Oware

Quick Pitch

Oware is a two-player sowing game played on a board with 12 pits (6 per side) and 2 storage pits.

Hook

Pick up all the seeds from one of your pits and drop them one by one around the board — that's your whole turn. It sounds simple, but Oware is one of Africa's most beloved strategy games, played for centuries from Ghana to the Caribbean. Every move changes the board in rippling ways, and the player who thinks furthest ahead is almost always the one who ends up with the most seeds.

Equipment Needed

The Board

A traditional Oware board has:

• 12 playing pits arranged in two parallel rows of 6
• 2 storage pits (called "stores" or "granaries"), one at each end
• Slight depth to pits to prevent pieces from rolling

Improvising the Board

1. Dirt/sand version: Dig 14 small holes in soft earth (two rows of 6, plus 2 storage holes at the ends)
2. Drawn board: Sketch on cardboard or paper with clear delineation of pit boundaries using circles or squares
3. Carved version: Carve or hollow out pits in a wooden plank
4. Egg carton version: Cut a standard egg carton in half (6 cells per side), with two small bowls at the ends

The pits should be sized to hold seeds comfortably without pieces rolling out.

Pieces (Seeds)

• 48 pieces total: 4 per pit initially
• Options:
  • Seeds from plants (millet, beans, pebbles)
  • Small stones or pebbles
  • Glass beads or tokens
  • Beads, buttons, or any small identical objects

Setup

1. Arrange the board between the two players
2. Each player sits on one side of the board
3. The row of 6 pits nearest a player is that player's side
4. Place 4 seeds in each of the 12 playing pits
5. Leave the 2 storage pits empty
6. Designate who plays first (often by mutual agreement or ritual)

Board Layout:

       North Player (Storage Pit)
    [6] [5] [4] [3] [2] [1]
[12] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [13]
[13] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [12]
    [7] [8] [9][10][11][12]
       South Player (Storage Pit)

Rules

Objective

Capture more seeds than your opponent. At game end, the player with more seeds in their storage pit wins.

Gameplay

Taking a Turn:

1. Choose any pit on your side that contains seeds
2. Pick up all seeds from that pit (empty it completely)
3. Moving counterclockwise (toward your storage pit), distribute one seed in each successive pit
4. If your last seed lands in your storage pit, you get another turn immediately
5. If your last seed lands in an empty pit on your own side, go to Capturing (below)
6. If your last seed lands in a pit with other seeds, your turn ends and play passes to your opponent
7. Your sowing may pass through your opponent's side—continue the circular distribution

The Storage Pit Rule:

• Seeds landing in your storage pit score points
• Seed landing in opponent's storage pit do NOT score (continue past it without placing)
• Store your captured seeds in your own storage pit

Capturing

When your last distributed seed lands in an empty pit on your side, you capture:

• That seed you just placed
• All seeds in the opposite pit (on your opponent's side, directly across from yours)
• Place all captured seeds in your storage pit

If there are no seeds in the opposite pit, you capture only the single seed you just placed.

Important: Captures only occur when landing in your own empty pit. Landing in an opponent's pit with seeds (non-empty) does NOT trigger a capture.

Continuation & Pass

After capturing (if applicable), your turn ends and play passes to your opponent.

Game End

The game ends when one side of the board becomes completely empty (all pits on one player's side are empty, with no further moves possible from that side).

When this occurs:

1. The player who still has pieces on their side immediately captures all remaining pieces on their side
2. Count total seeds in each player's storage pit
3. Highest count wins