The Theme
Get your dog home safely! But Tollkeepers lurk everywhere – catchers in the streets, hunters in the woods, fishermen by the river.
Pay the Tribute… or the Bailiff takes your dog!
Components
64 Cards:
| Role | Count | Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Walker | 24 | Street, Wood, River (8 each) |
| Attacker | 15 | Catcher, Hunter, Fisherman, Flea, Poop (3 each) |
| Defender | 17 | Coins, Rabbit, Fish (3 each), Sack, Doc (4 each) |
| Beast | 8 | Cat, Boar, Hippo, Police (2 each) |
+ Bones (tokens/chips) as currency
The Three Realms
| Realm | Walker | Attacker | Defender | Beast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Streets | Street | Catcher | Coins | Cat |
| Woods | Wood | Hunter | Rabbit | Boar |
| Rivers | River | Fisherman | Fish | Hippo |
| Global | — | Flea, Poop | Sack, Doc | Police |
Setup
- Dealer shuffles all 64 cards
- Deal 7 cards to each player
- Remaining cards = Draw Pile
- Prepare Bone supply
Actions
On your turn, perform ONE action:
ADDDOG – Start New Dog
Play 1 Walker → new dog in that realm. +1 Bone
Only if no WALK possible and no dogs in trouble (ATTACKED/AFRAID).
WALK – Move Dog
Play 1 matching Walker on your dog.
Goal: 5 cards = dog safe at home!
SWITCH – Change Realm
Play 1 Defender + 1 Walker → dog moves to Walker's realm.
ATTACK – Demand Toll
Play 1 Attacker on opponent's WALKING dog. Attacker must match realm.
ATTACK+: Same Attacker type again on ATTACKED dog.
DEFEND – Pay Tribute
Play the matching Defender to block an attack:
| Attacker | Defender |
|---|---|
| Catcher | Coins |
| Hunter | Rabbit |
| Fisherman | Fish |
| Poop | Sack |
| Flea | Doc |
DEFENDED dogs can move with any Walker!
DRAW – Can't Pay
No matching Defender? Draw cards:
- ATTACKED → draw 1 → PENDING
- AFRAID → draw 2 → CONQUERED
Flea lasts 2 rounds before PENDING!
PUNISH – Send Bailiff
Play Beast on PENDING dog → AFRAID
| Attacker | Allowed Beasts |
|---|---|
| Catcher | Cat, Police |
| Hunter | Boar, Police |
| Fisherman | Hippo, Police |
| Poop | ANY (Cat, Boar, Hippo, Police) |
| Flea | ANY (Cat, Boar, Hippo, Police) |
PUNISH+: Same Beast again on AFRAID dog.
RESCUE – Save Pending Dog
Play 1 matching Defender on PENDING dog → DEFENDED
ESCAPE – Flee from Beast
Play 2× same Walker on AFRAID dog → WALKING
| Beast | Escape with |
|---|---|
| Cat | 2× Street |
| Boar | 2× Wood |
| Hippo | 2× River |
| Police | 2× any (same type) |
GIVEAWAY – Offload Cards
Play Defender/Attacker/Beast on DEFENDED, PENDING, or CONQUERED dog.
No Walkers allowed!
Bones – The Currency
| Earn | |
|---|---|
| ADDDOG (new dog) | +1 |
| Help opponent's dog (DEFEND/ESCAPE/RESCUE) | +1 |
| Move opponent's PENDING dog (WALK/SWITCH) | +1 |
| Conquer a dog | +2 |
| Spend | |
| Realm access without matching dog | −1 |
End Game
Game ends immediately when:
- All hand cards played (need at least 1 dog)
- 5-card Set: Full House, 5 of a Kind, or 5 of a Role
- Draw pile empty and a player must draw
- 12 cards in hand with no dog → game restarts
Scoring
| Victory | Points |
|---|---|
| Win by Set | +5 |
| Win by empty hand | +1 per player |
| Bonus | |
| Per realm you occupy | +1 |
| Per dog you own | +1 |
| Per Bone you have | +1 |
| Penalty | |
| Per card in hand | −1 |
No penalty when winning with a Set!
Dog States
| State | Freq. | Meaning | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| WALKING | ~74% | Normal | WALK, SWITCH, can be attacked |
| ATTACKED | ~4% | Under attack | DEFEND or DRAW |
| DEFENDED | ~18% | Paid tribute | WALK (any Walker!), GIVEAWAY |
| PENDING | ~3% | At risk | WALK, SWITCH, RESCUE, GIVEAWAY – or PUNISH! |
| AFRAID | <1% | Bailiff! | DEFEND (2×), ESCAPE (2×), or lose dog |
| CONQUERED | <1% | Seized | WALK, SWITCH, GIVEAWAY (new owner +2 Bones) |
State Transitions
Strategy Tips
- Keep Defenders! ~27% of deck
- DEFENDED = any Walker – use for realm switches
- PENDING = critical – act fast before PUNISH!
- Fear POOP & FLEA – any Beast can follow!
- Police is global – can follow any Attacker!
- Help rivals = earn Bones
- Target 4/5 card dogs – almost home!
- Collect Walker pairs – emergency ESCAPE
Quick Reference
| Action | Cards | Result |
|---|---|---|
| ADDDOG | 1 Walker | → WALKING (+1 Bone) |
| WALK | 1 Walker | → WALKING |
| SWITCH | Def + Walker | → WALKING (new realm) |
| ATTACK | 1 Attacker | → ATTACKED |
| DEFEND | 1 Defender | → DEFENDED |
| DRAW | — | → PENDING / CONQUERED |
| PUNISH | 1 Beast | → AFRAID |
| RESCUE | 1 Defender | PENDING → DEFENDED |
| ESCAPE | 2× Walker | AFRAID → WALKING |
| GIVEAWAY | Def/Att/Beast | Offload cards |