Marble Solitaire, also known as French Solitaire, is a classic single-player board game. The standard French version uses a board with 33 dents (or holes) and starts with 32 marbles.

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Objective

Remove as many marbles as possible from the board, ideally leaving only one marble in the center dent. The game is won if you achieve this, though getting down to just a few marbles is also considered a good outcome.

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Setup

1. Board Layout: The board is cross-shaped with 33 dents arranged in a grid pattern. The dents form a 7x7 grid, but the four corners (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right) are omitted, leaving 33 dents total.

2. Starting Position: Place marbles in 32 of the 33 dents, leaving the center dent empty. This empty dent is where the first move will originate. The odd colored marble included with the product is not used in this game.

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Rules of Play

1. Movement:

   • A marble can move by jumping over another marble, either horizontally or vertically (not diagonally).

   • The marble being jumped over must be in an adjacent dent, and there must be an empty dent immediately beyond it in the same direction.

   • The marble you jump over is removed from the board and set aside on the circular groove.

2. Jumping:

   • Jumps are always over exactly one marble and into an empty dent two spaces away in a straight line (horizontal or vertical).

   • Multiple jumps are allowed in a single turn, as long as each jump follows the rules above. However, you are not required to make multiple jumps.

3. No Diagonal Moves:

   • Jumps can only be made horizontally or vertically, not diagonally.

4. Game Progression:

   • Continue making jumps, removing one marble from the board each time a jump is made, until no more legal moves are possible.

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Ending the Game

1. Game Over:

   • The game ends when no more jumps are possible (i.e., no marble can jump over another marble into an empty dent).

2. Scoring:

   • The fewer marbles remaining on the board, the better your performance. The traditional scoring is as follows:

     • 1 marble left (in the center): Perfect game – You win!

     • 2–3 marbles left: Excellent result.

     • 4–6 marbles left: Good result.

     • 7 or more marbles left: Try again!

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Hint: To achieve the best results, plan your moves carefully. Start by clearing marbles from the edges and work toward the center. Avoid isolating marbles, as this will limit your moves.

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Fox and Geese is a two-player game where one player controls 1 Fox marble, and the other controls a group of 16 Geese marbles and 1 Nest Egg marble. The Fox aims to eat Geese and the Nest Egg, while the Geese aim to trap the fox so it cannot move, or escape across the board with their Nest Egg.

Setup

1. Board Layout:

   • The board is cross-shaped with 33 dents (points), arranged as a 7x7 grid with the four corner 2x2 sections removed. This is the same board used for Marble Solitaire.

2. Pieces:

   • There is 1 Fox marble (red), 16 geese marbles (all black or white), and 1 Nest Egg marble (either the 1 black or white marble).

3. Starting Position:

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Rules of Play

1. Turn Order:

   • The Geese and Nest Egg move first, followed by the Fox. Players alternate turns.

2. Movement:

   • Geese/Nest Egg: Each turn, the player moves one Goose or Nest Egg marble to an adjacent empty point. Geese and the Nest Egg can move forward and sideways, but not backward.

   • Fox: The Fox moves similarly, one point to an adjacent empty point, but it can move forward, sideways, and BACKWARD.

3. Capturing (Fox Only):

   • The Fox can capture a Goose or Nest Egg by jumping over it to an empty point (similar to checkers/draughts). The jumped marble is removed from the board.

   • Multiple jumps are allowed in a single turn if further captures are possible.

   • Captures can occur with jumps in any direction including Diagonally Forward, and Diagonally Backward.

   • Geese and the Nest Egg cannot capture or jump.

4. Restrictions:

   • Marbles cannot (1) move to occupied points, (2) jump over empty spaces, (3) jump multiple adjacent pieces, (4) move diagonally (except for Fox captures), or (5) move between the same 2 points for more than 3 turns (unless no other moves are possible; ex: Fox moves left 1 point, then right 1 point to original spot, then left 1 point - the Fox is not allowed to move right to the original spot again unless there are no other possible moves).

5. Huffing Rule:

• If the Fox can capture but chooses not to, the Geese player may add a new Goose to any of the original Geese starting positions on the board as a penalty (this does not apply when the Fox must choose between multiple different single marble captures).

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Ending the Game

• Geese: The Geese win by 

  • (1) surrounding the Fox so it cannot move to any adjacent empty point or jump a Goose. 

  • (2) ("Escape" Victory; Happy Quacker Variation) Geese can also win by having 5 Geese and the 1 Red Nest Egg marble make it across the board and fill the bottom 6 dents on the cross (Nest Egg must be in 1 of the 3 bottom most dents) - these Geese "escaped" the Fox with their Nest Egg and can make more Geese for the next round.

• Fox: The Fox wins by 

  • (1) capturing 12 Geese so he can prevent an "Escape" Victory - Geese may then take 1 final turn to try and corner the Fox to steal the Fox's win.

  • (2) ("Nest Robber" Victory; Happy Quacker Variation) The Fox may also win by capturing and consuming the 1 Red Nest Egg marble.

Scoring (Optional):

• If players wish to determine a winner over playing multiple rounds, players should do the following:

  • Play an even number of matches

  • Each match players switch between playing the Fox and the Geese/Nest Egg

  • Players use 1 column for marking their score per round regardless of which marbles they control. The Fox player will tally their score based on the number of Geese/Nest Egg consumed, while their opponent will tally their score based on the number of Geese/Nest Egg marbles not consumed.

  • Marbles are given the following point values:

    • Goose Marble - 1 point

    • Nest Egg Marble - 7 points

    • Fox Marble - not counted

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Strategy Notes

• For the Geese: Work together to form a barrier, blocking the fox’s movement. Avoid isolating geese, as this makes them easy targets for capture. Try to anticipate the fox’s jumps and position geese to limit its options.

• For the Fox: Look for opportunities to create "forks" (where the fox can jump in multiple directions) and exploit gaps in the geese’s formation. Avoid being cornered by staying mobile and capturing strategically to open up the board.

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Historical Context

Fox and Geese is a hunt game with roots in northern Europe, possibly dating back to the 14th century or earlier, as suggested by references in sagas like Grettis Saga (mentioning "Halatafl"). The game was popular in medieval Europe, with evidence of boards etched into buildings and cloisters. It shares ancestry with other "Tafl" games, where a single piece (like the fox) is pitted against a larger number of opposing pieces.