Roll it up
for tomorrow!
Aunt Annie's Crafts
Fox and Geese Board Game
What you will make:
In this project make a roll-up game board for the game of Fox and Geese that includes a pocket for storing game pieces. The game board is made of paper and felt using iron-on adhesive, and requires no sewing.
Fox and Geese is a classic hunt game where a single fox tries to capture 13 geese and the geese try to trap the fox. The game requires some strategic thinking and the ability to look ahead a few turns. Included at the end of the project are rules for the playing the game of Fox and Geese and some history about the game.
Related craft: Use Modeling Dough to make game pieces.
Here's what you need:
- Computer paper
- Felt, 9" by 12"
- Ribbon
- Iron-on craft adhesive for fabric
- Optional: Craft knife and cutting mat, markers or colored pencils.
- Adhesive tape for hemming
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Iron and pillowcase
- Game pieces in two colors
This project is rated EASY to do.
How to Make a Fox and Geese Roll-up Game Board
Read all of the steps before starting.
- Step 1: Choose a pattern and print it
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Choose a game board to make. Download and print the pattern. The game board is offered in two configurations, with and without diagonals, that are played with slightly different rules. You might make one of each to see how the different rules alter the game.
Choose a design that prints in color or select a black&white pattern and use your creativity to add color and designs.Easy Game Board: These patterns can be used to make a simple print, cut and play game board. Just follow the instructions in the English Board Solitaire craft project.
Patterns are Adobe PDF files. The Adobe Reader is available for free.
All of Aunt Annie's project patterns are designed to be printed on standard letter size paper (8.5"x11" or A4). When printing from Adobe Reader, you may need to select Auto-Rotate and Center or Choose paper source by PDF page size to ensure the best fit.
- Step 2: Color (optional)
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Color the game board with any colors you like. Pick two or more contrasting colors using a different color for the center space where the fox piece starts.
Tip: If you printed a colored version of the board, you can still add a personal touch by decorating the border around it.
- Step 3: Cut
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Trim the printed pattern to a square shape with equal borders on all sides of the game board. Cut a piece of iron-on adhesive the same size or a bit larger. If needed, cut the felt to 9" by 12".
Tip: Choose a color of felt that complements the game board colors. Dark colors usually work best. The ribbon should coordinate with the felt's color.
- Step 4: Make Pocket
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On one of the short sides of the felt, fold over 1½" and press the crease with your fingers. Cut two short lengths of hemming tape and apply between the two layers of felt on both sides. Press with your fingers to ensure a good hold. This makes a pocket for your game pieces.
Tip: Make a sharper crease in the felt by ironing the fold. Use the synthetic or wool setting depending upon the type of felt you are using. Be careful! Irons require adult supervision!
- Step 5: Assemble
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Place a pillowcase folded in half on a Formica counter or ironing board. Following the craft adhesive instructions, apply the adhesive to the back of the game board square. After it cools, remove the paper backing and flip it over and place it on the felt with even margins. Iron the game board to the felt using the synthetic setting. Be careful! Irons require adult supervision!
Tip: Be sure to carefully read and follow the instructions that come with the iron-on craft adhesive.
- Step 6: Roll-up the Board
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Cut an 18" length of ribbon and lay it out on the table. Place your games pieces in the board's pocket, and fold the pocket over. Now, loosely roll-up the board, no more than a couple of turns. Place the roll on the center of the ribbon and tie it up with a bow. Loosen the tie and unroll the board to paly a game of Fox and Geese.
Tip: Some craft adhesives are stiffer than others, if the board resists being rolled don't force it! In that case just fold the board over and tie it closed. The pieces will still stay in the pocket.
Tip: If one end of the board curls when you unroll the board, simply roll it the other direction to flatten it out.
- Step 7: Play Fox and Geese
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You will need 14 playing pieces in two different colors (1 fox and 13 geese) to play Fox and Geese. You can use pieces from other games, coins, marshmallows, or dry cereal (Trix). You can even make your own pieces with homemade Modeling Dough.
The object of the game is for the geese to trap the fox and the fox to avoid being trapped. The game is played by two players with one player using the single fox piece and the other having the 13 geese. Don't worry that the fox is out numbered—it has the special ability to jump.
- Place the fox on the center space and place the 13 geese on one side of the board as shown. The game board is setup the same for both game board configurations—with and without diagonals.
- All pieces can move to any open space. They move one space at a time along any line. On the alternate game boards, without diagonals, the geese can move down, left and right, but cannot move backwards!
- The fox may capture the geese by jumping. No other pieces
are allowed to jump.
- A capture is made by jumping over a piece.
- A captured piece is removed from the board.
- All jumps are over an adjacent piece to an empty space beyond. Multiple jumps are allowed.
- Draw to see who goes first then take alternating turns.
The geese try to crowd the fox into a corner and trap it. The fox tries to capture as many geese as possible. When the fox is trapped (can't move), the game is over and the geese win. The fox wins when it becomes impossible for the geese to trap it.
When and where did the game of Fox and Geese originate?
Fox and Geese comes from Iceland and was invented during the
Viking era. It's Icelandic name, Hala-tafl (the Fox Game), can be found
in literature from over six hundred years ago. The game came to England
in the 1400's. Queen Victoria liked to play it when she was young. Like
other hunt games, the sides are unequal in number. You would think that
the geese always win, but the fox has special powers. The fox can jump
and capture, and this makes the sides equal.
Other hunt games...
Other hunt games seemed to have originated in Arabia or Asia, and were brought to Spain by the Moors. The game of De Cercar La Liebre (Catch the Hare) was described in a manuscript, Libro de Juegos, from 1283. Modern Catch the Hare (Juego de la Liebre) game boards do not include diagonals.
Leopard hunt games are played on triangular game boards. They are found in India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. It is thought that these games developed independently from Fox and Geese.
There are many other versions of these games—Kaooa, which is played on a star shaped board with seven Kaooas and one tiger. Or a Japanese game called Sixteen Soldiers which pits rebel soldiers against their former general.
Hunt games were originally played on the intersections of a lined game board. These boards were easily drawn in the ground. Modern versions of these games are now played on boards with spaces, more like a checkerboard.
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Before you start:
- Make a place to work.
- Read all of the directions.
- Gather everything you need to do the project.
- Think about the project. Imagine how it will look and what you will do with it.
Are you ready?
Okay, get started!!!
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Tip: The game board includes a pocket for holding the
game pieces. The pocket is folded over to hold the pieces in when the
board is rolled up.
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Tip: Select felt and ribbon in colors that coordinate
with the game board. Game pieces in similar colors are nice, too.
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Tip: Roll the game boards loosely.
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Tip: If the board seems too stiff to roll, just fold it
over and tie with a ribbon.
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Tip: An alternate version of Fox and Geese features a
game board without the diagonal lines. The rules are a bit different,
too. The geese aren't allowed to move backward!