Overview
This classic marble race game has been around for some time. The game is fun and involves moving marbles around on the board. The first player to move all their marbles from the “Base” to “Home” wins the game. The game can be played by people over the age of 6 and can be played individually, and in teams.
Objective
The game’s objective is to be the first player to move all your 4 marbles from “Base” to “Home”. In the team version, the objective is to be the first team to move all your marbles “Home”
Aggravation Board Game Rules
You must “Start” a marble by rolling 1 or 6 before it can be moved.
You can only have one marble in the “Start” hole at a time
You cannot “Start” and move a marble in the same turn
You can only move a marble by the number of holes equal to your exact die roll
You can jump over or land on an opponent’s marble but cannot jump over or land on your own marble
An aggravated marble must be returned to its “Base”
Marbles can be aggravated anywhere on the board including Star holes and the Center hole but cannot be aggravated in their “Base” and “Home”
You must play if you can but if you cannot, you lose a turn
Exit the Centre hole to any Star hole only by rolling a 1
Move around the Star holes in a clockwise direction
Number of Players Needed
2 to 6 players are needed to play the game. You can play with 2, 4, or 6 players.
Equipment
- Aggravation game board
- 24 marbles of 6 different colours (4 marbles per colour)
- A die
Setting Up
First, each player selects a set of 4 marbles of the same colour. There can be up to 24 marbles making 6 sets. The players then place the marbles in their “Base”. Note that each player has their own “Base”, “Start”, and “Home” on the board. The player who plays first is determined by rolling the die. Whoever gets the highest number plays first and the others take their turns after that player as determined by their number from the die roll.
How to Play Aggravation Board Game
Players take turns to roll the die and attempt to move a marble if they can. A player may roll the die only once per turn unless they roll a 6. If a player rolls a 6, they get an extra turn and they can roll again. Before you can begin to move a marble around the board, you must first “Start” it. Starting a marble simply means moving it from your “Base” to the “Start” hole. To do this, you need to roll a 1 or a 6.
Once a marble is in the “Start” hole, it can be moved around the board. On your next turn, you can begin to move the marble. You cannot “Start” and move a marble in the same turn. After a marble is “Started”, it can be moved in a clockwise direction along the board holes depending on numbers from die rolls. Note that you can only have a marble in the “Start” hole at a time. Once a marble occupies the “Start” hole, it must be moved before another can come in.
Moving across the board in aggravation game is guided by some rules. You are allowed to jump over or land on an opponent’s marble but you cannot jump over or land on your own marble. If you are unable to move a marble because of another of your marbles, then this marble is “blocked” and cannot be moved so you lose a turn. You can only move a marble by the number of holes equal to your exact die roll. You are not allowed to split moves.
When you land on an opponent’s marble, that marble becomes “aggravated” and must be returned to its “Base’ ‘while your marble takes its position. The same happens if any of your marbles get “aggravated”. An “aggravated” marble returned to “Base” must be “Started” again by rolling either a 1 or a 6. Note that marbles can be aggravated anywhere on the board except in their “Base” and “Home”. You can aggravate an opponent’s marble in your “Start” hole by rolling a 1 or 6 and moving a marble into your “Start” hole to replace it. Your opponent’s aggravated marble returns to its “Base”.
There are two shortcuts available on the board to help you win the game quickly but these come with a measure of risk. You can still be aggravated when taking shortcuts!
The first shortcut you can take is the Star holes. When your marble lands in a Star hole, you can move it clockwise around the Star holes on your next turn and then exit from any of the Star holes. It is only logical that you exit onto the path that leads to your “Home” area and count down the remaining moves on your die roll.
The second shortcut is Centre Hole. If your marble lands in the Centre hole, you can only move it by rolling a 1 on a future turn. From the Centre hole, you can move to any Star hole by rolling a 1 but it is wise to move to the Star hole that leads to your “Home” area.
Note that you can move a marble into any of your four “Home” slots by an exact die roll but you cannot jump over your own marbles so be careful when moving your marbles home.
Team Modes
It is possible to play aggravation in teams of twos (2 vs 2) or threes (3 vs 3). The rules are the same as in individual play bar a few exceptions.
In 2 vs 2 mode, team members sit opposite each other and alternate turns. They can jump over and even aggravate each other’s marbles. Remember that in aggravation you must play if you can. If your only possible, move is to aggravate your partner’s marble then you must. After safely getting all your marbles “Home”, you will continue to roll the die in turn but will now be moving your partner’s marble(s) the number of holes you rolled on the board. This is like an extra turn for your partner and helps your team to move towards victory.
In 3 vs 3 mode, a player who has safely gotten their marbles “Home” will continue to roll the idle in turn just like in the 2 vs 2 mode. If the two other members of the player’s team are still on the board, the player must declare which one of their teammates will move the number of holes they roll before rolling the die. If two members of a team have safely gotten their marbles “Home” both of them will continue to roll when it’s their turns for their remaining teammate to move on the board.
Winning the Game
In individual mode, the first player to get all their marbles “Home” wins. In the team modes, the first team to get all their marbles “Home” wins. This will be 8 marbles in 2 vs 2, and 12 marbles in 3 vs 3 mode