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HOW TO PLAY - RIVER CROSSING - GAME
RULES
Object Of The Game:
Your job is to help
the Hiker find a route across the critter infested river. Luckily,
tree stumps dot the crossing, and a few handy old planks are nearby.
The Hiker must reach the planks, bridge the stumps, and avoid the hungry
jaws in the water below just waiting for a false step.
Equipment:
- 1 Hiker (with
magnetic feet)
- 5 Planks (also magnetic)--2 Short Planks, 2 Medium Planks, and 1 Long
Plank
- 20 Tree Stumps
- 40 Beginner to Expert Challenge Cards
- 1 Peg Board Grid Frame
- 1 Travel Bag
River Crossing
Guide:
Ages 8 to Adult.
By developing a range of puzzles to play, young energetic hikers and
seasoned trekkers will find a level that will challenge their
river-crossing skills. Challenge levels are color coded as
follows:
-Green- 1-10 Beginner
-Orange- 11-20 Intermediate
-Blue- 21-30 Advanced
-Pink- 31-40 Expert
Set-Up:
Start by placing a
Challenge Card on the peg board. Then place a stump into each hole
and a plank in each gray-shadowed plank position. Planks fit
snugly between two stumps. The Hiker starts on the shore nearest
the card number.
NOTE: The Hiker's feet are magnetic and so are the centers
of each plank. Use the Hiker to lift and reposition the planks.
It's easy to lift planks with the Hiker, but it takes a little skill to
"break" the magnetic pull. Once you have repositioned a plank
between two stumps, gently slide the Hiker perpendicular to the plank,
and the magnetic pull will break. Then you are ready for your next
move.
Puzzle Play:
The Hiker moves by
walking along a plank to get to the next stump. He can't get from
stump to stump by jumping--he must move planks to bridge the gaps
between stumps. He can pick up and move one plank at a time but he
can only reach the plank or planks by touching the stump where he is
standing. Plus, the planks must fit snugly between two stumps, so
the Hiker can only move a plank to a space that fits. He can also
pick up a plank and carry it along another plank as far as he's able to
go before putting it down again. (All this plank moving is made
easier by the Hiker's magnetic boots.) Danger lies in stranding
your Hiker on a stump midstream--with no place to fit the next plank or
no plank within reach!
Rules:
-No jumping is
allowed between stumps or planks or from a stump to shore.
-The Hiker can pick up and move or carry a plank if one end touches the
stump where he is standing.
-The Hiker can only pick up or carry one plank at a time.
-Planks must be supported between stumps on both ends, and must be an
exact fit.
-Planks can't be placed diagonally, only north-south or east-west.
-Planks can't be support other planks.
-Planks can't be stacked.
-Planks can't cross over the other stumps or planks in the way.
Strategies:
As you help your
Hiker across the Beginner challenges, you'll start to notice some
helpful strategic moves. The simplest moves are just relays--like
getting to the end of the first plank, picking it up, carrying it along
the next plank, and putting the first plank down again to form your next
bridge. Sometimes your Hiker might have to get clever and leave a
plank behind in a spot where it will come in handy later.
Sometimes the Hiker will move a plank just to clear a path so it doesn't
block where he wants to go. The strategies become more complex in
the Intermediate challenges, and downright brain boggling with the
Expert cards. The Hiker might park one plank to use it later, move
another to clear a path, double back to pick up the parked plank, change
directions entirely, and find himself at a dead end only to backtrack
all over again. Whatever works to get him across, as long as he
follows the rules...and avoids the gators, snakes, and piranhas!
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