Oz Quest by Karen Deal Robinson

• Introduction
• The Board
• Equipment
• Setup
• The Players
• Object
• Movement
• Treasures
• Hazards
• Fighting Mombi
• Winning the Game
• Jewel Reference Chart
• Hazards Reference Chart

Introduction

Oz Quest is a game based on the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. It takes its inspiration mostly from "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" and "The Marvelous Land of Oz", but also contains incidents from the other books. It can be played solitaire or with up to six players.

The Board

The board represents a map of Oz. To the North is the purple country of the Gillikins. To the East is the blue country of the Munchkins. To the South is the red country of the Quadlings. To the West is the yellow country of the Winkies. (On the board it appears more orange than yellow, to distinguish it from the Yellow Brick Road.) In the center is the Emerald City and the green lands surrounding it.

Running through all the countries and connecting them is the Yellow Brick Road. Certain spaces on the Yellow Brick Road are white; their use will be explained in the section on movement.

Scattered throughout the countries of Oz are several treasures. They are located in the centers of the hexagonal groups of gray spaces. The gray spaces represent hazards that must be overcome to collect the treasures.

At the far north is a triangular group of six black spaces. This represents Mombi's house. At the far south is a triangular group of six pink spaces. This represents Glinda's castle.

You can print up the game board given here (you'll have to enlarge it) or draw an equivalent board using hex paper. On hex paper the board will have a more elongated appearance, but the game will be exactly the same.

Equipment

• One game piece for each player, and one for Mombi
• Two six-sided dice of different colors
• Four yellow jewels numbered 1,5,11 and 16
• Four red jewels numbered 2,7,12 and 17
• Four blue jewels numbered 3,8,13 and 18
• Four green jewels numbered 4,10,15 and 20
• Four purple jewels numbered 6,9,14 and 19
• Six pink jewels
• Ten or more clear jewels
• Hazard Reference Card and Jewel Reference Card, one for each player.

Setup

Place one numbered jewel in the center of each hexagonal arrangement of gray spaces. The jewels represent the treasures. Match the color of the jewel to the color of the central space, which also matches the color of the country in which the treasure is hidden. Do not look at the numbers on the jewels.

Place the players' pieces in the black spaces, which represent Mombi's house. The first player starts from the southern tip of the triangle. As each of the other players begin, they move as though their piece were also in the southern tip of the triangle.

Place Mombi behind the players' pieces. She doesn't move until all players are out of the starting area.

The Players

Oz Quest is played with 1 to 6 players. Mombi is a non-player character who opposes the players. The players act as a team, trying to beat her, but they also race to see who will find the most treasures and take them to Glinda. As an alternative you can play without Mombi, and just race to find the most treasures.

Object

The object of Oz Quest is to find the five ingredients for the Powder of Life and take them to Glinda's palace before Mombi reaches the gates of the palace. If this is accomplished, the players win as a team. You can also determine an individual winner by counting the number of jewels each player has at the end of the game. The player with the most jewels is the overall winner.

Movement

• Mombi's Movement
• Player's Movement
• Moving on the Yellow Brick Road
• Extra Fast Road Travel

A player's turn consists of two phases. First Mombi moves one or two spaces forward (southward. Then the player moves.

If you are playing with only one or two players, Mombi moves too fast to give you a fair chance. In that case, she should move only one space on each turn. 1 means move southeast one space. 3 means move south one space. 5 means move southwest one space. An even number on the die means that Mombi does not move that turn.

Player's movement

Treasures

Treasures are represented by the colored jewels. They are one of two types: ingredients for the Powder of Life, and magical tools that will help you travel faster or defeat hazards more easily. When you find a treasure, look at the number on the bottom of the jewel. Compare the number to the treasure chart. You may want to place the jewel on the chart to keep track of what you have. The ingredients for the Powder of Life appear on the top row of the chart.

Some of the magical tools will say things like "+1 on illusions". This means that if you are trying to pass through a hazard that is some sort of illusion, and you have to roll a 5 or 6 (for example) to pass that hazard, you may add 1 to your die roll. Rolling any number from 4 to 6 would now be enough to pass through.

Other treasures may say Extra Fast Road Travel. That is explained in the previous section.

Players can trade treasures, but only if their pieces are adjacent.

Hazards

Each treasure is guarded by six hazard spaces. You may not advance to a jeweled space without first passing one of the hazards. When you land on a hazard space, roll a die and look on the hazard chart to see what the hazard is. The hazard depends on which country you are in, as well as what the roll of the die is. For example, if you roll a 6 while in the Emerald City, look in the green column and find number 6: "Ozma's Birthday, Wait for Parade: roll 4-6 to get through."

The chart will tell you what die roll you need to beat the hazard. As part of the same turn, roll a die to see if you beat the hazard. If so, move to the jeweled space and collect the treasure. You do not have to beat the hazard again when leaving the jeweled space on your next turn.

Some hazards give a die roll necessary "to get through". This means that if you do not beat the hazard, on your next turn you may stay and try to beat the same hazard again, or use your die roll to move away from that area. You do not have to decide what to do until after you roll the die. If you do not beat the hazard the second time, you may stay and try again and again on subsequent turns, or move away on any turn.

Other hazards give a die roll necessary "to escape". This means that you are captured, and must stay on that space until you escape or until you are sent back to the start. If you escape, you may move to the jeweled space and collect the treasure. Again, you do not have to beat the hazard again when leaving the jeweled space on your next turn.

Fighting Mombi

If you land on a space adjacent to Mombi, you must fight her. (Because she moves first and you move second, you can always move away from her. You do not have to land adjacent to her unless you want to.)

Let one die represent you, and the other represent Mombi. Roll both dice. If your roll is higher or there is a tie, you win the fight. Mombi has to move straight back (north) a number of spaces equal to the number on her die, and if she has any jewels, you may take one of your choosing. You also receive a clear jewel as a token of your bravery.

As Mombi moves back north, if there are any pieces in her way, she jumps over them as in ordinary movement. She also jumps over any treasures in her way and does not collect them.

If Mombi's roll is higher, you must move straight north a number of spaces equal to the number on your die, and Mombi takes one of your jewels, also of your choosing. As you move back north, if there are any pieces in your way, you jump over them as in ordinary movement. You also jump over any treasures in your way and do not collect them. You are not affected by hazard spaces.

You do not receive a clear jewel if you lose the fight.

Winning or Losing the Game

Once all the ingredients are found, the players should try to reach Glinda's palace. The first to arrive will receive three pink jewels. The second will receive two pink jewels, and the third will receive one pink jewel. If Mombi has not arrived by the time all the players arrive, then the players win.

An individual winner can be determined by counting each player's jewels. This includes all kinds of jewels: ingredient jewels, treasure jewels, bravery jewels, and the pink jewels. The player with the greatest total number of jewels wins.

If Mombi reaches the gates of Glinda's palace before all the players are there with the ingredients for the Powder of Life, Mombi wins.

Jewel Reference Chart

Hazards Reference Chart