- BGG rank
- BGG #9,128
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Jockey
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 1973
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,335
- BGG rating
- 6.6
The Sheep Race
2013
Rules assistance for The Sheep Race
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.5/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for The Sheep Race
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Sheep Race is a board game released in 2013 for 2–6 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Roberto Mancino and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Betting and Bluffing.
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About the game
Here is the tale of "The Sheep Race", of that glorious day when her Majesty the Queen of England's sheep were challenged by those of the former colonies in order to decide which of them were the best in the world. New Zealand and Australia were the first to issue the challenge, but soon after Scotland, South Africa, and the United States joined in. Then Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, and even Brazil intervened. England proudly refused to be forced into this dispute and proposed a worldwide racing championship be held in the Suffolk countryside in order to establish who were the world's supreme sheep farmers. Thus, the sheep race became an incredible and fascinating reality... In The Sheep Race, players must place bets on three races, with six sheep participating in each race. Each sheep starts with a number of "breath" cubes (in three colors) on it, along with numbers for three speeds of movement: trot, walk, and gallop. On a player's turn, he rolls the two dice – one a normal d6 and the other having values 0-0-0-1-2-3 – then moves the sheep in the appropriate lane, with a 7 or 8 moving the sheep in the outer two lanes and a 9 moving the lazy sheep at the back of the pack. When you move a sheep, you choose one of the three types of movement, advance the sheep the indicated number of spaces, and remove the appropriate breath cubes required – or you make the sheep rest so that it recovers two blue breath cubes. If a sheep hits the "end zone" – the final five spaces of a lane – with no cubes on it, then the sheep is exhausted and can't move or rest again. The race ends when three sheep reach the finish line or when all the sheep are exhausted. The first three positions pay off for those who bet on them, even if one or more of those positions contains an exhausted sheep. Players place three bets in the first two races (two secret and one visible) and two bets in the final race (both secret). Whoever collects the most in bets wins! With the advanced rules, players choose which sheep to move each time and the game lasts only one race, with players betting on the final order of all the sheep. Sheep sometimes get blocked and can move again only when passed by the flock leader.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Ghenos Games
Questions and answers
The Sheep Race 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 The Sheep Race 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 The Sheep Race for ages 10 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.
The Sheep Race has a complexity rating of 1.5 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.
The Sheep Race belongs to these categories: Animals, Dice, and Miniatures. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Betting and Bluffing. 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 The Sheep Race are: Roberto Mancino. 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 The Sheep Race 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.