- BGG rank
- BGG #5,085
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Sheepland
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #30,436
- BGG rating
- 4.2
French Military Game
1886
Rules assistance for French Military Game
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 5 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
Rules assistant for French Military Game
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
French Military Game is a board game released in 1886 for 2 players and 5 minutes per game. It was designed by Constant Roy and its main mechanics are Point to Point Movement.
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About the game
The French Military Game, sometimes called Hare & Hounds, is the smallest and most simple of all hunt games. It originated in 19th century France, and became popular with French military officers during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. An article by Martin Gardner in the journal Scientific American generated further interest in the game in 1963, and it has become popular with computer programmers due to the ease of implementing its simple rules. From the Rodent Roundup version: The chase is on! It's three crafty cats against one tricky mouse. Who will outsmart whom in this game of chase? One player controls the three cats. That player's job is to trap the mouse so it can't make a move (cats win). The other player controls the mouse. The mouse must try to scurry past the cats and get free (mouse wins). The cats may only move forward, sideways, and forward diagonally along the inscribed lines on the playing surface. Only one cat may move per turn. The mouse may move in any direction, including backwards, one move per turn. Similar to 1 contra 4 (4 gegen 4 und 4 gegen 1)
Editions
- Hare and HoundsenNewVenture Games2021
- Pumpkin Hunteren(Unknown)2011
- Rodent RoundupenBinary Arts2002
- Cat & Mouse Chasing GameenGreenbrier International, Inc.
- Hase und HundedeABRA
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- (Unknown)
- (Public Domain)
- ABRA
- Greenbrier International, Inc.
- NewVenture Games
- Binary Arts
Questions and answers
French Military Game supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for French Military Game is 5 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
French Military Game has a complexity rating of 1.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
French Military Game belongs to these categories: Animals and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Point to Point Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of French Military Game are: Constant Roy. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists French Military Game as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.