Description
Attractive all wood version (with base and cover) of this classic game with European origins centuries ago.
The game dates to the middle ages and is unusual in that the sides are unequal in number. The fox attempts to capture the geese. Meanwhile, the geese try to hem the fox in so that he can't move. Rules are below:
FOX AND GEESE
Number of Players:2
Equipment: Board and 14 pieces (13 Geese, 1 Fox)
Objective: FOX: to capture all the geese, GEESE: to trap the fox so it cannot move
RULES:
One player has thirteen pieces--the Geese--and the other player has one piece--the Fox. At the beginning of the game the pieces are placed on the board filling essentially all the holes below the center line of the board, as in the illustration by the dark circles The fox occupies the central point. The players take turns moving, with the Geese having the first move. Only one piece is moved in a turn. Both Fox and Geese move in the same way--one step in any direction along a line to an adjacent empty point. But the Fox may also capture Geese--if a Goose is on the next point to the Fox and the point immediately beyond is empty, the Fox may jump over the Goose and remove it from the board. The Fox may make several such jumps in one move, capturing a Goose with each jump. The Geese, however, are not allowed to jump over the Fox or over one another. The Geese win the game if--by surrounding it or forcing it into a corner--they block the Fox so that it cannot move. The Fox wins the game if it captures so many Geese that there are not enough of them left to block it (5).
Possible variations of rules
Once standard rules have been tried, you may vary the game by incorporating any of the following
-The fox can start anywhere on the board not occupied by a goose at the option of the player controlling him.
-The fox can only move diagonally if capturing a goose. The limitations on the movement of the geese can also be varied. For instance, diagonal movement can be disallowed.
-If the fox can take a goose but does not do so, a new goose is added anywhere on the board by the player playing the geese.