Gamehelpdig

Overview

In DIG, players control dogs searching a yard for buried bones. Dig up bones, carry them to matching colored Dog Bowls, and collect points.

The value of each Bone depends on how close its matching Dog Bowl is to the Doghouse at the end of the game.

The player with the most points wins.

Setup

1. Place the Doghouse card at one end of the playing area.
2. Set aside the 4 Dog cards.
3. Shuffle the 20 Bone cards (Bone side down) together with the 5 Dog Bowl cards.
4. Arrange these 25 cards in a long row extending away from the Doghouse. This row is called the Yard.
5. Each player selects a Dog and places it above or below the Doghouse.
6. Return any unused Dogs to the box.

The youngest player takes the first turn.

Players take turns clockwise.

Gameplay

On your turn, you may perform up to 3 actions.

There are three available actions:

• Move - Move your Dog along the Yard.
• Dig - Pick up a Bone card.
• Drop - Return matching Bones to a Dog Bowl.

You may perform actions in any order and repeat the same action multiple times during your turn.

For example, you could Move, Dig, and Move again, or Move, Dig, and Drop.

Move

Move your Dog along the Yard in either direction.

You may move up to 4 cards with a single Move action, but the maximum distance is reduced by the number of Bone cards in your hand before moving.

Bones in Hand	Maximum Movement
0	4 cards
1	3 cards
2	2 cards
3	1 card

• Moving fewer than the maximum distance is allowed.
• You may move toward or away from the Doghouse.
• Multiple Dogs may occupy the same Yard card.
• Each Move action counts as one of your three actions.

Example:

If you are carrying 2 Bones, a Move action allows you to travel up to 2 cards in either direction.

Dropping Bones can increase your movement range on subsequent Move actions.

Dig

If your Dog is standing on a Bone card, you may use an action to Dig.

When you Dig:

1. Take the Bone card your Dog is standing on.
2. Add it to your hand.
3. Keep the Bone hidden from the other players.

Important rules:

• You may hold a maximum of 3 Bone cards in your hand.
• Dog Bowl cards and the Doghouse cannot be dug.
• Bones in your hand remain secret until dropped.

Replacing a Dug Bone

Immediately after Digging, you may replace the removed card with any Bone card from your hand, including the one you just dug up.

The replacement must be placed Bone side down.

If you already had 3 Bones in hand when you performed the Dig action, you must immediately replace the dug card with a Bone from your hand.

If you do not replace the card, the empty space will be resolved when the Yard resets at the end of your turn.

Drop

If your Dog is standing on a Dog Bowl, you may use an action to Drop Bones.

To Drop:

1. Select one or more Bones from your hand that match the color of the Dog Bowl.
2. Place those Bones face up in front of you.
3. These Bones remain visible for the rest of the game.

Multiple matching Bones may be dropped with a single action.

You cannot Drop Bones at a Dog Bowl of a different color.

Example:

If your Dog is standing on the Purple Dog Bowl and you have 2 Purple Bones, you may Drop both Bones using just 1 action.

Dropped Bones contribute to your score at the end of the game.

Bone Cards and Scents

There are 5 Bone colors, with 4 Bones of each color.

Each Bone card displays a scent consisting of two colors.

The actual Bone on that card matches one of those two scent colors.

For example:

• A card displaying a Red and Green scent contains either a Red Bone or a Green Bone.
• A card displaying a Blue and Yellow scent contains either a Blue Bone or a Yellow Bone.

There are 2 cards for each combination of scent colors.

Use these clues to decide which Bones are worth digging up.

Bones remain hidden in players' hands until they are dropped at a matching Dog Bowl.

Resetting the Yard

When Bones are dug up without being immediately replaced, gaps may appear in the Yard.

These gaps are resolved at the end of the current player's turn.

Filling Empty Spaces

For each empty space:

1. Find the Yard card that is farthest from the Doghouse.
2. Move that card into the empty space.
3. The Yard becomes shorter.

The card moved to fill a gap may be either a Bone card or a Dog Bowl card.

