Hare & Tortoise WC

Description

Hare and Tortoise is a classic multiplayer game that is based on Aesop’s fable “The Tortoise and the Hare” where the tortoise wins the race by cunning while the hare fails because he overestimates himself and takes a nap during the race. The moral of the story is “slow and steady wins the race” which is incorporated in the game mechanic.

The game used a then new (as of 1974) game mechanic. Until then movement of pieces in race games was largely determined by the roll of dice. In Hare and Tortoise players pay carrots (the currency in the game) to move forward. The more squares the player wants to advance, the more carrots the player is to pay. The cost to advance increases in an arithmetic series:

1 square = 1 carrot
2 squares = price of 1 square + 2 = 3 carrots
3 squares = price of 2 squares + 3 = 6 carrots
4 squares = price of 3 squares + 4 = 10 carrots
And so on.

Players can earn carrots in various ways – most notably by moving backwards to designated squares (10 carrots per square). This game mechanic creates an interesting and dynamic race usually with no clear winner until the very end. The players start the game with 65 carrots and the board features 65 squares.

Tournament Format
Players Per Table – 4
Rounds – 4

Rules can be found on the game designer David Parlett’s website. The edition used is Gibsons 2010.

Tournament Rule clarifications (quotes from the website rules are in italics):

• – Unlimited carrot rule (new for 2026): Instead of the Baulked rule used previously (and mentioned on the website), it will be considered that there are an unlimited number of carrots in the patch, and if required, carrot cards from other sets will be used.
• – Hare space rule (first applied in 2019): When you land on a hare square do nothing immediately. If nobody goes past you, draw 10 carrots at the start of your next turn. However if another player passes you, pay 10 carrots into the carrot patch for each player who goes past you, in either direction. – Additional clarification: If it is not possible for the player to pay 10 carrots, they just pay what they can, and risk ‘back to the start’ for their next turn.
• – Back to the start (overrides what is stated on the website, where noted): If for any reason you cannot make a legal move on your turn to play – you must start the race again. Replace your runner in the Start position, restore your carrot holding to 65, and lettuces to 3, and move off immediately. – Restoring lettuces to 3 is a rule difference with the website rules, and having 0 carrots does not automatically send you back to the start.
• – Lettuce square etiquette: When a player enters a lettuce square the player should flip their player marker face down, indicating that next turn they are unable to move, and that their turn is chewing a lettuce and collecting carrots. They should conclude their lettuce chewing turn by flipping their player marker face up, indicating that next turn they must move off the lettuce square.
• – Resource etiquette: The number of carrots (and number of carrot cards) are hidden information, but number of lettuce cards is public information. Carrot cards must be kept on the table or in a player’s hand – therefore it is obvious to all players if a player has 0 carrots.
• – Finishing rules: The race is over when all but one player has finished. The last player is given one extra turn to finish.
• – Tiebreak rules: Players should note the number of carrots they have remaining at the end of the game and report these scores which are used as a tiebreaker (instead of the usual multiplayer tiebreaker: % of best opponent’s score), ordered by lowest aggregate carrots remaining. Other standard MSO tiebreaks for multiplayer tournaments still apply.