Ostrich Scramble is a zany race around the board collecting items and laying traps for others, planning your movement ahead of time and hoping it still works out when it’s your turn to go. It plays 2-6 players. Note: These rules are written for the 4-6 player version with the 2-3 player changes given at the end.

Objective

You are an ostrich running around the rocky, high cliffs of Ostralia competing to become the best dressed. You must collect a head, body, legs, and feet garment by getting them from crates or stealing them from other ostriches. Whoever can get all 4 types first wins!

Rounds

Summary of rounds (with details following this section):

1. PLAN - Plan your turn for this round. (SIMULTANEOUS)

1a. Draw: Draw Zig Cards.
1b. Claim a Zag: Trade in 3 matching Zig Cards for a Zag.
1c. Set Zig: Choose your distance and direction for this round.

2. SET TRAPS - Play traps on other players. (SIMULTANEOUS) 3. MOVE - Beginning with the Starting Player, each player does the following. (INDIVIDUAL)

3a. Reveal Zig: Reveal your Zig Card.
3b. Resolve Traps: Trigger any Traps that were played on you.
3c. Zig Move: Move your Ostrich Token the number of spaces equal to the distance on your Zig Card in the direction in which it is oriented. (see Resolving Movement)
3d. Zag Move: If you have Zag Token, you may discard it to execute your Zig again in any direction.
3e. Next Player: The next player in turn order executes their movement. 

4. NEW ROUND - Then a new round begins. Discard any Movement or Trap Cards that were used last round.

PLAN PHASE

Draw

Draw Zig Cards until you have at least 4. You do not discard down to 4 if you have more than 4.

Claim Zag

If you have 3 cards with the same distance, you may discard them and take a Zag Token. Then draw back up to your hand size. You may not claim a Zag Token if you already have one. You may use X cards as wilds when claiming a Zag.

Set Zig

Distance: Each turn, you will select a Zig Card, which will determine the distance you will travel, which will be 1-3 spaces or a wild “X”.

Direction: You will place it on your Ostrich Mat so the corner of the direction in which you wish to travel is touching the Zig corner.

SET TRAPS PHASE

Once everyone has chosen their Zig Card, you may play your Trap Card on any other player’s Ostrich by placing it face-down on their Ostrich Mat. If someone already played one on that player, place yours on top of their Trap Card to form a pile.

MOVE PHASE

1. Reveal Zig Turn your Zig Card face-up. If it is an X, choose any number, 0 or greater, for your distance.

Turn Order: If you have the Start Player Token this round, your Zig Card indicates whether the turn order direction is clockwise or counter-clockwise.

2. Resolve Traps If anyone played a Trap Card on you, resolve them in the opposite order in which they were played.

3. Zig Move Move your Ostrich Token the number of spaces equal to the distance on your Zig Card in the direction in which it is oriented. If it is on the Dizzy side, move in any direction and then flip it back to the non-Dizzy side.

These are the things you may encounter when you execute your movement:

GARMENT: You move through Garments and pick them up as you go. (See Garments)

CRATE: You move through Crates. When you move through or stop on a crate, do the following based on whether there is a Garment on it:

- No Garment - Draw a Trap and take the first player Crown. Note: If you were placed on a Crate from a Trap Card, you do NOT draw a Trap Card and you do NOT take a Crown.

- Has Garment - Pick up the Garment. (See Garments)

SKATEBOARD: When you would normally move onto or through a Skateboard space, you stop on the space and do not execute any movement you may have left. Then you move again in the following way:

- If it is your turn, execute the movement distance that you were executing when you moved onto the Skateboard again, but do it in any direction starting from the Skateboard space.

- If it is NOT your turn(you were pushed onto it by another player) you execute the distance and direction that player was executing when they collided with you starting from the Skateboard space.

OSTRICH: Whenever your Ostrich moves onto the space of another Ostrich, whether it’s from you moving on your turn or from you being pushed into them, you stop so you now occupy their space instead of executing any movement you may have left. They execute your movement starting from that space, including both distance and going in the direction you were traveling.

