MineOnline
Play
Two phases
1. Rig
Players take turns picking an item from a crate and placing it on the board. Mines stay secret from everyone but you. Some items help, most are there to ruin someone's run:
- Mine and cluster: hidden extra mines. The numbers update, so the board still makes sense, just not in your favour.
- Tripwire: stops a cascade dead.
- Shroud: hides the numbers in an area.
- Danger sign: warns about a mine. Or bluffs one.
- Bridge, lantern, hard hat: a safe stepping stone, a secret peek at a few tiles, or one free survival.
2. Run
Everyone starts at the entrance and races to the exit. You can only dig next to tiles you've already opened, so you're forced through the traps. The exit tile itself is always safe. Hit a mine and you're out for the round; skulls show where people died, which is very useful information for everyone else.
Scoring
Escaping earns points (first out earns the most), and your traps earn you points when they catch someone. A match runs over several rounds, and the mines from earlier rounds can stay in the shaft, so the board gets nastier as it goes.
Why it works as a party game
Everyone plays every phase, rounds are short, and the best moments are social: watching a friend walk straight into the mine you placed, or bluffing a danger sign on a perfectly safe tile. Play it with friends in a private lobby, or jump into quickplay with bots.