Leap Frog (board game)
Encyclopedia
Leap Frog is a multi-player abstract strategy board game
. Several players can play at once which makes it great for parties and family get-togethers. The game is an old classic, and may have derived from Solitaire
and draughts
. It is essentially a multi-player version of Solitaire. A square board is used with 15 to 18 squares on each side. All the pieces are laid out in the beginning of the game covering the whole board. On each player's turn, a piece is chosen to hop over and capture other pieces on the board. The winner is the one who captures the most pieces (or the most points) when it's impossible to capture anymore. There are two versions to this game. The older version has undifferentiated pieces on the board. The version described and invented by the game historian, H.J.R. Murray, in his book published in 1898 has different point values for the different colored pieces on the board. The older version was played in England
where it may have originated from. The game is also known to be spelled as one word, Leapfrog. Another name for the game is Froglet.
As a side note, Murray never stated that the moves are limited to orthogonal directions. The game might still work with diagonal moves.
When the pieces have different colors and therefore different point values, the number of pieces per color are divided as follows: 1 green for every 2 red, for every 3 yellow, for every 4 white. In a 15 x 15 square board that would be 22 green, 45 red, 68 yellow, and 90 white pieces.
2. Each player removes one piece from the board for their first capture.
3. Players decide who starts first. Players alternate their turns.
4. All moves must be capturing moves (short leap method). A piece from the board is chosen by a player on their turn, and is used to leap over piece(s) on the board which are captured and removed from the board. All leaps must be orthogonal (not diagonal). To be more specific, the chosen piece leaps over an orthogonally adjacent piece, and lands on a vacant space on the other side similarly as in draughts. Multiple captures are allowed as long as there exist exactly one vacant space in between the pieces, and a vacant space beyond the last piece. During a multiple capture sequence, the chosen piece can change directions orthogonally. A player can decide how many captures to be made, but at least one piece must be captured in a player's turn. The chosen piece remains on the board at the end of its leap(s), and that player's turn ends.
5. If on a player's turn a capture is no longer possible, the game ends, and the player with the most pieces (original version) or the most points (Murray's version) wins the game.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
. Several players can play at once which makes it great for parties and family get-togethers. The game is an old classic, and may have derived from Solitaire
Peg solitaire
Peg solitaire is a board game for one player involving movement of pegs on a board with holes. Some sets use marbles in a board with indentations. The game is known simply as Solitaire in the United Kingdom where the card games are called Patience...
and draughts
Draughts
Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque...
. It is essentially a multi-player version of Solitaire. A square board is used with 15 to 18 squares on each side. All the pieces are laid out in the beginning of the game covering the whole board. On each player's turn, a piece is chosen to hop over and capture other pieces on the board. The winner is the one who captures the most pieces (or the most points) when it's impossible to capture anymore. There are two versions to this game. The older version has undifferentiated pieces on the board. The version described and invented by the game historian, H.J.R. Murray, in his book published in 1898 has different point values for the different colored pieces on the board. The older version was played in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where it may have originated from. The game is also known to be spelled as one word, Leapfrog. Another name for the game is Froglet.
As a side note, Murray never stated that the moves are limited to orthogonal directions. The game might still work with diagonal moves.
Equipment
A square board with 15 to 18 squares is used. It is best to use a marble board or peg board. The number of pieces needed is n2. For example, a 15 x 15 square board requires 152 = 225 pieces.When the pieces have different colors and therefore different point values, the number of pieces per color are divided as follows: 1 green for every 2 red, for every 3 yellow, for every 4 white. In a 15 x 15 square board that would be 22 green, 45 red, 68 yellow, and 90 white pieces.
Game Play and Rules
1. All the pieces are laid out on the board at the beginning of the game. For the multi-colored version (Murray's version), the four colored pieces are distributed randomly throughout the board. Green pieces are worth 4 points, red pieces are worth 3 points, yellow pieces are worth 2 points, and white pieces are worth 1 point.2. Each player removes one piece from the board for their first capture.
3. Players decide who starts first. Players alternate their turns.
4. All moves must be capturing moves (short leap method). A piece from the board is chosen by a player on their turn, and is used to leap over piece(s) on the board which are captured and removed from the board. All leaps must be orthogonal (not diagonal). To be more specific, the chosen piece leaps over an orthogonally adjacent piece, and lands on a vacant space on the other side similarly as in draughts. Multiple captures are allowed as long as there exist exactly one vacant space in between the pieces, and a vacant space beyond the last piece. During a multiple capture sequence, the chosen piece can change directions orthogonally. A player can decide how many captures to be made, but at least one piece must be captured in a player's turn. The chosen piece remains on the board at the end of its leap(s), and that player's turn ends.
5. If on a player's turn a capture is no longer possible, the game ends, and the player with the most pieces (original version) or the most points (Murray's version) wins the game.
External links
- http://files.boardgamegeek.com/geekfile_view.php?fileid=32649
- http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/35722
- http://web.mit.edu/ieee/6.370/2001/web/konane-anthrop.html
- http://brainking.com/en/GameRules?tp=54