Haunted Mini Mouse

You and your fellow mice are being haunted by ghostly Cats, Snakes, Owls, and Hawks. Race to be the first to wake up by shedding all your cards.

You cannot change the order of the cards in your hand, but you can set out Bait to entice other mice into playing your cards for you. The first mouse to collect 7 Cheese wins!

Components

• 40 Haunted Cards (1-9 and 1 wild ✱ card in each of the 4 suits)
• 3 Score Cards
• 3 Pointer Cards

Setup

1. Each player takes a Score Card and a Pointer Card. Place your Pointer, front (mouse) side up, so it covers your Score Card completely: you have 0 Cheese. Either side of the Score Card can face up.

2. Shuffle all Haunted Cards and deal 8 cards to each player. Do not rearrange your cards.
3. Place the remaining cards facedown in a pile in the center of the table and reveal 2 cards (2 players) or 1 card (3 players). This is the Public Bait.
4. Bait: Each player simultaneously chooses 1 card from their hand and places it face down in front of them at 90°. Once all players have done this, flip them face up. These are your Bait cards.
   Bonus Bait: Any player(s) with the fewest Cheese may add a 2nd Bait card from their hand. In the first round, everyone may!
5. Designate an area off to the side as a discard pile.

The player to the left of the dealer is the first Lead Player.

Gameplay

Race to be the first to play all cards from your hand and your Bait. The Lead Player goes first; play continues clockwise.

On your turn, choose one: Play a Meld, Draw a Card, or Set a Trap.

Melds

• SET: 1 or more cards of the same rank, in any combination of suits.
• RUN: 2 or more cards in ascending or descending order, in any combination of suits. Runs must be in order: 3-4-5 or 5-4-3, but not 4-3-5.

✱ Cards: A ✱ card is any rank of its suit. Say what rank it is when you play it.

Play a Meld

If you are not leading, your meld must be stronger than the current meld:

• the same size (# of cards) and type (set or run) with higher values, or
• exactly 1 card more, of any meld type.

You may use cards from your hand and/or any number of Bait cards from any player(s), including the Public Bait.

Cards from your hand must all be adjacent within your hand; Bait cards can be added anywhere within the meld.

You must always include at least 1 card from your own hand or your own Bait. Place your hand cards first, then add any Bait.

Discard the previous meld face down. If you used the Public Bait, reveal a new Public Bait card at the end of your turn.

Draw a Card

Draw 1 card from the deck, the Public Bait, or any other player's Bait (not your own). Place it anywhere in your hand.

If you have no Bait cards, you must place 1 card from your hand (even the card you just drew) face up in front of you at 90°. If you already have Bait, you may add 1 more Bait card, but no more than 1 per turn.

If you drew the Public Bait, reveal a new one at the end of your turn. If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.

Set a Trap

Play exactly 4 cards of the same rank in all different suits, or a run of exactly 4 cards of the same suit. A Trap can be played regardless of the meld before it.

Discard both the previous meld and the Trap. You are now the Lead Player and may play a meld, draw a card, or even set another Trap!

Lead Player

When leading, you may only use cards from your hand and/or your own Bait.

If, at the start of your turn, your previous meld is still in play (all other players drew a card), discard it. You are now the Lead Player.

If you have no cards left when you would become the Lead Player, the player to your left leads instead.

Round End

When you run out of cards, collect Cheese based on your out order (also shown on your Pointer). Slide your Pointer down to reveal 1 Cheese on your Score Card for each Cheese collected.

Your meld stays on the table and play continues. If a player runs out of cards because another player took their Bait, the player whose Bait was taken goes out first.

When only 1 player has cards, the round ends immediately; that player receives 0 Cheese and is the Lead Player next round. Shuffle all Haunted Cards and repeat Setup steps 2–5.

Game End

Whenever a player receives their 7th Cheese, the game ends immediately and that player wins!