History:
Foxes vs. Hens is a variation of the popular medieval game Fox and Geese. The game dates back to late medieval times. Foxes vs. Hens is a strategy game that allows 2 players to battle for both board control and piece elimination.
The game is enjoyed all over the world. This variation of the game is popular among Latin American countries. It is believed (but not proven) that this variation of the game (Zorros y Gallinas, in its Spanish root) was brought to Latin America by Spanish settlers during the colonization of the new world.
The game offers a lot of fun for young and old and can be played in multiple variations that make it both challenging and delightful.
Pieces:
Hens vary from 17 to 20 (depending on the game variation that is played) and have a strong advantage over the foxes.
Foxes are stronger than the hens, but because there is only one or two, they need to be diligent and careful to gain board control.
Players can choose either piece as wanted. This variation is played with 20 hens and 2 foxes.
Objective:
The objective of the game is both board control and piece elimination. A player “wins” a game by either eliminating the opponent’s pieces or gaining control of the board. There are several ways to do so.
Ways to win:
Hens have three ways that they can win: 1- By eliminating both foxes. 2- By reaching home. 3- By trapping the foxes.
- Eliminating the foxes: Hens can eliminate the foxes, by offering a pray to a fox. The fox has to eat the pray. If the fox does not eat the pray, the fox is taken from the board. This rule is one of the best parts of the game, because it offers the hens control over what the foxes eat, providing them with ways to “move” a fox on a certain direction.
- Reaching home: Hens can win by making it to their home. Hens must start on the opposite side of the board and can win by gaining board control. 9 hens need to make it home to win the game.
- Trapping the Fox: Hens can trap the foxes. If the hens control the board to a point where foxes cannot move anymore, the hens win the game.
Foxes have two ways of winning the game. 1- Eating hens. 2-Controlling the hen’s home.
- Eating hens: since there are 20 hens to start the game, and one of the hen’s objectives is to have 9 make it to safety, if the foxes eats more than 11 hens, they immediately win the game.
- Controlling the hens home: if the foxes control one of the 9 home slots, and the hens cannot “move” the fox(es) out of it, the foxes win the game.
Rules:
- Foxes always must eat. If they don’t eat the pray they are eliminated from the board. Once a fox is eliminated they cannot return to the game. Foxes “eat” a hen by jumping over it, checker’s style.
- Foxes can move up, down, sideways and back on the board, giving them a lot more freedom to move around and control strategic positions on the board.
- Foxes can eat one or more hens at the same time, but they must eat at least once.
- Foxes can be trapped by hens. If the foxes cannot move, but the hens still have available moves, the hens immediately win the game.
- Hens only move forward or sideways (but never back or sideways back)
- Hens always need to move. If hens get to a point that cannot move, the foxes immediately win, since they have less pieces on the board.
- Once a fox eats a hen, the hen cannot return to the game.
To Set up the board:
To Win the Game, 9 hens need to make it to the end!
