How to Play Candy Land Board Game Rules

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Candy land is an exhilarating board game that teaches preschoolers patience, color awareness, and socialization while guiding them to a delectable land of sweets.

Unfortunately, due to the proliferation of variations over the years, youngsters frequently become perplexed about playing Candy land.

To simplify things for them, we’ve written out a simple guide on how to play candy land, one of the best board games out there.

Candy Land Board Game Rules and Basic Instructions

Player: 2-4

Age: 3+

Difficulty: Easy

The History

The classic Candy land board game’s origins and development are worth noting.

Indeed, it has a great deal of resonance with the current state of affairs.

There is a reason why many Americans recall Candy land as their first board game in their medium to late years.

Its roots go all the way back to the 1940s Polio outbreak, which claimed thousands of lives and produced an atmosphere of impending doom.

That was the period when Eleanor Abbott, herself a Polio survivor, came up with the idea for a game rich with colors and the appearance of joy for recovering children.

The game was created in 1948 while she was surrounded by bereaved children in a hospital.

In that context, the game’s appealing appearance, simple rules, and enjoyable aspects were precisely what youngsters required.

Thus, Candy land became an instant success and a board game that emotionally introduced future generations to board games.

The Pack

1 Colorful Gameboard
4 Gingerbread Character Pawns
64 Cards
Rulebook

The Setup

Remove the gameboard from its packaging and set it on a flat surface. Shuffle the cards thoroughly.

Arrange them face down in a pile within easy reach of all participants.

Each player selects a Gingerbread Character pawn and places it on the gameboard’s START slot.

Candy Land Gameplay

The youngest player begins the match first. The game then shifts to the other side.

To begin, choose one card from the deck, then place your Gingerbread Character pawn as instructed below.

Then, it’s time for someone else to take the stage. First, discard the card that you used.

Cards

Whenever you draw a string with a single color block, advance your piece one place ahead toward Candy Castle.

So if you draw a chord with two color blocks, move your piece to the second matching color area on the way toward the Candy Castle.

When you draw a picture card, your pawn can go forward or backward on the path that matches the PINK square on your card.

A candy cane/mr. Mint card, for example, means that your pawn should go to the pink location on board that displays a candy cane.

Movement

Ensure you move in the direction indicated by the signposts unless the 0 Picture chord suggests that you should reverse your orientation on the path.

Two or more Gingerbread Character pawns may occupy a single space concurrently.

Shortcuts

The path features two shortcuts: the Rainbow Trail and the Gumdrop Pass.

Assume your Gingerbread Character pawn lands on the orange spot beneath the Rainbow Trail or the yellow space beneath the Gumdrop Pass, respectively.

In that case, you can instantly use the shortcut by moving your pawn to the purple area directly above the Rainbow Trail or to the green area directly above the Gumdrop Pass.

Licorice Spaces

On the walk, there are three Licorice Spaces.

The cunning Lord Licorice placed these Licorice gaps here to attempt to slow you down.

If you precisely land on one of these spots, your Gingerbread Character gets imprisoned for one turn.

Continue above until a player reaches the rainbow-colored space near the Candy Castle.

The Special Scenarios

Advance or Retreat

This is a famous instance of a player drawing only one square card.

Although the color of the square indicates the position of the participant’s pawn, the player will proceed to the tile of the same color that is closest.

Double The Pace

When a player draws a card with two squares of the same color, it’s a rare opportunity to double the pawn’s speed effectively.

As a result, the player must move on to the next box in the appropriate color’s row on the deck.

Picture Imperfect

Players who draw cards with pictures must move toward the image on the board no matter where it is located.

It doesn’t matter how far the participant is from the current location; they must walk forward or backward.

Cut Through The Chase

Only two of these shortcuts can be used on a typical Candy land board.

If you land on the adjacent box and don’t see it, that’s because it’s easy to overlook it amid the images.

However, if you know a shortcut, it will be easier to get to the finish line first.

Skip a Turn Or Skip the Skip

In order to play the game, you must overcome Skip, which is the single obstacle.

A cross is used to signify that the player has to skip their turn.

There are three skips on the path; therefore, it’s relatively easy to get past the Skip without a scratch.

The Special Exceptional Rule

For Younger Players

Players can only go forward with the help of picture cards. Participants are never sent back.

Redraw a new card instead of discarding a Picture card if it would move you backwards on your course.

For Older Players

This more difficult version can be attempted once you’ve mastered the original.

Draw TWO wires on each turn. Observe each card and decide which one to use.

Make the necessary adjustments, then discard both cards.

The Game Ends

The first person to reach the multi-colored rainbow space wins the game. Of course, this means you’ve got the Candy Castle. Candy Land is a thrilling card game for preschoolers.