Don't Miss The Boat is a board game

Board game

A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...

 for two to four players, with no dice or cards or element of elimination. The rules are simple enough to be mastered by a five year old, yet there is no element of chance, and experienced players can use sophisticated tactics and strategies to win. The game was first published by Parker Brothers

Parker Brothers

Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...

 in 1965, later by Waddingtons

Waddingtons

Waddingtons was a publisher of card and board games in the United Kingdom. The company was founded by John Waddington of Leeds, England and Wilson Barratt, under the name Waddingtons Limited...

. The title is currently owned by Hasbro

Hasbro

Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...

 and is no longer manufactured.

Play

The board consists of a raised, cross shaped platform divided into squares on which the pieces move surrounded by a circular "canal". Each player has 8 pieces (or "men") and a boat of the same color which is located at one of "docks" at the ends of the cross. The initial position of all the pieces and boats is always the same. The winner is the first player to successfully move five of their eight pieces into their own boat. Players take turns to move one piece to an adjacent square in any direction (including diagonals). Pieces can move further by jumping over one or more of their own or opponents' pieces, making a series of jumps where possible. When a player jumps into their boat, all the boats are moved clockwise around the board, one quarter turn. As a result, players will often find their own boat moves away from the dock they have moved one of their pieces to, giving the game its name.

Comparison with other games

Although the objective of the game (moving a number of pieces from start to finish) is superficially similar to Ludo

Ludo

Ludo may refer to:* Ludo , a board game of the Cross and Circle game family* Luděk Mikloško Czech football goalkeeper.* Ludwig II of Bavaria, nicknamed 'Mad King Ludo', a king of Bavaria who reigned between 1869 and 1886...

, there are no dice and there is no element of luck. The movement of the pieces is determined purely by the rules, as in Chess

Chess

Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

 or Draughts

Draughts

Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque...

. The pieces are moved similarly to a King in Chess, but the ability to extend moves by jumping over other pieces has similarities to Draughts, although pieces are not eliminated during this process.

Tactics and strategy

Players can attempt to predict the movement of other players' pieces, and the effect this will have on the position of the boats. Tactics include frustrating the predictions of other players by choosing not to jump into a boat when expected. This can even be done cooperatively with other players in an attempt to prevent another player from winning.