Everything You Need to Know About Running with the Bulls!
Now that the Calliope Winter Carnival is over, it’s time to get back to our Everything You Need to Know About series, and what better game to do that with than the final game in Wave 1 of our Titan Series: Running with the Bulls!
Running with the Bulls is a 2-6 player dice-rolling game where you’re taking on the role (ha, see what I did there?) of the bull runners in Pamplona, Spain. Your goal is to get as many of your dice down the paths and to the bottom of the board where you can collect your bonuses. But if you ever find yourself in the same spot and with the same face as a Bull die, that die gets… well let’s just say he gets to go home early. How’s that? This is a fast-paced, high-energy game with a good amount of chaos. Let’s get moving!
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How to Play
Quick Start Guide
Setup
Shuffle the destination cards and place one on each destination space on the bottom of the board. Shuffle the Action cards and deal 5 to each player. The rest become the Action deck.
Everyone selects the color they want to play, and takes the number of small dice needed for their player count (9 for 2 players, 8 for 3 players, 6 for 4-6 players). Roll your dice, and then place each one in the starting area at the top of the board that matches the number on the die face. Dice that have a number 1 on them can be placed anywhere.
Now roll 5 of the large Bull dice, and place them one at a time on each starting area (they do not need to match the starting corral number). Roll the 6th Bull die and place it on the corral that matches the die face.
Gameplay
Running with the Bulls plays over 3 rounds, aka days. Players take a turn performing each step before proceeding to the next one.
Step 1: Play 1 action card from your hand. These cards can do everything from allowing you to reroll Runners, move Bulls change direction paths on the board, or even just gain victory points!
Step 2: Advance Runners. All dice with an even face go down the even path, and all dice with an odd face go down the odd path. The only exception is if someone has played a Direction token; in which case all Runners of that die color go the direction of the token. If your path doesn’t have a branch, all Runners go the same way.
Step 3: Advance Bulls. Bulls move down the path the same way Runners do, odds and evens. If after they advance, Bull dice match the face of any Runner dice, those players must reroll their Runners. If the die faces no longer match, the runner is safe. If they still match, that die is removed from the round (they get to come back the next day).
Step 4: Pass the First Player marker to the next player.
Continue Steps 1-4 until all Runners have either reached a destination or been eliminated. Keep in mind Bulls also reach destinations, and Runners can still be eliminated.
Scoring
Each destination card is worth the number of points in the bottom right corner. Each Runner that reaches the destination scores that number of points. Certain cards also provide a bonus or penalty for the following day.
After scoring the round, reset the board for a new day, and play again! After 3 rounds, the player with the most points wins!
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the game come with extra dice?
It sure does! Dice tend to get lost in dice chucking games, so we thought we’d help you out. Plus with cards that can add Runners or Bulls to the game, it’s important to have a few more than what you start a round with.
Once I’ve used a direction token, can I get rid of it when I don’t need it anymore?
No, you’ll need to play another Action card that lets you remove a direction token.
When the Action card says something like “Remove One Runner” or “Change One Runner to Any Face” is it only my Runners?
Nope! If you can only affect your Runners, the card will say so. You can absolutely move other players’ Runners.
Reviews and Playthroughs
Board to Death TV- Video Review
Board Dad- Redfurd talks about Running with the Bowls. Er, Bulls
The Board Game Family- Written Review
Family Board Gaming– Instagram Review