Mancala

Caveman’s virtual reality game.

SET UP

a Mancala board
an array of stones, color is not a factor.
Played on a board with two rows of pits (usually 6 pits per row) and two larger pits called stores (one for each player).
Each small pit starts with an equal number of stones/seeds (commonly 4).
Players sit opposite each other, each controlling the row closest to them and their store.
The Player to farm first is randomly selected.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

2

OBJECTIVE

Collect more ‘seeds’ in your store than your opponent by the end of the game.
Seeds are collected by strategic sowing and capturing.

RULES

Players take turns picking up all seeds from one of their pits and sowing them counterclockwise, planting one seed per pit.
If the last seed lands in your store, you get another turn.
If the last seed lands in an empty pit on your side, you capture that seed and all seeds in the opposite pit.
The game ends when one player’s pits are empty; remaining seeds on the other side go to that player’s store.
Winner = player with the most seeds in their store.

VARIATIONS

Most commonly played with 6 pits per row, the board can be expanded to 8, 10 , 12 or more even number of pits.

HISTORY

If you believe the Internet, “Mancala is one of the oldest known board games, dating back over 3,000 years.
Originated in Africa and the Middle East, spreading worldwide with many variations.
Known as a “count and capture” game, it emphasizes strategy and planning.”
But I think it is much older and more significant than that.

GAME DYMANICS/GAME THEORY

I believe Mancala is one of the first games, dating back over 7000 years to the era of the late caveman, with some fossilized evidence of their entertainment found on sandstone. It predates the invention of the wheel by half its age.

The caveman did not play on a board. They punched or dug small holes in the dirt, and used seeds to play. ( In fact, the stones in this game are still referred to as ‘seeds’, and it is still played in the dirt around the world.)

Caveman’s life was nomadic, they followed the herds as they migrated for their hunt for survival. With the early discovery of farming, planting seeds, and reaping the rewards, it gave them the opportunity to settle into place. Hence the start of settlements, civilization and the rest is history.

This game mimicked their new way of life, making it the original virtual reality game.