Uckers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uckers is a four player board game traditionally played in the Royal Navy. Rules differ from ship to ship and establishment to establishment. It is similar to the board game Ludo and is based on the same principles; getting your four pieces around the board before the opposition. Two to four players or teams can play the game. To travel around the board dice are thrown.
[edit] Basic rules
The rules state to exit your base you need to throw a six. The six only puts your piece on the immediate space after your base. A six also gains you another throw of the dice. A throw can be split up into the two separate numbers so it is possible to move two different pieces. They also state you can knock off the opposition pieces by landing on them.
Another difference from the game of Ludo is that it is possible to form blobs; more than one piece of a single players/teams pieces on the same space. A blob blocks other players pieces from passing while the player who formed the blob pieces may pass through freely. A blob may be removed by throwing three sixes in a row with a piece directly behind the blob. If a player rolls a six and wants to challenge the blob they have to declare so before continuing, even if they do not succeed they cannot use the rolls to move other pieces. A blob can be moved around the board by throwing a double, if that double is, for example 3 and 3 you can move your blob 3, not 6. Once a player has got his/her piece(s) around the board he/she has to roll the exact number to get that/those piece(s) into home.
[edit] Advanced Rules
Another rule, which can be accepted in the game, is the formation of superblobs, this is more than two of one players pieces on the same space. A superblob does the same as a blob but has to be knocked off with even more sixes in a row (number of pieces in blob+1) A superblob can not be moved around the board. Once a player has got his/her piece into the line before home it isn't completely safe. If an opposing player lands on the end of that last line on their next go they can declare 'suckback'. The player then rolls the dice, if one of the numbers on the dice, or the sum of both is the same as the number of spaces the other piece is in on the last line, it is returned to its base.
