GOLD DIGGER® • Stock #4949 • Suggested Retail Price $14.99 OFFICIAL RULES Download a pdf version of these rules Note: This color pdf fits on 8.5x14" (legal) paper. Fold it in thirds to make the rule booklet. It will print in shades of grey on a black and white printer. Updated 5/5/06 Note: The rules on this page reflect the most current version available, and may differ slightly from previously printed rules.   What's in the Box? • 30 Character Cards (6 Groups of 5 Characters) • 15 Gold Cards • 15 Fool’s Gold Cards • 15 Claim Stakes (3 each of 5 colors) • 5 Claim Stake Holders (1 each of 5 colors)   50 Gold Scoring Coins • Two-piece Game Board The Object of GOLD DIGGER   Accumulate the most gold by cleverly staking claims in the richest mines.   Setting Up 1. Thoroughly shuffle all the cards and deal three cards to each player. Players may look at their cards. 2. Place the remaining shuffl ed cards in the center of the table to form a draw pile. 3. Place one section of the game board above the draw pile and one section below. See illustration. 4. Place three Claim Stakes on the Claim Stake Holder of the same color and place a holder in front of each player. 5. Set the Gold Coins aside. They are only used for scoring at the end of the game. 6. Choose a player to go first. Play proceeds clockwise.     Playing the Game 1. Playing a Card   A player chooses one card from his or her hand and places it, face up, to the right or left of a mine—   • If it is a Character Card, it must be placed to the left of the mine of the same color. There are fi ve Char ac ter Cards for each mine.   Playing a Character Card gives the option of staking a claim in that mine. • If it is a Gold or a Fool’s Gold Card, it may be placed to the right of any mine. Only fi ve cards (Gold and/or Fool’s Gold) are allowed to be played for each mine.   Each bag of gold on a Gold Card is worth one Gold Coin. Fool’s Gold has no value. At the end of the game, gold placed to the right of a mine belongs to that mine and will be awarded to players who have placed one or more Claim Stakes on that mine. 2. Staking a Claim   A player who places a Character Card has the option of staking a claim in that mine. A claim is staked when that player places one of his or her Claim Stakes on top of that mine.   Players who stake claims in a mine will receive a share of the gold in that mine when it is scored.   • A Claim Stake may only be placed on a mine during the turn in which a Character Card is placed—and only on the mine of the same color as the Char ac ter Card. • A Claim Stake may be placed on a mine that already has one or more stakes on it, regardless of who placed the stakes. • An individual player may place two or three Claim Stakes on the same mine, but only one per turn. • A player is not required to place a Claim Stake when playing a Character Card. • Players may not place a Claim Stake during another player’s turn. • Once a Claim Stake is placed on a mine, it may not be moved. 3. Drawing a New Card   A player draws one card at the end of a turn to bring his or her hand up to three. When the draw pile is depleted, players do not draw new cards — they simply play the cards from their hands.   Players continue taking turns until all 60 cards have been placed next to the mines. Scoring   After all 60 cards have been placed, the mines are scored. Each mine is scored separately and one Gold Coin is awarded for each bag of gold in that mine. Each player’s total score is the sum of all Gold Coins earned from the mines in which that player had staked claims. Fool’s Gold has no value.   To score each mine:   Add the number of bags of gold on the Gold Cards to the right of the mine. This is the total number of Gold Coins that will be awarded for that mine. The Gold Coins are awarded to players with Claim Stakes on that mine.   • If there is one Claim Stake on the mine, the player who placed that stake is awarded all of the Gold Coins from that mine. • If there is more than one Claim Stake on the mine, the Gold Coins are divided by the number of Claim Stakes and awarded to the players who placed them. If there is an uneven number of Gold Coins per Claim Stake, the number of Gold Coins awarded is rounded down.   Example: If there are 7 bags of gold in the mine and two players each have 1 Claim Stake on the mine, each player is awarded 3 Gold Coins.   Example: If there are 9 bags of gold in the mine, and one player has 1 stake on the mine and another has 2 stakes, the player with 1 stake is awarded 3 Gold Coins and the player with 2 stakes is awarded 6 Gold Coins. • If there are no Claim Stakes on the mine, no Gold Coins are awarded. • Claim Stakes not placed on mines, are not awarded any Gold Coins.     Winning the Game   The player with the most Gold Coins wins GOLD DIGGER!     Playing Tips   Tight Quarters?   To save space, Gold Cards may be overlapped. The number in the upper left corner indicates the number of gold bags on the card, and must remain visible.   Timing is Everything   If a player stakes a claim on a mine too early, op po nents will place Fool’s Gold to the right of that mine. If a player waits too long, he or she might not be able to place all three Claim Stakes before the end of the game.   A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush   Often, it is a good idea for a player to place a Claim Stake on a mine with less gold. This gives less incentive for opponents to stake a claim in the same mine since the Gold Coins must be divided. Earning fewer Gold Coins in di vid u al ly is often better than splitting a larger number with other players.