Mole (game)
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Mole is a coin game for two people, each alternately playing the mole or the mignettes. The aim of the mignettes is to stop the mole from escaping over the winning line. The winner is the player who has his mole escape the most times.
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[edit] How to play
[edit] Requirements
- 1 large coin (conventionally a British 2 pence coin), called the mole.
- 3 small coins (conventionally British 1 pence coins), called the mignettes.
- A mole board.
[edit] The Mole board
The mole board must have a flat, fairly smooth surface. Usually it is made from a sheet of wood or thick card, with a smooth paper surface. Different zones are marked on the surface, and must include a:
- Nichee and
- Mole circle
It usually also has one or more:
- Rectangle of Rosserie
- Ramp of Rembobiner (optional physical ramp feature)
- Wall of Iracoubo (optional physical feature, or board annotation that is realised by fingers of a player at the end points)
- Gate of Ghana (optional physical feature, or board annotation that is realised by a player's fingers)
It is important that the board is designed so that it doesn't make too easy the task of either the mole or the mignettes.
[edit] Rules of The Game
The two players take turns to play their animals. The mole and mignettes are played, as in all coin games, by flicking them with your finger. The finger-coin contact must be almost instantaneous; if the coin is judged to have been pushed rather than flicked, that round is conceded.
[edit] Playing the Mignettes
The task of the mignettes is to prevent the mole from traversing the winning line (an end of the board) by either physically obstructing its path or knocking it off either of the two sides of the board. However, the mole can not be knocked off the board on the first go, or if he is fully OR partially encompassed in either Rosserie or the mole circle. In his or her turn, the mignette-player must flick each of the mignettes in any order and in any direction. If he or she decides not to play one or more mignette, he or she must declare "Nasdaq".
A mignette dies if, at the end of the turn, it is fully encompassed in either the mole circle or a rectangle of Rosserie. Note that the turn is only over when all the mignettes have been played (or Nasdaq'd), so it may be possible for a later mignette to save one stranded in Rosserie. Such heroics usually prove foolhardy. When a mignette dies, it is removed from the board.
If the mole is knocked over the winning line then the mole wins. If the mole is knocked off the opposite end of the board the mole also wins. If the mole is knocked off a side of the board then the mignettes win unless the mignette that caused the contact on the mole dies in that mignette turn (if it ends up fully encompassed in rosserie or mole it can be saved by another mignette if there is still one to play). If the mole is knocked off a side or the non-winning end of the board and in the same flick all mignettes die then the game is a tie and it restarted with the same players playing the same roles. This last move is referred to as either recompense or Yekini depending on local variations, however it needn't be declared.
Mignettes begin the game anywhere in the nichee area.
[edit] Playing the Mole
The mole-player then takes his or her turn by flicking the mole a single time. The aim for the mole is to cross the winning line. If the mole traverses the winning line, and he was not fully encompossed by either Rosserie or the mole circle, he wins the round. Crucially however, if the mole kills a mignette in the process of crossing the winning line, either by knocking it off the board or by killing it in Rosserie/mole circle then the mole loses. Equally, if the mole traverses the winning line but was fully encompassed by either Rosserie or the mole circle, he loses the round. If the mole falls off a side or the non-winning end then the mignettes win.
If a winning shot is not attractive to the mole player then he can kill a single mignette, again either by knocking it off the board (any edge) or by playing it fully into Rosserie or the mole circle. If the mole player kills more than one mignette in a single turn then he loses, unless "taupiniere" was called. The mole player calls this if he intends to kill exactly two mignettes. If having called "taupiniere", he or she kills none, one or three mignettes then the mole loses. If exactly two are killed then the game proceeds as normal. The mole player can leave the mole where he is by declaring 'Nasdaq'. However, Nasdaq can not called from a 'touching coin' scenario, often referred to as 'Gad'. If in 'Gad' the mole must play away from the coin that is touching it to prevent an inevitable push-shot. If a mignette is partially or wholly overlapping (ie on top of) the mole then this is referred to as winning Gad and the mignette player has won.
Additionally, some boards have a "loup line" that crosses the board near the non-winning end. If the mole is between this line and the non-winning end then the mole is barred from winning in that turn. This feature is good to prevent negative play from the mole of running away to the non-winning end and nudging around until he partially overhangs the back edge of the board from where he can fire aerially over the winning line. With the loup line in play the aerial shot must stop short of the winning line allowing the mignettes one turn to conjure up an escape.
[edit] Continuation of Play
The players take turns to play until either
- The mole dies.
- The mignettes all die.
- The mole traverses the winning line.
If the mole wins, the mole-player gains a point, and keeps control of the mole. If the mignettes win, the players swap their animals and no one gains a point. The board is reset and play continues, starting (as always) with the mignettes.
Usually the winner is the first player to reach 11 points (by a clear two-point margin).
[edit] See also
- Ferret (game)
- Penny football
- Penny rugby
- Shove ha'penny