This process gradually changes the positions of cards in the Yard.

As Bones are removed, the Dog Bowls gradually move closer to the Doghouse.

Multiple Empty Spaces

If multiple spaces need to be filled during a single turn, resolve the empty space closest to the Doghouse first.

Continue until the remaining Yard cards form a continuous row.

An empty space at the far end of the Yard does not need to be filled.

Moving Dogs During a Yard Reset

If a Dog was standing on the last card in the Yard and that card is moved to fill another space, the Dog slides to the card that is now at the end of the Yard.

Strategic importance:

Resetting the Yard changes both:

• Which Bones and Dog Bowls players can reach.
• The final point values of the different Bone colors.

Digging can therefore influence not only the Bones you collect but also the value of Bones already collected by every player.

Game End

The game ends immediately after the turn in which only the 5 Dog Bowl cards remain in the Yard.

All 20 Bone cards will have been removed from the Yard.

Players then calculate their scores based on the Bones they have successfully dropped.

Bones still in a player's hand are worth 0 points.

Scoring

The value of each Bone color depends on the position of its matching Dog Bowl relative to the Doghouse at the end of the game.

The closer the Dog Bowl is to the Doghouse, the more points each Bone of that color is worth.

Dog Bowl Position	Points per Matching Bone
Closest to the Doghouse	5 points
2nd closest	4 points
3rd closest	3 points
4th closest	2 points
Farthest from the Doghouse	1 point

All dropped Bones of a particular color receive the same value, regardless of when they were dropped.

Scoring Example

Suppose the Dog Bowls finish in this order, starting from the Doghouse:

1. Green - 5 points
2. Yellow - 4 points
3. Purple - 3 points
4. Blue - 2 points
5. Red - 1 point

A player has collected:

• 2 Green Bones = 10 points
• 1 Yellow Bone = 4 points
• 3 Purple Bones = 9 points
• 2 Blue Bones = 4 points
• 2 Red Bones = 2 points

Total: 29 points

Only Bones that were successfully dropped at matching Dog Bowls count toward the final score.

Winning

The player with the highest total score wins.

Tiebreakers

If players are tied, compare their dropped Bones in descending point value:

1. The player with the most 5-point Bones wins.
2. If still tied, compare 4-point Bones.
3. Continue with 3-point, 2-point, and 1-point Bones as necessary.

Strategy Tips

Manage Your Hand

Carrying more Bones reduces your movement range.

A full hand of 3 Bones limits each Move action to just 1 card.

Dropping Bones frees space in your hand and increases how far you can move.

Follow the Scents

Each face-down Bone card displays two possible colors.

Use these clues to decide which Bones to Dig and which Dog Bowls to visit.

Watch the Yard

Dog Bowls change position as players Dig and the Yard resets.

A color that appears valuable early in the game may be worth fewer points at the end.

Pay attention to how removing cards changes the distance between Dog Bowls and the Doghouse.

Make the Most of Your Actions

You have up to 3 actions each turn, and actions can be repeated.

Plan your route to collect Bones and Drop multiple matching Bones efficiently.

Quick Reference

Action	Effect
Move	Move up to 4 cards, minus 1 for each Bone in hand.
Dig	Take the Bone card at your Dog's current position. Maximum 3 Bones in hand.
Drop	Place any number of matching Bones face up at your Dog's current Dog Bowl.

Key Rules:

• You may take up to 3 actions per turn.
• Actions can be repeated and performed in any order.
• You cannot carry more than 3 Bones.
• Multiple Dogs may occupy the same card.
• A Dig action may leave an empty space in the Yard.
• Empty spaces are resolved at the end of the turn using the farthest Yard card.
• Bones in your hand are worth 0 points at game end.
• Each dropped Bone scores 1-5 points, depending on the final position of its matching Dog Bowl.
• The game ends when only the 5 Dog Bowls remain in the Yard.

Credits

• Game Design and Graphic Design: Chris Handy
• Illustrations: Geoff Munn
• Publisher: Perplext