How to Play Saboteur

Objective of the Game

Welcome, fellow prospectors and mischief-makers! In Saboteur, you'll embody a dwarf, but not just any dwarf. You're either a diligent Miner, tirelessly digging deep into the mountain for glittering treasures, or a sneaky Saboteur, whose sole purpose is to thwart the Miners' efforts. Both groups need to support each other, even though they can only guess who is who.

If the Miners successfully dig a tunnel to the treasure, they share the hard-earned gold, leaving the Saboteurs empty-handed. But if the Miners fail to reach their goal, the Saboteurs claim all the gold for themselves! Your true role remains a secret until the gold is distributed. The player with the most gold nuggets at the end of the third round is the ultimate winner!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's get digging! Here’s how to set up your game of Saboteur:

1. Separate the Tunnel Cards, Action Cards, Gold Cards, and Dwarf Cards into their own piles.
2. Determine the number of Miner and Saboteur Cards needed based on the total number of players. Return any unused Dwarf Cards to the box.
   • 3 players: 1 Saboteur, 3 Miners
   • 4 players: 1 Saboteur, 4 Miners
   • 5 players: 2 Saboteurs, 4 Miners
   • 6 players: 2 Saboteurs, 5 Miners
   • 7 players: 3 Saboteurs, 5 Miners
   • 8 players: 3 Saboteurs, 6 Miners
   • 9 players: 3 Saboteurs, 7 Miners
   • 10 players: All Dwarf Cards
3. Shuffle the selected Miner and Saboteur Cards together. Each player receives one card, looks at it secretly, and places it face-down in front of them. Any leftover Dwarf Card is set aside face-down for the rest of the round.
4. Among the 44 Tunnel Cards, find the one Start Card (with a ladder) and the three Goal Cards. One Goal Card has treasure, the other two have only rocks. Shuffle the Goal Cards and place them face-down on the table, along with the Start Card, as shown in the diagram (one card height, seven cards width). A labyrinth of tunnels will grow from the Start Card to the Goal Cards.
5. Shuffle the remaining Tunnel Cards and all Action Cards together. Deal the appropriate number of cards to each player based on the total player count:
   • 3 to 5 players: 6 cards each
   • 6 to 7 players: 5 cards each
   • 8 to 10 players: 4 cards each
6. Place the remaining shuffled cards (the draw pile) conveniently within reach next to the Goal Cards.
7. Shuffle the Gold Cards and place them face-down next to the leftover Dwarf Card.
8. The first player for the first round doesn't matter; subsequent turns proceed clockwise.

The Turn of Play

On your turn, you must play one card. This means choosing one of three actions:

1. Play a Tunnel Card: Add it to the labyrinth.
2. Play an Action Card: Place it in front of yourself or another player.
3. Pass: Discard one card face-down to the discard pile.

After playing a card, you draw the top card from the draw pile to replenish your hand to its original size. Then, play passes to the next player clockwise.

Note: If the draw pile runs out, players no longer draw new cards. Play continues, with players simply taking their action and then passing their turn.

Playing a Tunnel Card

Step by step, Tunnel Cards form a path between the Start Card and the Goal Cards. When playing a Tunnel Card:

• It must be placed next to an already played Tunnel Card.
• It must always be placed vertically.
• The tunnel ends on each side of the card must match the tunnel ends on adjacent cards.

Miners try to build an unbroken tunnel from the Start Card to one of the Goal Cards. Saboteurs try to prevent this. However, Saboteurs shouldn't be too obvious with their obstructions, or their role will be discovered quickly!

Playing an Action Card

To use an Action Card, you place it face-up in front of yourself or another player. Action Cards allow players to hinder or help each other, remove any Tunnel Card from the labyrinth, or gain information about the Goal Cards.

Blockage Cards

When one of these cards (e.g., a broken pickaxe, lamp, or mine cart) is placed in front of a player, that player cannot play a Tunnel Card until the Blockage Card is removed. They can, however, still play other Action Cards. A player can have a maximum of three Blockage Cards in front of them at once, but not multiple cards of the same type. A player can only add a Tunnel Card to the labyrinth if they have no Blockage Cards in front of them at the start of their turn.

Repair Cards

These cards (e.g., a working pickaxe, lamp, or mine cart) are used to fix broken tools, meaning they remove a Blockage Card from in front of a player. A Repair Card can be placed on top of a Blockage Card in front of yourself or any other player. Both the Blockage Card and the Repair Card are then placed face-down in the discard pile. Naturally, the Repair Card must match the Blockage Card – for example, a broken mine cart can only be repaired by a working mine cart, not a lamp or pickaxe.

A card depicting two working tools (e.g., a pickaxe and a lamp) can repair either of those tools, but not both at once.

Note: A Repair Card can only be used if there is a corresponding Blockage Card in front of a player.

