Snipe Hunt

$9.99 (Plus Shipping/Handling; Tax where applicable)

Ages 10 and up 3 to 6 players Parts included: 2 sets of cards and rules, 2 dice, 6 pawns (one for each player), and one more pawn for the Snipe

Snipe Hunt
Rule Variants
Alternate Games

Snipe Hunt - Let the Hunt Begin!

If a friend asked you to go on a Snipe Hunt, would you go? If he said you will be going into the woods unequipped, the odds of getting lost are high, and hikers have been known to be attacked by werewolves or abducted by aliens, would you still consider going? What if you don’t have to leave the comforts of home?

Snipe Hunt is a dynamic board game with some unique twists. One aspect that differs Snipe Hunt from other board games is the board is random every time. 36 cards dealt into a 6 by 6 grid randomize a hedge maze-like game board grid each time the game is set up. And, throughout the game, players have opportunities to rotate and swap cards to change the maze as the game progresses.

Another unique aspect of Snipe Hunt is that players take turns moving the objective - a pawn representing the Snipe. Everyone is after the Snipe, and everyone has a chance to move the Snipe pawn. Do you move the Snipe pawn closer to the hunters and risk its capture before your turn? Or, do you move your player pawn and the Snipe pawn to a secluded area of the board?

Like the elements defining Snipe Hunt, the strategies are also in flux. The first half of the game is hunting down the Snipe. The second half is bringing the bird back to the Ranger Station and avoiding other players who want to steal it away. Some players employ the strategy of collecting equipment in order to win the game, while others manipulate the paths to their advantage. Others go with the flow, adjusting their strategies as needed by the changing elements of the game.

When you play Snipe Hunt, try some of the game variants available on the Pegamoose Games website. "Rude Hiker" allows players to push other player pawns out of the way or off the board. "Clever Bird" gives the player moving the Snipe pawn the option to rotate a card instead of moving. Plus, many more quirky rule variants. Pegamoose Games even devised a two player variation for quiet evenings at home with your significant other. Plus, get more for your money by playing the other games invented using the Snipe Hunt game pieces, like "Snipe Chess" and "Corral".

Snipe Hunt progressed through a massive evolution over the five or so years of its creation. Originally, the game was very "one-dimensional". Pawns moved back and forth around a square game board path trying to land on a space that represented the Snipe. Eventually, the game matured into the hedge-maze style with a Snipe pawn that also moves around the board.

The first concept of Snipe Hunt wanted to mimic the random movement of This Game is Bonkers™, a Parker Brothers game from the late 1970s. The unpredictable movement dominating the game lead to the wild-goose chase. What better theme to accompany this than the traditional snipe hunt in which campers run wild through the woods after the elusive bird. And so, Snipe Hunt was hatched.

Snipe Hunt takes flight July 2004.

Rule Variants

To download, right click (Windows) or option click (Mac) and choose Save.

• Snipe Hunt 2 Player Rules—For that cozy evening for two.
• Snipe Hunt Solitaire Rules—Can't find anyone to play? Try the single player rules.
• Snipe Hunt Optional Rules—Optional rules suggested by playtesters and customers.
• Snipe Hunt FAQ—Pegamoose Games' answers to customer questions.
  (Last updated: September 8, 2004)
• Print-It-Yourself Snipe Hunt Card Blanks—Create your own Snipe Hunt cards and add them to the deck. Download the file, print up on cardstock, cut out the cards, and write down your ideas.

Alternate Games

To download, right click (Windows) or option click (Mac) and choose Save.

• Corral Rules—(For 2 to 4 players) Use the Forest Cards to construct closed paths. Be the first player to enclose 30 or more path segments to win.
• Snipe Chess Rules—(For 2 players) Use the Forest Cards with the pawns and kings of a chess set for different, maze-like game of chess. Surround the opponents king to win.
• Breadcrumbs Rules—(For 2-7 players) Collect the most breadcrumbs scattered around the forest while preventing others from stealing your crumbs.
• Capture the Flag Rules—(For 2 teams) Capture the opposing flag from enemy territory and bring it back home.