This children's game is as much of a toy as it is a game. Each player has a plastic hippo that is arranged around a plastic arena. When you push the tail it will reach its head onto the playing field - perhaps trapping one or more marbles to be pulled back to a private player marble gutter, perhaps just sending marbles bouncing around the playing field.
Some marbles are released onto the playing area; players attempt to get their hippos to eat as many marbles as possible.
On an icy lake, two clans of prehistoric men clash in a match of Kairn, better known as Caveman Curling, this being an ancestor to the modern sport of curling. Players compete as individuals or are grouped into two clans, and they try to land their stones the closest to a target each round. On a player's turn he takes two actions:
• He launches a stone across the ice, flicking it with his finger toward the target on the other end of the game board.
• To improve the positioning of his stone or the chances of it staying in place, he can choose to use either a small or large hammer or a totem. With a hammer, the player moves the stone according to the size of the hammer. As for the totem, the player sets it on top of the stone; if the totem falls off the stone, the player can shoot it again on a later turn.
If your player or clan has one or more stones closer to the center of the target than the other clan, you score points. The first player/clan to collect six points wins.
A note about the different editions.
Caveman Curling (2012)
Kairn (2010)
There are significant production differences between Kairn and Caveman Curling, though the game play is almost identical between the two versions. Kairn (200 copies) was designed and self-published by Daniel Quodbach in 2010. Blackrock Editions and Scorpion Masque produced 1000 copies of Kairn and released it at Essen in 2011. Gryphon Games version of the game has yet to be produced, pending the conclusion of a current Kickstarter campaign that was organized to gauge demand for its version. Caveman Curling is scheduled for mass production in January, 2012, and to be released in late February, 2012. The first and only production copy of the Gryphon version will arrive in the US on December 14, 2011 and a video will be made showing the differences between Kairn and Caveman Curling.
In Jungle Speed, you must rely on your keen sense of observation and quick reflexes. It requires a steady hand -- which can be hard to maintain during the many fits of maniacal laughter! The wooden Totem sits in the middle of the table, waiting for the player with the fastest reflexes to snatch it up and win the game.
Each player is dealt a hand of cards. In order to win you must be the first player to get rid of all of your cards. Each turn, all of the players reveal one of their cards. If two cards are identical, those players must make a grab for the Totem. The faster player then gives their cards to their unfortunate adversary.
To add to the difficulty, certain cards are almost identical, which can trick a hapless player into grabbing the Totem by mistake -- a grave error. Other cards force all players to make a grab at once, change the method of play, or otherwise add to the difficulty.
'Background':
The Aboulou Tribe in Eastern Trisopotamia invented Jungle Speed to determine the shares of food each member received after a successful hunt approximately 3000 years ago. The Aboulous originally used eucalyptus leaves as cards for the game. These early games usually ended in bloody fights because, unfortunately, all of the cards were identical. This simple error nearly drove the tribe to extinction. This is why Jungle Speed remained unknown by the outside world until the 20th century, when 2 clever gamethropologists, Tom & Yako, replaced the leaves with the playing cards we now use today.
Jungle Jam, Медвед, and Prawo Dżungli are unauthorized reproductions of Jungle Speed/Arriba!
It's your lifelong dream – to join the Star Patrol and be part of the crew of an interstellar Starship. You've worked hard, graduated from the academy, and received your first assignment as part of a team of young recruits, confident in your training and ready to be put to the test. Nothing can possibly go wrong as you are prepared for anything...
You are the Space Cadets.
Space Cadets is a fun and frantic cooperative game for 3-6 players who take on the roles of Bridge Officers of a Starship. Each officer must accomplish his specific task in order for the team to successfully complete the mission. You might be the...
Helmsman, plotting the ship's course through asteroid fields and nebulae.
Engineer, using dominoes to get enough power to each system.
Weapons Officer, completing puzzles to load the torpedoes and flicking a disc down a track to launch them.
Shield Officer, using tiles to form poker hands to get the strongest shields.
Sensor Officer, using your sense of touch to scan and lock on enemy targets.
Captain, setting the plan and making sure that everyone stays focused and does their job.
If your crew can work together to accomplish the mission goals, you just might make it home in one piece.