Baba Yaga Game Rules

Hey there! Are you ready to dive into the mystical world of Baba Yaga? This enchanting game will take you on a thrilling adventure where you must outsmart the wicked witch herself. Get ready to explore and unlock the secrets of the forest as you navigate through a series of challenges. But before we begin, let’s take a closer look at the rules of the game!

Setting up the Game

To begin, you’ll need the game board, which represents the magical forest. Place it in the center of your playing area, making sure everyone can reach it easily. Next, shuffle the 13 Baba Yaga cards and place them face down next to the board.

Playing the Game

The goal of the game is to collect as many eggs as you can before Baba Yaga catches you. Each player will take turns spinning the Baba Yaga spinner and moving their character accordingly on the board.

As you navigate the forest, you’ll encounter different challenges and opportunities. These are represented by the Baba Yaga cards. When you land on a Baba Yaga symbol, you must draw a card and follow the instructions. The cards can either help you by granting you an egg or hinder you by making you lose an egg.

If you manage to collect three eggs of the same color, you’ll earn a golden egg. Golden eggs are special and give you unique powers that can help you outwit Baba Yaga.

Beware of Baba Yaga herself! If you land on her symbol, you must place one of your eggs back on the board. But don’t worry, you can always try to collect more eggs and work your way towards victory!

Winning the Game

The game ends when all the eggs have been collected or when Baba Yaga catches all the players. At the end of the game, the player with the most eggs wins! So, strategize, take risks, and may luck be on your side as you journey through the mystical world of Baba Yaga.

When you’re playing a game called Baba Yaga, your goal is to have the fewest points possible. To do that, you need to cast spells and collect Baba Yaga cards, as well as other cards that don’t score many points.

Getting Ready to Play

To start the game, you’ll need to separate the Baba Yaga cards (which have a red back) and the Owl spell cards (which have a teal back) from the main deck (which has a black back). Then, put each pile in the middle of the playing area.

Hey there! Let’s take a moment to get to know all the different cards that make up the main deck. The deck is made up mostly of potion cards, which have values ranging from 1 to 7. But that’s not all! We also have three types of spell cards: Pelicans, Baba Yaga’s Cats, and Baba Yaga’s Lost Wand.

Now, here’s something interesting: each spell card has an activation value printed in the corner. And don’t forget about our special cards, Garlic and Mortar.

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with all the cards, it’s time to shuffle the main deck. Deal five cards face down to each player. Remember, these cards are your little secret from your opponents, so keep them in your hand.

Next, we need to create a draw pile. Take the rest of the cards and stack them face down in the center of the playing area. This will be your draw pile. To create discard piles, draw the top two cards of the deck and place one face up on each side of the draw pile.

Tutorial and Review Video

Game Play

When it’s my turn to play the game, I can choose from a few different actions. The goal is to always have 5 cards in my hand at the end of my turn.

Switch a Card

I can pick a card from my hand and put it on one of the discard piles. Then, I have two options: I can either take the top card from the draw pile or I can take the top card from the other discard pile. The only condition is that the card I’m taking can’t be a spell card that was just used.

Note: If there is only one discard pile, I have to put my card on the opposite pile.

Cast a Spell

Hey there! If you’ve got a spell card like Pelican, Owl, Cats, or Lost Wand, you can use it by getting rid of some potion cards that add up to the activation value of the spell card. For instance, you could use a 3 potion and a 4 potion to activate a Pelican spell. Just put those potion cards on one of the discard piles, and then place the spell card on top of them. After you’ve done everything the spell says to do, grab enough cards from the draw pile to fill your hand back up to 5 cards.

Keep in mind: The total value of the potion cards has to be exactly the same as the value of the spell in order for it to work. If you put down a spell with no potion cards, it won’t work and the next player can snag it.

Shout “Baba Yaga!”

A Helpful Tip!

The back side of the Baba Yaga cards is red, while the back side of the Owl cards is teal.

Pay close attention to your opponents’ hands and try to guess how close they are to saying “Baba Yaga!” based on their actions and the cards they have.

If the draw pile runs out, both discard piles should be shuffled together to create a new draw pile. Any Owl cards that were in the discard piles will now be included in the draw pile and can be swapped by players during their turns.

Spells

The trick to getting a low score is collecting Baba Yaga cards, which have a value of 0. To acquire them, you’ll need to use Pelican and Owl spells.

A Pelican has the ability to transform into either a Baba Yaga or an Owl.

To activate this power, you need to get rid of certain potion cards from your hand. The total value of these cards should add up to 7, and you also need to discard the Pelican card itself. Once you meet these requirements, you can choose to draw either a Baba Yaga card or an Owl card from the corresponding deck.

