- BGG rank
- BGG #4,351
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Ninety-Nine
- 2–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 1974
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,110
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Hare & Tortoise
1974
Rules assistance for Hare & Tortoise
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.9/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Hare & Tortoise
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Hare & Tortoise is a board game released in 1974 for 2–6 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by David Parlett and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Race, and Resource to Move.
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About the game
As the first winner of the Spiel des Jahres award in 1979, Hare and Tortoise / Hase und Igel (for Hare and Hedgehog) is regarded as a classic game. It is a cunningly designed race to the finish in which your fuel (carrots) must practically run out (all but 10 carrots or fewer) at the moment you hit the finish line. You also have three lettuce cards you must spend during the course of the race. The farther you move, the more carrots you spend, and there are a variety of ways to gain or lose carrots as you go around the track. There have several variations between the multiple prints of Hare & Tortoise by different publishers. Most variations come from methods of adding randomness that favor lagging player via cards, dice, or dice charts when landing on a Hare square. Parlett Strategic Variant -- The designer's preferred way of playing the Hare square is that "... you can land on them [Hare square], but must miss a turn. This would be the equivalent of the hare taking a nap, as in Aesop's fable. This is the rule I most favour and would prefer it to simply not landing on them at all..." Tournament Jugging the Hare rule -- When you land on a hare square do nothing immediately. If nobody goes past you, draw 10 carrots when you next move. If they do, pay 10 carrots into the carrot patch for each player who goes past you, in either direction. (Jugged Hare)
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Devir
- Broadway Toys LTD
- Waddingtons
- Alga
- John Sands Pty Ltd
- Otto Maier Verlag
- Gibsons
- danspil
- Ravensburger AG
- 999 Games
- ABACUSSPIELE
- Hobby Base
- Educa Sallent SA
- Rio Grande Games
- K.E.Leg
- Kipo's
- Intellect Games
- Novoplast
Questions and answers
Hare & Tortoise supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Hare & Tortoise is 45 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.
The catalogue lists Hare & Tortoise for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Hare & Tortoise 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.
Hare & Tortoise belongs to these categories: Animals and Racing. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Race, and Resource to Move. 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 Hare & Tortoise are: David Parlett. 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 Hare & Tortoise 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.