwarf's gold. You cannot steal if you are trapped in jail.
• Swap hands (2): Play this to exchange hands with another player. You can do this even if you have no further cards, and if the draw pile is empty. You take all their cards.
• Inspection (2): If you play this, you may look at the role of another player and find out what they're up to.
• Trapped in prison! (3): Play this card against another player, who is then trapped in jail and cannot play path cards. If still trapped when the round ends, they don't get included as one of the winners and don't get a cut of the treasure.
• Free at last! (4): With this card, you can release any dwarf from jail.
• Rock fall: To block a route or to clear one, a dwarf may create a rock fall. It permits the removal of a path-card of the dwarf's choice (other than the Start Card).
• Change hats (2): Use it on a player (including yourself) to change their role. Randomly take one from the pile.
• Hands Off (3): You can remove one Theft card from any dwarf.
• Miners need trolleys (3): By playing this card in front of another dwarf, miners are prevented from creating pathways until it's been mended.
• Mending trolleys (2): Dwarves can mend their own broken trolleys, or those of associates. Just discard the 'mend' card, and the broken trolley card.
• Mend that lamp! (2): Dwarves can mend their own lamps, or those of other dwarves. Just put it on the discard, and remove the broken lamp card.
• Going nowhere without a lamp! (3): With this card in front of them, miners can't see to put down any pathways. It must first be mended.
• Done diggin'! (3): No pickaxe, no pathways. It must be mended before the dwarf can dig again.
• Fixed it! (2): Just discard both pickaxe cards - break, and mend.
• Extras: Some cards can repair two types of damage. For example, a specific lamp card repairs lamps or pickaxes.

Pathway Rules

• Pathways must continue routes that have an unbroken link back to a ladder.
• Saboteurs may place path cards so that the route goes away from the treasure, or makes the route more circuitous.
• There must always be at least seven pathway cards between the starting ladder and the three goal cards, and there must be space for one card to go between each goal card.
• The mine starts at the Start Card, and pathways can go in any of the four directions from this point.
• The three goal-cards may break the rule about paths properly joining up.
• Pathways cannot be added to if they don't link back to a ladder.
• All the paths on side-touching cards must be continuous from one to the other.
• The Bridge: Two unconnected paths; one going under a dark bridge. At least one of the two paths must connect to a ladder. You cannot turn left or right on this card; it's not a crossroad.
• The Double Curve: Two unconnected paths. At least one path must connect to a path with a ladder on it.
• Ladders: The ladder's going down into a lower level that links to the Start Card. It can help bypass blockages, gaps, or doors. Its path must join another path, but that path doesn't have to link directly to the Start, or to another ladder. It cannot be placed next to a treasure card.
• Path with a Door: A path with a green or blue door can be used to carry treasure away only by the diggers in the team of the same color as the door. The boss is not held back by them. Anyone can place doors, and anyone can build beyond them.
• Some path cards contain Crystals. These have no effect on the path's connections.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends and scoring occurs based on whether the treasure is reached or not, and by whom.

A - If Diggers get there

Diggers win if they get to the treasure and there is a path to it from any ladder. Only the team that completed the path can grab gold. If a door of their own color blocks the path, they are allowed through, but if there's a door of the other team's color blocking the route, they cannot get through, so get nothing. It is possible that one team will build the final path to the treasure, but that no diggers from either team will be able to gather any gold pieces, because doors block them.

The potential prize is determined by the number in the winning team, including the Boss and the Profiteer if they're taking part. The Geologist isn't interested in gold. Only Dwarves who are not trapped in a cell can participate in the share-out and be counted in the following guide:

• Single Dwarf gets - 5 pieces
• Two Dwarves - 4 pieces each
• Three of them - 3 each
• Four - 2 pieces
• Five or more - just 1 piece each

The Boss or Profiteer always get less than Diggers.

B - If someone other than diggers gets there

If the Boss, Geologist, Profiteer or even a very silly Saboteur get to the treasure first, it's as if a Digger had done so.

• If it's a Saboteur that gets there, they enable a digger-win. They are not counted as one who got there, and they get nothing (they lost). Diggers and the boss may be eligible for a share of the gold, however (the profiteer always is).

Digger teams that can get past colored doors are included in the share-out in this scenario. If both teams are blocked by doors, none are included. Once that's been cleared up, the share-out is calculated as detailed above.

C - Treasure is not reached

If the path's not completed but there are no Saboteurs, the Profiteer gets 3 gold pieces. Nobody else gets anything. If there's no Profiteer either, nobody will benefit.

Saboteur Win Condition

Saboteurs win if the treasure's not reached and the deck is used up and no players have playable cards in hand. Saboteurs are not eligible to take any gold if they're trapped in prison.

• If there was only one eligible Saboteur, they'd get five pieces.
• If there were two, each would get four pieces; if three, it's three pieces each.
• If there were no saboteurs, nobody gets anything - except the Profiteer.

Special Role Scoring

• Geologist: No matter how things end up, Geologists who are not trapped get as many Gold Pieces as there are crystals on display within the tunnel system. Two geologists share the prize (rounded down).
• Profiteer: Profiteers never lose unless trapped behind bars. If anyone gets to the treasure, the profiteer always gets two pieces less than the highest scorer - even if that is only the Profiteer. Even if the saboteurs win, the profiteer gains. Furthermore, if the path's not completed but there are no Saboteurs to take the gold, the Profiteer gets three pieces, and nobody else gets anything.
• Boss: The Boss gets gold even if both teams are blocked by doors. So he alone, or he and the profiteer may be the only dwarves that do get gold.

Thieving

Dwarves who've got a theft card and who are not trapped can now steal one gold piece from another dwarf. The last to have played a Theft Card steals first, then in clockwise order.

Tips for Winning

• Saboteurs can use path cards to block fruitful pathways by placing them so the route goes away from the treasure or makes it more circuitous.
• The Ladder path card can be strategically used to bypass blockages, gaps, or doors, acting like a new start for pathways.