Name of a board/strategy game?

February 19, 2005 1:03 PM

Help me remember the name of a board/strategy game...

The gameboard is a wooden box, hinged to fold in half for storage. The game is played with polished stones, similar to the flat, round stones you can buy in bulk at craft stores as decorative filler for clear vases. The game board unfolds into a rectangle with two reserviors at each end of the board that serves as the "home base" for each player's group of stones. The game board has two aisles of round recessed pockets between the reservoirs.
My memory is sketchy on the rules, but the game is played something like this: Each player takes a turn with a handful of stones (I don't remember how many you start out with) and goes around the board placing one stone in each pocket until the player is out of stones. On the last pocket, if there are stones in that pocket, you collect all of the stones and repeat the process until you end up in an empty pocket. I think the winner is the person who successfully clears the board on the last turn, but again, I'm fuzzy on the rules...
Thanks!

posted by Dr. Zira to sports, hobbies, & recreation (11 comments total)

Mancala?
posted by ALongDecember at 1:04 PM on February 19, 2005

Mancala.
posted by squidlarkin at 1:05 PM on February 19, 2005

Mancala.
posted by agropyron at 1:06 PM on February 19, 2005

Damn.
posted by scody at 1:06 PM on February 19, 2005

Yes! Thank you!
posted by Dr. Zira at 1:10 PM on February 19, 2005

Awari.
posted by Nelson at 1:59 PM on February 19, 2005

If you have Mac OS X 10.3 or later, this is how you want to play Mancala, IMHO.
posted by mdeatherage at 2:32 PM on February 19, 2005

Mancala! (I know, I know, I'm just happy to be able to answer a question).
posted by Lotto at 2:38 PM on February 19, 2005

And don't forget Mancala Snails
posted by jonah at 4:23 PM on February 19, 2005

Hey, excellent description of mancala, by the way. Very detailed, easy for people in the know to figure out.
posted by graventy at 5:25 PM on February 19, 2005

Thanks all for the links to the online versions...great for practicing strategy and getting the skills honed. I'm definitely going to buy a set, because the tactile experience of moving the stones is soothing, almost zenlike and adds a whole other dimension to the game.
I must confess I had no idea this game was so old, nor did I have a clue about the culture behind it. I'm definitely hooked!
posted by Dr. Zira at 7:00 PM on February 19, 2005