Cave-in Card

To use a Cave-in Card, place it face-up in front of yourself. Then, you may choose any Tunnel Card in the labyrinth (excluding the Start and Goal Cards) and place it, along with the Cave-in Card, face-down in the discard pile. A Saboteur can use this card to create a break in a tunnel leading to a Goal Card; a Miner can remove a dead-end, creating a new opportunity to continue the tunnel. The empty space created can then be filled with a suitable Tunnel Card.

Map Card

To use this Action Card, place it face-up in front of yourself. Then, you may take and secretly look at one of the Goal Cards (hiding it carefully from others). Now you know whether it's worth digging towards that Goal Card, as only one of the three Goal Cards hides treasure. The player carefully returns the viewed Goal Card to its place and places the Map Card face-down in the discard pile.

Passing

If a player cannot or does not want to use any Tunnel or Action Card during their turn, they must pass. To do this, they discard one card from their hand (without showing it to others) face-down to the discard pile. All cards in the discard pile must be face-down. Towards the end of a round, it's possible for players to have no cards left in hand – in this case, they also pass (simply without discarding a card).

End of Game and Scoring

End of a Round

A round ends when one of two conditions is met:

1. A player places a Tunnel Card that creates an unbroken tunnel between the Start Card and a Goal Card. That player may then reveal the connected Goal Card. If placing a single Tunnel Card connects to multiple Goal Cards, the player may choose only one to reveal.

   • If the card reveals treasure, the round ends.
   • If the card reveals a rock, the round continues. The player who revealed the card places the rock Goal Card back in its place, ensuring the tunnel ends connect with the existing labyrinth.
2. The draw pile runs out, and all players have subsequently passed because they have no usable Action or Tunnel Cards.

Once a round ends, all Dwarf Cards are revealed – who was a Miner, and who was a Saboteur?

Gold Distribution

Miners Win

The Miners win the round if an unbroken tunnel has been built from the Start Card to the Goal Card with treasure. Take a number of Gold Cards from the pile equal to the number of players (except for 10 players, in which case only nine Gold Cards are taken).

The Miner who placed the final Tunnel Card and revealed the treasure Goal Card chooses one Gold Card and keeps it until the end of the game. The remaining Gold Cards are passed counter-clockwise to the next Miner, who also chooses a card. This continues until all Gold Cards taken from the pile have been distributed. It's possible that not all Miners will receive the same number of cards.

Saboteurs Win

The Saboteurs win the round if the treasure Goal Card is not revealed before the round ends. The amount of gold they receive depends on the number of Saboteurs in play:

• If there was only one Saboteur, they receive Gold Cards totaling four gold nuggets.
• If there were two or three Saboteurs, each receives Gold Cards worth three nuggets.
• If there were four Saboteurs, each receives Gold Cards worth two nuggets.
• If there were no Saboteurs in play (possible in 3 or 4 player games), no Gold Cards are distributed this round.

It doesn't matter which Saboteur takes their Gold Cards first. Gold Cards are taken one by one from the top of the pile until the required number of gold nuggets is reached. (If the last card taken results in a total number of nuggets greater than what was allocated to one Saboteur, that card is placed at the bottom of the Gold Card pile, and drawing continues from the top until the exact number of nuggets is reached.) Only then can the next Saboteur begin taking their Gold Cards.

Players are advised to keep the value of their Gold Cards secret until the end of the game.

Starting a New Round

After the gold has been distributed, a new round begins:

1. The Start and Goal Cards are placed on the table as at the beginning of the game.
2. The same Dwarf Cards used in the previous round (including any leftover Dwarf Card) are shuffled and dealt out again.
3. Shuffle the Tunnel and Action Cards, deal the appropriate number of cards, and place the remaining cards on the table (as the draw pile).
4. Players keep the Gold Cards they received from previous rounds.
5. The remaining Gold Cards are placed face-down on the table next to the leftover Dwarf Card.
6. The player to the left of the player who ended the previous round starts the new round.

Game End

The game ends after the third round. All players count the gold nuggets on their Gold Cards. The player with the most gold nuggets wins! If multiple players have the same highest number of gold nuggets, they share first place.

Tips for Winning

1. Observe and Deduce: Pay close attention to how other players play their cards. Are they eagerly building tunnels, or are they playing blockage cards and passing frequently? These actions can give you clues about their hidden roles.
2. Strategic Sabotage (or Repair): If you're a Saboteur, don't reveal yourself too early by constantly blocking. Sometimes, playing a helpful tunnel card can divert suspicion. If you're a Miner, use repair cards wisely to keep key players digging, or to unblock yourself when you have a crucial tunnel card.
3. Manage Your Hand: Don't be afraid to pass and discard a card if you have a hand full of cards that don't help your team, or if you want to get rid of a card that might reveal your role. Sometimes, cycling your hand is more beneficial than playing a suboptimal card.