Uckers

Uckers is a two or four player board game traditionally played in the Royal Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy and Royal Australian Navy where a six-sided game is predominant, and so the possible number of players are increased. Uckers is generally played using the rules stated below but Wafoos (aircraft polishers) are known to play with 'suckbacks' (see advanced rules)

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. However, the whole point of Uckers, and this may vary according to personal preferences, is to get all your pieces home without your opponent getting any home at all. This is known as an '8 piece'. The ultimate win is when you get all your pieces home and your opponent has all their pieces still in the base, that is called an '8 piece in harbour'.Fact|date=June 2008

Rules of the game

The game is played by either two or four people, if there are two people playing then each player takes two opposite colours. "Unlike the image supplied this is normally yellow and red vs green and blue ".If there are four players then the players opposite each other become partners so Yellow partners with Red and Green partners with Blue.

To travel around the board two dice are thrown, players moving the amount shown on the dice, a six permitting an extra turn. To see who goes first each player throws the dice and whoever throws the highest starts.

In order for a player to exit his base it is necessary for them to throw a six, which results in them putting their piece on the immediate square joining your base known as the doorstep. However, if on the very first throw you throw "snake eyes" (two ones) then all a players' pieces come out of the base onto the doorstep and the play continues with the next player. If on rolling "snake eyes" on the first throw a player again throws "snake eyes" on their second throw all of their pieces return to the base.

A throw can be split up into the two separate numbers so it is possible to move two different pieces as in backgammon. However, unlike backgammon if a player is moving only a single piece, then they must move it the sum of the two dice rather than moving the value of the first dice and then moving the value of the second dice.

If a player's piece lands on a square with an opponent's piece, then, as in Ludo, that piece is sent back to the opposition's base.

If your piece lands on a square with a playing piece of the same colour then this is known as a blob and is basically a barrier. An opposing piece is not allowed to jump over them, but friendly pieces can. The only way an opposing can get by a blob is to destroy them. To do this they will need to have a playing piece adjacent to the blob and then on their turn throw X + 1 sixes where X = the number of playing pieces forming the blob.

If one succeeds in knocking the blob off then the single playing piece used to attack the blob is moved to the square that the blob was on and the pieces forming the blob are returned to the base. Play then continues to the next player.

If a player's piece lands on a square with a playing piece that belongs to their partner or is the other colour that you are playing with then this is called a mixi blob. Unlike blobs a mixi blob is equivalent to a single playing piece so the opponent can land on the square and send all the playing bits back to their relevant bases. The opponent can pass over a friendly mixi blob so there is no security and a friendly player can not attack a blob that you maybe adjacent to if your piece is part of a mixi blob.

As in Ludo, one does need to roll the exact number of spaces left to get home and if a player's pieces are in the tube then they cannot be attacked unless they are playing Wafoo rules. If they are playing with a partner and they have all your pieces home first then they can continue rolling in the hopes of getting a six. If they do roll a six then on your next turn they can then roll for their partner and move his pieces as well. However, you cannot move any of your partners pieces once they are in the tube.

A player can either move normally or attack a blob. You can not move a piece next to a blob and then on the same go attack it.

If you can use the dice with the highest value then you must do so.

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 can not be moved around the board.Once a player has got his/her piece into the line 6 or less before home, an opposing player which 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.

Mixi-blobs can also be formed, where the blob consists of more than one colour. This is often done when two players have "paired up" as the blob can no longer be moved. To move the blob the top piece must be moved, and so on until the blob becomes all one colour.

External links

* [http://www.uckers.co.uk Uckers Website]
* [http://www.hmsleander.co.uk/Uckers.htm HMS Leander]
* [http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Uckers Arrsepedia Uckers Page]
* [http://www.uckersgame.co.uk Uckers Board Game Website]