The Game of the Goose: a spiral race with geese

The Game of the Goose is a race around a spiral of 63 squares. Players move their pieces according to their throws, hoping to reach the end first. Records of the game go back to the late 1500s. Francesco de' Medici is said to have sent a set to Philip II of Spain.

The game is especially popular in France, where it is called jeu de l'oie, and in Spain, where it is called juego de la oca.

The spiral and the geese

The squares wind around in a spiral. Many versions use two dice, and each player moves the total thrown. On most traditional boards, the finishing square sits at the centre of the spiral. If you have no dice, the on-screen dice tool gives you a quick throw.

Some squares show a goose. Landing on one lets you move again, so a lucky throw can carry you a long way. Those geese give the game its rhythm, because a single good turn can change the whole race.

Hazard squares

Traditional boards mark a few squares as hazards. In many versions:

• The bridge (6) moves you ahead to square 12.
• The inn (19) means you miss turns while you rest.
• The well (31) keeps you waiting until another player lands on it.
• The maze (42) sends you back to square 30.
• The prison (52) holds you until another player lands on the same square.
• Death (58) sends you back to the start.

Hazards add tension to the middle of the race. A player who is close to the finish may suddenly lose ground, while a player far behind may leap ahead over a bridge.

A Spanish counting rhyme

Spanish players say a short rhyme when they land on a goose: "De oca a oca y tiro porque me toca". Roughly, it means "from goose to goose, and I throw because it is my turn." The rhyme turns a lucky landing into a small celebration, and everyone at the table can join in.

Teaching counting with the board

Every square has a number, so the board works well for counting practice. Try these with young children:

1. Ask them to read the number of the square where their piece lands.
2. Ask how many squares they need to reach the next goose.
3. Let them count aloud as they move their piece one square at a time.

Older children can work out the distance between two pieces, such as how many squares separate square 27 from square 42. Once each child can say the number of their square without hesitation, the game becomes steady counting practice that feels like play. For more ideas, see the classroom games guide.

House rules

Families and classes often agree on rules before they start, because versions vary. Decide these points first:

• Whether you must land exactly on square 63 to finish, or may overshoot and come back.
• How long a player waits at the well or in the prison, and whether another player's landing frees them.
• Whether two pieces may share a square.
• What happens after a double throw, if your version uses doubles.

Write the agreed rules on the back of the printed board, so nobody has to remember them during a close finish.

If you like races with shortcuts

If your group enjoys a race with shortcuts and setbacks, try snakes and ladders. It descends from Indian board games known as Moksha Patam or Gyan Chaupar, in which ladders and snakes stood for virtues and vices. The game reached England in the late nineteenth century.

Printing the board

Paperoom can make a printable Game of the Goose on A4 or US Letter paper, and you can print it or download it as a PDF. If players need larger text, the large print option helps, and black-ink-only printing is available too. Print at 100% scale, turn off the browser's headers and footers, and print one test sheet first so you can check the spiral before printing a full set.