Dancing Eggs

• Designed by:  Roberto Fraga
• Published By:   HABA
• 2-4 players, worked fine with 5 kids
• Ages 5 & up, but ok for some 4 year olds
• 10 minutes per round
• No reading needed

Meeples – The game comes in the material that most local eggs come in at your grocery store.  While this is cute, it is fragile and I doubt that it will last long given the nature of the game.  You get nine hard rubber eggs that bounce quite well (which is good for the game), one wooden egg, a red six sided die and a white six sided die.  The paint job on these is quite nice and have not suffered any damage after several dozen immediate plays.  The icons on the dice are simple enough to understand from a minor distance although there are two icons that are very close to each other (on purpose) and can cause some confusion (which makes the game funnier).

Theme – Well, there isn’t one.  Not really.  Doesn’t matter for the game at all though.

Rules – Very simple, roll the red die.  Do what it says.  Next.  Well, that maybe too simplified.  You do roll the red die and watch the icon.  Whoever reacts correctly to the icon first, wins an egg.  Rubber eggs are one point, the wooden egg is two points.  Once you have won an egg, you have to roll the white die to determine where it goes.  You don’t get to hold it where you want to.  You may have to hold in in the crook of your arm, under your neck, between your knees, etc.  First time an egg drops, count the point values of the eggs you are holding.  Most wins.

Game Play – Clear the chairs from your table and play standing up.  Make sure there are no breakables around you as you will be running around the table at some point.  Hard to do with rubber eggs on your body!  The game plays quick, with quite a lot of laughter every single time I have seen it played.  It is really a press your luck/dexterity game that can have the rules  modified quite a bit to suit your needs.

Educational Value – There is no reading in this, which makes it easier for younger children to play.  Basic turn taking, quick thinking and fine motor skills are all reinforced in this game.  The game also reinforces your ability to access your short term memory and apply it rapidly in order to be successful.  Good gaming skills can be easily taught and modeled by older children and adults.

Adaptability – My own children have modified the rules on this several times and came up with all sorts of various end game scenarios and other zany ways of playing.  The only real limit on this is their imagination.  If you are playing with a wide variety of ages, roll the red die closer to the youngest player so she can see it easier and react to it before older siblings do.  There is a quite a lot of movement happening in this game, but if playing with a child who is unable to move rapidly or uses a wheelchair, you can change small parts of the rules to suit his/her needs quickly and easily.

Adult fun factor – Unlimited.  We played this at one of our library events and the adults looked jealous of all the fun the kids were having.  This could easily replace beer pong in colleges if it gets discovered.

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