Game of the Goose63 squares

Goal of the game

Get your pawn to square 63, the goose’s garden, before everyone else.

You must land there exactly: overshooting sends you back by the same amount.

How it plays

• From 1 to 4 players, one pawn each, on the same spiral.
• On your turn you roll the dice and move forward by the total.
• Depending on the square you land on, you roll again, move forward, move back, or wait.
• Several pawns can share the same square with no consequence.

The squares that move you forward

• The geese — spread every nine squares along the track. Landing on a goose makes you move the same roll again from that square. A good streak can carry you across half the board in one go.
• The bridge, square 6 — you go straight to square 12. The best possible start.
• These squares are why a player can get ten squares ahead without having decided anything.

The squares that hurt

• The inn, square 19 — you linger: one turn missed.
• The well, square 31 — you stay there until another player rescues you by falling into the well in turn. With two players, that can take a long time.
• The maze, square 42 — you get lost and go back to square 30. It is the biggest setback on the track.
• The classic track also has a prison and a deadly square near the end, which sends you back to the start. That is what makes the finish line so cruel.

Square 63, and bouncing back

• You must reach square 63 with the exact count.
• If your roll takes you past it, you move up to 63 and then back by the rest: a 5 from square 60 leaves you on 61.
• That mechanism is what makes endgames last, and what gives a player who is behind a real chance to come back.
• Nothing can be planned: you do not play the Game of the Goose, you live through it — which is exactly why people of every age can play it together.

Controls

Keyboard and mouse

• Click the dice to roll; the pawn moves on its own and the square’s effect is applied.
• The game log shows what just happened for each player.
• The number of players is chosen before the game, from 1 to 4.

Touch screen

• Tap the dice to roll.
• The board recentres automatically on the active pawn.
• With several players on the same device, each one taps in turn.

Frequently asked questions

How many squares does the Game of the Goose have?

Sixty-three. The last one, the goose’s garden, is the finish and must be reached with an exact count.

What happens when you land on a goose?

You immediately move the same total again from that square. Since geese are spread every nine squares, a chain can cover a long distance.

How do you get out of the well?

Another player has to fall into it in turn: they take your place and free you. With two players, it can keep you stuck for a long time.

What happens if you go past square 63?

You move up to 63 and then back by the remaining points. So you have to land exactly to win.

Is there any strategy?

None, and that is the point: everything depends on the dice. It is what makes it playable from four or five years old, on equal terms with adults.

More classics, free as well

• Othello — eight by eight, flip the discs, count at the end
• Pelotes — the flick, three colours, the mega bonus
• Petits chevaux — four horses, a 6 to get out, the final staircase