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 | ||
| Space monkeys have come to Earth and are trying to get home! | ||
| 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
- The white spaces in your first two rows are the cages where your monkeys are kept (inexplicably left unlocked; maybe the space monkeys have secret mind powers?). Place your monkeys among these spaces however you wish.
- The black spaces in your second row are where your opponent's ships are stored; your ships are in your opponent's second row. Place each player's ships in the appropriate spaces. (The government is aware of the factionalism among the space monkeys, and has placed the monkeys as far away from their ships as possible.)
[Note: Soon there will be a picture illustrating placement of the pieces.]
Playing the game
The youngest player goes first, unless that player has won more than 2/3 of the games of Space Monkeys they've played.
Players take turns; each player moves one piece on his or her turn.
Movement, general
Monkeys and occupied ships move diagonally one space forward or backward, and may jump over pieces belonging to the opponent; monkeys can jump over other monkeys, and ships (with monkeys on board) can jump over other ships (with or without monkeys), but monkeys by themselves can't jump over 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.)
Movement, monkeys
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 monkey on a ship may, if its player wishes, leave the ship; as a move, move it to an orthogonally adjacent space. The ship stays where it is; it can't move from there unless it has a monkey from its own faction on board.)
When a monkey (on foot) is jumped (by another monkey, also on foot) the jumping player places the jumped monkey in a space of his or her choice in its owner's cage area. There are no restrictions on moving into or out of the cages, nor are there any restrictions based on being sent there (i.e. no loss of turn or anything); the monkey is just placed in the cage, and may then move out next turn.
Nothing happens to a ship, or a monkey on board a ship, that is jumped.
Movement, ships
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. Monkeys cannot board ships owned by the other player.
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. The ship can otherwise be in any legal space. 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. . . .