Playing the classic Mousetrap board game involves navigating a winding path, collecting cheese, building a Rube Goldberg-esque trap, and trying to catch your opponents' mice before they catch yours or reach the end.
Here's a breakdown of how the game is typically played:
Game Objective
The main goal is usually to be the last mouse player remaining. You do this by moving around the board, collecting cheese pieces, helping to build the trap, and, most importantly, trying to land on the "Turn Crank" space to activate the trap and catch an opponent's mouse.
Getting Started: Setup
Before playing, you need to set up the elaborate Mousetrap device components on the game board, piece by piece. Each component, from the stairs and bathtub to the ball and bucket, has a specific spot. Players choose a mouse pawn and place it at the start space. Cheese pieces are typically placed in a pile near the board.
Playing a Turn
Gameplay proceeds in turns, usually clockwise:
- Roll the Die: On your turn, roll the single die.
- Move Your Mouse: Move your mouse pawn the number of spaces indicated on the die along the path.
- Land on a Space: Follow the instructions on the space you land on. Different spaces have different effects:
- Regular Spaces: Nothing happens.
- Build a Section Spaces: If you land on a space showing a trap component, you get to add that piece to the trap assembly on the board.
- Go to Funnel Spaces: Moves your mouse to a specific space near the funnel.
- Cheese Wheel Space: Based on the provided reference, when you land on the space with a mouse on the cheese wheel, you get to set the trap in motion. Also, a player landing on this space gets two cheese pieces from the pile. This is a critical space for advancing your cheese collection and potentially catching opponents.
- Turn Crank Space: This is where the action happens! If you land on this space, and the trap is fully built, you can attempt to catch an opponent's mouse.
Building the Trap
A key part of the game is cooperatively building the trap. As players land on "Build a Section" spaces, they add components like the crooked stairs, the leaning post, the stretching wire, the bathtub, the diver, the falling ball, the boot, the helping hand, the bucket, and the cage. The trap must be fully assembled before you can use the "Turn Crank" space to try and catch a mouse.
Activating and Using the Trap
Once the trap is complete, landing on the "Turn Crank" space allows you to activate it. You turn the crank, which triggers a chain reaction:
- The gear rotates.
- The lever pushes the helping hand.
- The helping hand shoves the ball down the stairs and through the funnel.
- The ball hits the unsuspecting mouse (represented by the diver).
- The diver lands in the tub, flipping the bucket.
- The bucket sends the ball rolling down the chute.
- The ball hits the seesaw, launching the boot.
- The boot kicks the bucket, causing the marble to fall and activate the cage.
If there is an opponent's mouse pawn on the "Cheese" space directly under the cage when it falls, that mouse is caught and eliminated from the game.
Collecting Cheese
Cheese pieces act as a resource and sometimes a requirement to move out of sticky situations or to win. As noted in the reference, landing on the Cheese Wheel space is one way to gain cheese, specifically getting two pieces from the pile.
Winning the Game
The game continues until only one mouse player remains on the board. That player successfully avoided the trap and is declared the winner!
Here's a quick look at key actions and consequences:
| Action | Effect | Reference Info Included? |
|---|---|---|
| Land on Build Space | Add a trap piece. | No |
| Land on Cheese Wheel | Set trap in motion & get 2 cheese pieces. | Yes |
| Land on Turn Crank | Activate built trap (if possible). | No |
| Trap Catches Mouse | That player is eliminated. | No |
| Last Mouse Standing | Wins the game. | No |
In essence, Mousetrap combines simple movement with the fun of building and potentially using a complex mechanical contraption to eliminate opponents, all while trying to gather cheese along the way.
