Author: Cédric Millet
Illustration: Markus Erdt
Editorial: Patrick Tonn
Playing time: approx. 20 minutes

Curtain up for the most incredible monster acts, that the world has ever seen! We are excited to let you dive into the world of „The Next MonStar“. In the spooktacular talent show the spooky stars of tomorrow, what they've got.

But the jury is demanding and has its own preferences: some love powerhouse voices, others breathtaking dance moves or a spooky-chic style. Still others are into gross and creepy acts. In the game, you have to cast the jury's favorites – which also gets the audience carried away and is rewarded with popularity points on the applause-o-meter!

Whoever manages, in three rounds to collect the most popularity points, has won!

• 45 MonStar tiles (including 5 Mega-MonStars)

• 15 jury tiles

• 4 stages

• 4 score spiders

• 1 applause-o-meter

• Spotlight symbol:

  The MonStar may only be placed in the yellow/green/red area of the stage.

• Power Duo (only for variant!)

  Some MonStars form a Power Duo. A pair with matching Power Duo symbols earns one extra popularity point.

• Talents:

  Each normal MonStar has 2 different talents. There are 5 talents in total: Creepiness, Singing, Disgust, Style, Dance.

1. Take one stage each and place it in front of you. The color-matching points-spider goes into the green slime area on the Applause-o-meter.

2. Sort the 5 Mega-MonStar tiles out. These are only added in the third round. In the two- or three-player game you also need only 10 jury tiles (2 per talent). Only in the four-player game do all 15 come into play.

3. Place all remaining MonStar and jury tiles face down in the middle. Now reveal 6 tiles of your choice (regardless of whether MonStar or jury member).

4. Find the soundtrack that corresponds to your number of players.You can find the sound files to listen to and download on this page

You play in turn clockwise and for 3 rounds. Each round consists of 2 phases:

• In the Casting phase you collect during the beat of the soundtrack tiles and place them on your respective stages – the MonStars on one of the three upper stage spaces and the Jury on their seats below.

• Your goal is to, in the Applause phase at the end of each round have as many talent symbols as possible on your MonStar tiles that match the talent symbols on your Jury tiles. For each match you receive popularity points, which you mark on the applause-o-meter with your score spinner.

Casting phase: Collect tiles

You all have the same number of opportunities to place tiles (this always means MonStar and Jury tiles) on your stage and fill it completely by the end of the round. Only in the first round must a Jury spot remain empty. After all, one monster is always late to the show!

Who among you is the scariest? You start in the first round. Start the soundtrack.

When you hear the tense gasp in the soundtrack, you must reveal a still face-down tile. When buzzers and cheers sound, you may take an already face-up tile and place it on your stage. At the next gasp it is immediately the person to your left's turn. From that point on you may no longer take any more tiles, put them back or on your stage move them.

Attention: It is important that you always pay close attention to the soundtrack signals (gasp and buzzer)! If you miss or ignore them, you will quickly lose track and might accidentally skip someone. Fairness is the top rule in 'The Next MonStar' (even before 'Don't Eat the Audience!').

As soon as the big applause sounds, the casting phase ends.Pause the soundtrack at this point.

Applause phase: Receive popularity points

It's time to celebrate you and your MonStars! After the casting phase, applause (hopefully) pours in, along with popularity points.

Check all tiles on your respective stages. Proceed as follows:

1. Put back duplicates: Each tile (MonStar or Jury) may only appear once on your stage. Choose one tile of each character type and put the extras back in the middle.

2. Flip incorrectly placed MonStars: Is any MonStar tile in the wrong stage area (see the spotlight symbol)? Then flip it over.

3. Count popularity points: Compare the talent symbols on your MonStar tiles with those on your Jury tiles. For each matching talent symbol you get 1 popularity point. For each flipped tile you lose 1 popularity point.

4. Move score spinners: Mark your current score on the applause-o-meter with your score spinner. As soon as you pass the star with the number 30, turn your score spinner to the side with the star. That way you know you already have more than 30 popularity points.

After you have placed your score spinners, all tile from your stages come back into the middle. Turn all tiles face down, shuffle them well and then reveal 6 tiles randomly again.

Resume the soundtrack. This time the person to the left of the scariest begins.

• Round 1: You may occupy only 2 of the 3 jury seats and play without Mega-MonStar tiles.

• Round 2: You may occupy all jury seats and play without Mega-MonStar tiles.

• Round 3: You may occupy all jury seats and at the start of the casting phase shuffle the 5 Mega-MonStar tiles face-down.

After the third round ends the game.

Whose Points-Spider is now furthest ahead?

Congratulations: You have won the hearts of the audience and may rightly call yourself „The Next MonStar“! At least until the next challenge comes – because one thing is clear: The Show must go on!

Is there a tie? Then the one who in the third applause phase has received the most popularity points.

With this variant you bring even more excitement into the game and maybe a touch of schadenfreude. Now it also depends on the Power-Duo symbols which appear on some MonStar tiles. Try to get pairs with the same symbols onto your stage – for a matching Power-Duo you get during the Applause Phase 1 bonus popularity point!

But don't get excited too early! Because whoever already has a MonStar tile with a Power-Duo symbol on their own stage may take the tile with the same symbol from another stage steal. Wait for your buzzer signal in the Casting Phase and take the missing Power-Duo tile instead of a tile from the middle. The person who was stolen from then has one less tile on their own stage until the end of the round. Mean? Hey, you're monsters – of course it's mean!