Mancala Board Game

Simple Mancala Board that will just fit on the A1 Mini, you'll need 8, 6mmx3mm magnets to hod it together. The file for the game pieces has 50, you only need 48 to play but they get lost.

I make a bunch of these for the Toys4Tots program in the US and the text below is what I print out to include with the game so they know the history and how to play, feel free to copy and paste or whatever, I have no idea how to generate a pdf so there ya go. Enjoy!

p.s. I hate hinges, so the board has tabs and notches and the 2 halves connect nice and cleanly without hinges getting in the way of the playing field. Side note, you don't need an AMS unit, you can print it all one color or set it up with a color change, whatever, have at it, enjoy!

p.s.s. amazon has magnets dirt cheap but I linked the ones from the Bambu store

Mancala; Brief History

Mancala is one of the oldest two-player strategy games in the world and has been played throughout Asia and Africa for over 7.000 years. Earlier version of Mancala games used primitive tools constructed of wood or clay, or the game boards were carved in stone. It's origins are rooted in ancient Egypt. Stone Mancala boards from 1400BC have been found carved into the roofs of Kurna temples in Memphis, Thebes and Luxor. The game spread from Egypt to many parts of Africa and then to the Middle East. In some cultures it’s known simply as Pits & Stones since there was no game board used, rather small pits were dug into the sand and stones gathered from nearby were used, making it ultra portable.

Mancala Rules,

What You Need: 1 Mancala board, 48 stones (a couple extra included)

Setup: Put the 2 halves together to form 1 long board. The Mancala 'board' is made up of two rows of six holes, or “pits” and 2 larger “stores” at each end. Four stones are placed in each of the smaller 12 “pits”. The color of the pieces is irrelevant. The players “store” is the one to their right.

Play: The game begins with one player picking up all of the pieces in any one of the holes on their side. Moving counter-clockwise (to your right), the player deposits one of the stones in each hole until the stones run out. 

1. If you run into your own store, deposit one piece in it. If you run into your opponent's store, skip it.

2. If the last piece you drop is in your own store, you get a free turn.

3. If the last piece you drop is in an empty hole on your side, you capture that piece and any pieces in the hole directly opposite.

4. Always place all captured pieces in your store.

5. Always start your turn from any of the six pits on your side, even if there’s only 1 stone, you simply move that one space.

Winning the game: 

The game ends when all six spaces on one side of the Mancala board are empty. The player who still has pieces on his side of the board when the game ends captures all of those pieces. Count all the pieces in each store. The winner is the player with the most pieces.

Tips: Planning ahead is essential to victory in board games like Mancala. Try to plan two or three moves into the future.

For extra fun, try replacing the stones with M&Ms, Skittles or peanuts, winner takes all!!