Space Monkeys
Under development
This game is currently under development, in the Nearly Complete stage. Feedback is strongly encouraged! Feel free to give comments on game design or structure on the talk page.
| Space Monkeys | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chris Goodwin | ||
| Help out the wiki by adding infoboxes | ||
| Players: | 2 - 2 | |
| Length: | Fast | |
| Complexity: | Simple | |
| Trios per color: | Five small and four large pieces of a single color for each player | |
| Number of colors: | 5 | |
| - - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - - | ||
| Chessboard | ||
| Setup time: | 2 minutes | |
| Playing time: | 10 Min - 20 Min | |
| Strategy depth: | Low | |
| Random chance: | None | |
| Theme: | space, monkeys | |
| Status: Hidden (v0.9), Year released: 2002 | ||
| Spatium pavos. | ||
A game for two players. Inspired by a pair of pajamas worn by my (then-)almost ten month old son, Andrew.
Various factions of space monkeys have come to Earth to perform experiments on humans. The space monkeys have been discovered, and must get to their ships and leave as soon as possible; one brave monkey from a team will be left behind to be captured, because a ship cannot be launched without both a pilot and ground crew.
Players are encouraged to make monkey jokes throughout the game.
Materials required
- Five small and four large stackable Icehouse pieces of one color for each player. Small pieces are monkeys, and large pieces are ships.
- A chessboard.
Space Monkeys can be played with only a Black Ice set.
Object
To launch your four ships.
Setting up
Place four of your monkeys on the white spaces in your third row, and your ships in the black spaces in your opponent's second row (your seventh); your opponent's ships will be placed in the black spaces on your second row. There will be a fifth monkey; place this on any white space of your choice in your second row (your opponent's ship row on your side of the board). Each player's first row is known as the Bad Monkey Place (see below).
[Note: Soon there will be a picture illustrating placement of the pieces.]
Playing the game
Decide in an equitable manner who goes first.
Players take turns; each player moves one piece on his or her turn.
Monkeys and occupied ships move diagonally one space forward or backward, and may jump pieces belonging to the opponent; monkeys can jump other monkeys, and ships can jump other ships, but monkeys can't jump ships and vice versa. Note that the monkeys are placed on the white spaces and the ships on the black spaces, so they generally won't interact (but see below). (Jump means the same as it does in checkers, though double or multiple jumps are not allowed.)
When a monkey is jumped, the jumping player places the jumped monkey in a space of his or her choice in its owner's Bad Monkey Place. If a player's Bad Monkey Place is full, that player's monkeys may not be jumped. There are no restrictions on moving into or out of the Bad Monkey Place, nor are there any restrictions based on being sent there (i.e. no loss of turn or anything); the monkey just moves to the Bad Monkey Place, and may then move out next turn.
Nothing happens to a ship that is jumped.
A ship can't move unless it has a monkey on board. A monkey that is orthogonally adjacent to a ship of its own color may board the ship as a move; stack the monkey on top of the ship piece.
A player may launch one of his or her ships as a move. (Rocket sounds and motion are optional but recommended.) In order for a ship to launch, it must have a monkey of the same color on board, and there must be a monkey of the same color in a space orthogonally adjacent to it. A ship that is launched is removed from the game.
Winning the game
When one player has launched his or her four ships, that player wins; this means that there will be one lone monkey left on Earth to face the wrath of the Earth military. . . .