If, after using this power, you have less than 5 cards in your hand, you can replenish it by drawing additional cards from the main deck until you have a full hand of 5 cards again.

An amazing transformation awaits when you discover the power of an Owl.

Imagine holding a hand of magical potion cards, each one carrying a unique essence. But what if I told you that by discarding a combination of cards that add up to 7, including the magnificent Owl card, you can unlock a mystical secret?

Embrace the unknown and draw two Baba Yaga cards from the pile. These enchanting cards will transport you to a world of unlimited possibilities.

And that’s not all. Once you’ve made your transformation, do you worry about being left empty-handed? Fear not! You have the power to replenish your inventory by drawing from the pile, ensuring your hand is always full with a maximum of 5 cards.

Beware of Baba Yaga’s Cats and the Elusive Lost Wand

In the depths of the main deck, elusive treasures await. Baba Yaga’s cats and her lost wand have been carefully concealed, ready to grant you incredible abilities.

Picture this: you hold in your grasp the power to influence your opponents’ destinies. With Baba Yaga’s cats at your side, their magical abilities can disrupt even the most carefully laid plans of your rivals.

And then there’s the lost wand, with its wondrous enchantments. It possesses the ability to shape reality, allowing you to mold the game to your advantage.

So, my curious friend, will you embrace the mystical transformation? Unlock the secrets of the Owl, wield the power of Baba Yaga’s cats, and harness the magic of the lost wand. The possibilities are endless.

Grab a Baba Yaga or Owl card from someone else.

If you have potion cards that add up to 7 in your hand, along with the Cats card, get rid of them. After that, choose a Baba Yaga or Owl card from another player to take for yourself.

That player has to give you the card and pick a different card from the draw pile. Then, replenish your hand with 5 cards from the draw pile.

Get rid of Baba Yagas and Owls.

When playing this magical game, you have to make some tough choices. First, you need to discard cards from your hand that add up to 8, as well as the Lost Wand card. After that, you have to decide whether you want to dispel Baba Yagas or Owls.

But here’s the twist – if any other player has the card you discarded (except for you), they have to return it to the pile and draw a new card. Meanwhile, you get to replenish your hand with 5 new cards from the draw pile. Talk about a lucky break!

Special Cards

Remember, using Garlic will protect you from spells!

Hey there! Did you know that if someone casts a spell like Lost Wand or Cats on you, you can totally stop it in its tracks with a Garlic card? That’s right! All you have to do is play the Garlic card instead of doing what the spell asks you to do. Just place the Garlic card in the discard pile and draw a different card from the draw pile. Easy peasy!

Oh, and here’s a neat little detail – you don’t need any potions to activate a Garlic card. It works all on its own, no fancy ingredients required. However, be warned! Any Garlic cards you have left in your hand at the end of the game will count against you. They’re worth a whopping 10 points each. Yikes!

Speaking of potions, Mortar is quite the wild card. Keep an eye out for it!

The Mortar card can represent any number of potions needed to cast a spell. Just put it on a discard pile with any spell you want to cast from your hand. You don’t need any potions to use a Mortar card. But if you have any Mortar cards left in your hand at the end of the game, they’re worth 10 points.

Finishing the Game

Once the value of your hand is 4 or less, you can say “Baba Yaga” and end the game right away. You can only say “Baba Yaga” if it’s your turn and you haven’t cast a spell. So if you cast a spell and your hand value is 4 or less, you have to wait until your next turn to say “Baba Yaga”.

So here’s what happens: once we’ve all played our cards and worked our magic, it’s time to see who comes out on top. We add up the values of all our cards, including any tricky spells or special cards. The goal is to have the lowest score possible. But what if there’s a tie? Well, in that case, the person with the most Baba Yaga cards wins.

Now, let’s talk about tournament play.

When you’re the winner, you score 0 points. Congrats!
If you’re one of the losers, your score is the total value of your hand at the end of the round. Not great, but hey, better luck next time.
Now, pay attention to this one: if you’re the declarer and you lose to someone with a lower hand, you lose 25 points. Ouch. The other player gets off scot-free with 0 points.
But wait, there’s more! If you’re the declarer and you manage to win with 5 Baba Yaga cards, you score 0 points. Nice job! But here’s the twist: all the other players get hit with a whopping 30 points each. Talk about turning the tables!
Oh, and there’s another special case. If, upon declaration, you’re the proud owner of 5 “T potion cards,” you score 0 points. And just to add insult to injury, all the other players get hit with 20 points each. It’s like a double whammy.