4. Zag Move After you move your Zig, if you have a Zag Token, you may use it to execute your Zig distance again, but in any direction. Note: You may NOT change the value of X during a Zag.

5. Next Player The next player in turn order executes their MOVE phase. Once all players have taken their turn, the round ends and you start a new PLAN phase.

Falling Off a Cliff

If your Ostrich runs off the edge of the board, they fall off a cliff. Be careful!

Penalties and Rewards

- Pushed Off - If your Ostrich falls off a cliff on your turn, put one of your off-colored Garments back in the Garment Pile, if you have one. - Running Off - If your Ostrich falls off a cliff and it is NOT your turn, the player whose turn it is may either:

- Steal - steal one of your off-colored Garments, if you have one 

OR

- Draw - draw 2 Zig Cards

Place Ostrich

Placement: No matter how it happened, place your Ostrich back on the closest empty Crate space to where you fell off. If it’s a tie, you choose which on which of the tied Crates you are placed.

Dizziness: Flip your token to the Dizzy side, indicating you can execute your Zig in any direction on your next turn.

Resolution Order

This is the order in which events occur when an ostrich falls off a cliff:

1. Finish All Moves - Resolve all movement for this turn, including Zags. Note: If you fall off a cliff on your turn from using your Zig and you had a Zag, you may NOT use the Zag from your new location.

2. Rewards and Penalties - Lose off-colored Garments and/or draw Zig Cards and flip to the Dizzy side.

3. Replace Garments - If any Garments were picked up, replace them on the board.

4. Place Ostriches - Place any Ostriches that fell off back on the board in the order in which they fell.

Garments

Throughout the game, you will pick up Garments and put them on your Ostrich. When you acquire a Garment that matches your player color, that Garment can never be stolen from you. Garments that do not match your color (“off-colored” Garments) might be stolen from you. (see Resolving a Collision)

Picking Up

When you pick up a Garment, do the following:

1. If possible, you must wear it immediately by placing it on your Ostrich Mat in the square matching the Garment’s type. If you cannot wear it, put it to the left of the ostrich illustration in your Backpack. Note: You pick up and wear Garments as soon as you cross onto or over the space, even before the effects of falling off a cliff are resolved.
2. Once all movement has been resolved, including Zags, draw a new Garment from the pool and place it on any empty Crate Space that is not in the row or column your Ostrich currently occupies. If there are no such spaces, just put it on any Crate Space. If there are still no valid spaces, put it anywhere that is not on your Board Tile, row, or column.

Traps

Drawing Traps

You may only have 1 Trap Card in your hand. If you ever have more than that, you must immediately discard to 1. You may only draw up to 1 Trap Card per turn.

Resolving Traps

You must resolve a Trap Card placed on you, if possible. When you are resolving a Trap Card, if it is impossible to execute its effect, it has no effect.

Deck Running Out

If any deck ever runs out, shuffle its discards to form a new deck.

End of Game

You win the game immediately (even before Falling Off a Cliff is resolved) when your Ostrich is wearing a Garment of each of the 4 types. You win with style points if you get all Garments of your color.

Two and Three Player

When you play with 2-3 players, it’s a little more challenging so it is not recommended for new players. These are the differences:

• Ostriches: You control 2 Ostriches instead of one.
• Turn Order: When it’s your turn, choose which of your Ostriches that hasn’t executed their movement this round takes their turn. If one of your ostriches has the crown, it must go first.
• Shared Hand: Your ostriches share a hand of Zigs and Traps. The hand limits remain the same. (4 for Zigs and 1 for Traps)
• Zags: You may only claim 1 Zag per turn and you can give it to either Ostrich.
• Garments: At any time, you can give a Garment one Ostrich has to your other Ostrich.
• Win Condition: You win if you are the first to have both of your ostriches wearing all 4 garment types first.