Snake Pit - Game description

Game description

Snake Pit

The nasty game of party politics

3-5 players age: 12+ duration: 60 - 75 min.

Introduction

Snake pit is a game about party politics, or rather, about the nasty behavior often associated with party politics. The goal of the game is to earn the largest number of influence points. You, the player, can earn the influence points through your pawns. Your pawns act as figureheads who can join one of five political parties: The Snakes, The Rats, The Wolves, The Sharks and The Raven. The bigger the success of the parties your pawns have joined, the more influence you will gain.

The political success of a party grows faster when there are more party members. However, only one of them can be the party leader. What is more, the bigger the success of a party, the more attractive it becomes for your fellow players to throw one of your pawns out…

Short description

Snake Pit is a game that is played in rounds. Players control pawns that can join several political parties. At the end of each round influence points are scored for each pawn, depending on its position in the party. The player who has earned most influenced points at the end of the final round is the winner.

Each round consists of seven phases. In phase 1 players must join one of the parties with all their pawns that are not yet on the board. In phase 2 all players draw a number of new action cards. Phase 3 consists of a vote for every party, which can result in the eviction of one of the party members or in the termination of the party. In phase 4 all pawns on the board are moved upwards as many steps as there are pawns in a party. In phase 5 a vote is held among party leaders that may result in the boycott of one of the parties. In phase 6 players play their action cards in a turn-based way. With the action cards players can influence the situation on the board or directly help themselves or hinder one of their opponents. In phase 7 influence points are scored, based upon the position of each pawn on the board.

The game ends when at the end of a round one or more players have earned more than eighty influence points. Now all players reveal the not-played action cards they have still got in their hands. The influence points that are stated on these cards are added to the score, to give the final score.

Game characterization

Snake pit is a family game for 3 to 5 players. Playing time is 60-75 minutes. The average game of snake pit provides a lot off excitement as it usually remains uncertain to the very end who will be the winner. The game play is a combination of two different systems: a traditional turn-based ‘action card’-playing part and an innovative voting-based part. The voting part consists of two different voting mechanisms which introduce a bluffing and double guessing element into the game. The card-playing part provides for some interesting strategic and tactical choices. Both parts mix very well to produce a fluent game that is a lot off fun to play.

The way the game is structured ensures a lot of player interaction. Because of the scoring mechanism you have to work together with the other players to get enough influence points. The voting mechanisms and action cards however, provide many ways to stab your opponents in the back.

Game components

• 25 pawns (5 of each color)
• 5 player ID stones (1 of each color)
• 5 scoring markers (1 of each color)
• 1 boycott marker
• 1 turn counter
• 1 phase marker
• 130 action cards
• 1 game board
• double sided voting discs