Materials Required:
A sheet of paper split into a grid of any size - sample given below.
Three easily distinguishable tokens to represent the player, goblin and villager.
Several squares of paper of the same size as the spaces of the grid (you will want about as many squares of paper as there are grid spaces).
Sample game board - 8.5 x 11 - ready for printing
Escort Quest Board with sample barriers.
Higher quality tilesheet. Multiple tilesheets can be printed for different playing configurations.
Properly-sized tilesheet for 8.5 x 11 board.
Scenario:
You are a seasoned adventurer, no stranger to the mysterious, dark, and dangerous forests comprising your world. However, the villagers of the nearby town lack your experience at navigating the harsh landscape. One villager has found himself lost in the woods, and it is your job to escort him safely back to his village. However, tread lightly, for the goblin of the woods has laid traps for intruders like you and is now restlessly pursuing the villager! You must outwit the goblin to ensure the villager lives to farm another day!
Board Arrangement & Setup:
At the beginning of the game, the player will take all of the multicolored tiles and position them in any arrangement on the tiled game board. For optimal play, there should be about half as many multicolored tiles as there are board spaces, so not all spaces will be filled. Each tile can fill one square board space, no more and no less. Do not worry about the white-and-gray barriers on the board; you may place the multicolored tiles over them. Covering up a barrier with another tile negates the effects of that barrier for the duration of the game.
The rotation of a tile does not matter, except for the Warp Tiles (green tiles with black arrows). For the eight warp tiles, the darker green lines will be aligned with the bottom of the board.
Try out different tile configurations for new, interesting puzzles!
Placing the Tokens:
The escort (player), villager and goblin must all be placed on separate tiles before the game begins. All three tokens may be placed on any tile. The effects of that tile will not take place during the next turn, including (most obviously) villages and spike traps. No token may occupy more than one grid space on the game board at a time.
The villager must be at least three moves away from the nearest village (including diagonal moves).
The goblin must be placed diagonally from the villager. The closer the goblin is to the villager, the harder the game will likely be.
It does not matter where the escort is placed with respect to the other two tokens.
Flow of Play:
Each game turn begins with the escort. The escort may move one grid space in any of the eight cardinal directions. The escort must move each turn unless affected by a tile effect.
The turn proceeds to the villager, who will follow the escort's move exactly. For example, if the escort moves to the left, the villager will also move to the left. If the villager is unable to follow the escort's move (i.e, the villager is frozen or that direction is blocked by a barrier), it will remain in place for that turn.
The goblin moves next. He will move one space toward the villager unless prevented by a tile effect or a barrier.
Determining the goblin's move:
The goblin will always move in a straight-line (directly up, down, left or right) toward the villager. To determine the direction of movement, draw a triangle between the goblin and the villager. The goblin will move one step in the longest side of the triangle toward the villager. For example, if the goblin is two tiles to the right of the villager and four tiles below the villager, the goblin will move up. The goblin will move diagonally if the distance to the villager on both sides is equivalent (i.e. if the goblin is diagonal to the villager).
Nuance: The board wraps around, meaning that if a token hits the edge of a board and wishes to continue moving, that token will move to the other side of the board.
Tile Effects:
Village:
Once the villager has landed on the village tile, you've won. However, if the goblin lands on a village tile, you lose.
Spike Trap:
These are clever traps placed by the goblin! If the escort or villager lands on a spike trap, you lose! The goblin can pass through these traps unharmed.
Crosshairs:
Any token to land on this tile must only move diagonally for the next turn. If the goblin lands on this tile, then for the next turn, he will take whichever diagonal move that will take him closest to the villager. If the villager lands on this tile, the escort is not bounded by its effects. However, if the escort chooses to move non-diagonally while the villager is affected by a crosshairs tile, the villager will not move that turn.
Amulet:
Any token to land on this tile will continue to move in the same direction in which it was moving for an additional grid space. The effects of that tile will take place on the next turn.
Guardian:
If a token lands on this tile, for the next turn, all tokens will be immune to tile effects. This includes villages, warp tiles, and spike traps, but does not include barriers.
Snowflake:
The token to land on this tile will be frozen for the next turn and unable to move. If the villager lands on this tile, the escort will still be able to move, though the villager will not follow.
Warp Tile:
Any token to land on this tile will teleport to the warp tile corresponding to the direction in which they were moving. For example, if the escort moves right onto a warp tiles, that token will be moved to the warp tile with an arrow pointing right. If a token moves into a warp tile from that warp tile's own direction, no actions will occur. No other tokens are affected by this action.
Barrier:
The natural tiles on the board. A token may enter a barrier tile freely from any direction, but once inside, the unit is bounded by the gray areas inside the tile. A token may not leave from a grayed-out direction.