Tips saboteur

For the rules of Saboteur, types of cards available etc. see Gamehelpsaboteur

Check your role!

You might be surprised how frequently players forget to check this most important information at the beginning of every round!

Gold-Digger

• The first thing to do is to show your teammates that you are a Gold-Digger by:
  • placing a T or + path, or
  • placing a dead end behind the start card, or
  • if there is already a saboteur revealed, by breaking one of the saboteur's tools!
• When there is one or more saboteurs without any broken tools, try to:
  • break their tools!
  • Place paths with multiple branches ( + T -| ) so that the saboteurs cannot place dead end paths to block all your options!

Saboteur

There are various strategies which have varying success depending on the experience of the other players:

• Behave like a Gold-Digger the whole round - not recommended!
• Bluff with moves that could be a Gold-Digger - can be good at the start
• Take advantage of a Gold-Digger who does not prove themselves by breaking one of their tools and then 'hide' - can be very effective
• Break Gold-Diggers early - usually better to save breaks for key moments and when Gold-Diggers are close to gold
• Discard - better than helping the Gold-Diggers towards gold!
• Place dead ends/curve backwards as soon as possible - can be very effective to take advantage of having all the Saboteurs free at the start of the round
• Consistently either curve up or down repeatedly - can work if you have lots of the same curve, but remember Gold-Diggers may be able to curve back again!

Selfish dwarf

• This dwarf (with a red jacket) can only win if they manage to complete the connection to the treasure themselves!
• If they succeed, they get four gold nuggets while the other players get nothing at all.
• If another Gold-Digger completes the connection, the selfish dwarf takes no part in the treasure sharing.
• Sabotage as often as you like to block your fellows and saboteurs, but don't do it too much or...

Geologist

• On average Geologists do better with more paths played (greater chance of crystals), so long paths are good.
• Geologists also like doors which exclude green or blue diggers from treasure. Having both blue and green doors in series is even better!
• With many Gold-Diggers, you may also want to play like a Saboteur! Just remember your tools may be broken as a result...
• If you think there is another Geologist, try to put them in jail just before the end of the round so that you get their half of the geologists' treasure

Boss

• The Boss loves doors, and receives more gold with fewer winners, so try to force the path through at least one green or blue door, preferably both!
• Don't open gold yourself when there are no doors or all the green and blue diggers will share the treasure and there might be nothing left for you!
• Use ladders as a last resort

Profiteer

• Often behaving like a saboteur is a safe bet - the only thing on the Profiteer's mind is how to make as few winners as possible for the round.
• The profiteer doesn't mind geologists much as their treasure is separate
• Again, loves doors, try to save any you pick up and try to force the path through them.
• Avoid playing ladders to help the Gold-Diggers

Green/Blue Gold-Diggers

• To help ensure you win as a Gold-Digger, place doors with your colour just before reaching goal cards.
• Any colour of door can be helpful for working out who is and is not on your green/blue team depending on how other players react to a door.
• Remember the digger after you may not be the same colour as you, so try not to dig one path card away from an unknown goal card or you may regret it...
• Inspecting the role of the player after you can give you a good advantage if they are a Gold-Digger
  • If they are the same colour as you, try to let them know and help them to open goal cards
  • If they are the opposite colour, try to sabotage them just before reaching unknown goal cards
• Ladders are be a good way to overcome doors of the opposite colour without looking like a Saboteur

Efficient use of path cards (Saboteur 1)

Gold-Diggers

• Sometimes it is necessary to curve up/down in order to move forward!
• When Saboteurs are broken, don't be afraid to use curves!
• Remember there are a limited number of straight ( + T - ) paths.
• Learn the rule of "two curves = 1 straight"
• Avoid discarding paths as much as possible
• If you are the first Gold-Digger after a Saboteur, you are a prime target for them to break your tools, so try to dig helpful paths every turn that you are not broken
• Don't place curves on top/underneath straight ( + T ) paths if possible!

Saboteurs

If you are free and have no dead ends, try to surround key paths so that it becomes a better rf (rockfall) spot!

Efficient use of action cards (Saboteur 1)

Rockfall

There are only 3 in the deck, so save them for critical moments - you may have only one rockfall card for your team!

When path cards are surrounded on all sides they become a prime target for a rockfall

Fixes

Single

• There are 2 single fixes for each tool - use them to fix your teammates ASAP!
• When given the choice between fixing yourself and your teammate, it is usually better for your team to fix your teammate.

Double

• Only 1 double fix for each combination of tool - save double fixes for critical moments, e.g.:
  • when two of your team are both broken with the same tool type, or
  • when there are no more cards in the deck, or
  • when you know all of the single type have been used already

Maps

• Try not to map too early - save them for when your tools are broken and you would otherwise be discarding
• Try to map goal cards that your teammates have not already mapped - this gives your team more information
• If you have 3 or more maps, the 3rd map can be used to indicate where the gold is!

Working out who the Saboteurs are

This is much easier when playing Saboteur 1 with the 'maximum Saboteurs' option.

With 5 players it is usually quite easy to deduce who the Saboteurs are even before every player has played.

• Saboteurs will tend to discard at the beginning
• Gold-Diggers will tend to dig towards gold..

For example, in a 5 player Saboteur 1 game with the maximum number of Saboteurs:

If the first two players have already dug T or + straight paths in the centre and you are a Gold-Digger, it is very likely that the other two players are Saboteurs and it is not a bad idea to break one of their tools even though they have not had a chance to play yet.

Some Lingo

straight

• + = cross
• T = t or T
• - = simple (straight)

curve

• -| = vt 'vertical' t
• ¬ = 7 / L
• r

de

• Any dead end = 'de'
• Any dead end that can be placed in front of the path = 'front de'

fix

• single lamp = 'simple lamp'
• single pickaxe = 'simple pick'
• single trolley = 'simple trol'
• double fixes = 'multi' with one of 'lamp'/'pick'/'trol' depending on the context

rf

• Rockfall card = 'rf'
• rf spot = a path card which, if a rockfall spot is played on it, requires a particular type of path card to replace it in order to continue the path
  • simple straights ( - ) are a typical target as there are only 3 in the Saboteur 1 deck