Easy How to Play Mouse Trap Rules for those who hate rulebooks
I hate the hassle of reading rulebooks and wish they could get straight to the point. I wrote this guide with the aim of helping you learn how to play Mouse Trap quickly.
Looking for a quick overview of what Mouse Trap is about, click here.
Fast to learn easy-to-read rules for Mouse Trap Board Game. Access from various devices.
Players: 2 to 4 | Game duration from: 30 mins | Game Complexity: EASY
Click here for official Mouse Trap rules pdf / rulebook
What is the goal?
- As you move around the board, build the Mouse Trap.
- Catch your opponent’s mice with the Mouse Trap.
- Be the last one standing.
How does the Mouse Trap work?
- Turning the crank (A) rotates the gears (B), which pulls the lever (C) which pushes the stop sign (D). Shoes tip bucket with metal marble (E).
- Marble rolls down rickety stairs (F) and into the gutter (G), which leads to the helping hand rod (H).
- Another metal marble (1) falls from top of helping hand rod over thing-a-ma-jig (J) and bathtub (K), landing on diving board (L).
- Diver (M) is catapulted into washtub (N) by weight of metal marble, making cage (0) fall from top of post (P) and trap unsuspecting mouse.
Setting Up a Mouse Trap Game
- Place the gameboard on a flat surface. Place the Mouse Trap parts and playing pieces next to the gameboard.
- Punch out the Cheese pieces from the cardboard sheet and place them in a pile next to the gameboard.
- Each player chooses a mouse and places it on the gameboard START space.
Gameplay
- Pick a player to go first. Play moves left.
- Roll the die and move the mouse to the number of gameboard spaces shown. Then follow the instructions there. There can be more than one mouse per space.
Collecting Cheese Pieces
- You will collect Cheese pieces as your mouse moves around the game board.
- Cheese pieces can be used later in the game to spring traps on your opponents.
Types of Spaces
BUILD SPACES
Each build space has a number (2, 2-3, 2-3-4). When you land on a Build space and the number of players matches the number on the space, you build one part of the Mouse Trap and collect one cheese piece. See ‘Building the Mouse Trap’ for complete details.
In a 4-player game, you can build if you land on Build space 2-3-4.• In a 3-player game, you can build if you land on Build space 2-3 or 2-3-4.• In a 2-player game, you can build if you land on Build space 2, 2-3, or 2-3-4.
GO BACK & MOVE AHEAD SPACES
When you land on one of these spaces, you must go to the space indicated, but do not follow any instructions printed on that space and do not collect any Cheese pieces! Your turn is then over.
TAKE CHEESE SPACE
- Take the Cheese pieces indicated in these spaces when you land.
- Take Cheese from the opponent with the most Cheese pieces if the Cheese pile is empty.
- Cheese pieces can be taken from one opponent or divided among opponents who tie for the most. Your tum is then over.
Take Three Pieces of Cheese from Rival With Most Space
- Take Three Pieces of Cheese from Rival With Most, even if Cheese pieces are in the pile.
- Whenever the opponent with the most cheese has less than three pieces, just take the number of pieces they do have.
- Cheese pieces can be taken from one opponent or divided among opponents who tie for the most. Your tum is then over.
LOSE CHEESE SPACES
On these spaces, return the indicated number of Cheese pieces. If you must return more than you currently hold, only return what you have. Your tum is then over.
DOG BONE SPACE
Do nothing when you land on this space. Your turn is over.
THE LOOP
At the end of the path are six spaces, starting with Safe and ending with Cheese Wheel. The Loop is the section of the path where mice are caught.
You and your opponents will take turns circling the loop as many times as necessary until only one mouse remains uncaptured on the gameboard. See Trapping Mice.
CHEESE WHEEL SPACE
As soon as you land on a Cheese Wheel space, two Cheese pieces are automatically taken. If the Cheese pile is empty, you may take pieces from the opponent with the most Cheese pieces.
Cheese pieces can be taken from one opponent or divided among opponents who tie for the most.
TURN CRANK SPACE and SAFE SPACE:
See Trapping Mice section.
Building the Mouse Trap
- When you land on a Build space, you can build one part of the Mouse Trap.
- All parts of the Mouse Trap must go in numerical order!
- Place the numbered parts in the proper order.
- Pick up one Cheese piece immediately after placing a part of the Mouse Trap on the gameboard. The turn is over.
- Whenever you land on a Build space on The Loop, you add two Mouse Trap parts and take two Cheese pieces from the Cheese pile. Your turn is then over.
Once the Mouse Trap is complete, you do nothing when you land on a Build space.
Trapping Mice
Try catching your opponents’ mice with the Mouse Trap once it\’s completed.
- Turn the crank slowly in a clockwise direction when you land on the Turn Crank space (in The Loop) and an opposing mouse is on the Cheese Wheel space. Your trap will start.
- The opposing mouse will be captured if the trap works properly. You must take any Cheese pieces owned by that player. The opposing player immediately moves the mouse to the Safe space if the trap fails to capture it.
- If more than one mouse is on the Cheese Wheel space, they may all be captured (or missed).
- If there is no opposing mouse on the Cheese Wheel space, try moving one or more mice there.
Keep in mind! You may only turn the crank after
- the Mouse Trap is complete and
- when your mouse is on the Turn Crank space and
- an opponent is on the Cheese Wheel space.
How do you win?
If your mouse is the last one left uncaptured on the gameboard, you win!
