Tabletop_Gaming__April_2019

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,500 miles west of last month’s trip to

India lies the landlocked country of

Uganda in eastern Africa. Uganda’s

most nationally-recognised game

is omweso, a variant of the mancala style of

games that originated on the African continent

over 2,000 ago. ese popular two-player

games were often played using seeds, with pits

in the soil representing the board. Nowadays,

mancala-style games commonly use a wooden

board with stone or glass playing pieces.

e object of the game is to capture your

opponent’s pieces through the mechanic of

‘sowing’. Sowing involves a player choosing a

pit of their seeds and collecting them in their

hand, before placing them one by one in each

subsequent pit.

e inuences of mancala can be seen in

modern games such as Bruno Cathala’s excellent

Five Tribes. Taking the key ‘sowing’ mechanism

seen in omweso, Five Tribes sees players

collecting groups of coloured meeples from a tile

and placing them one by one until left with only

one colour. All meeples of that colour are then

taken and used for specic actions.

Whilst Uganda might be lacking the

publishers, game stores and cafés that

commonly promote the tabletop hobby in

other regions, people are nonetheless nding

ways to use board games to engage with

communities across the country.

e UK charity CYEN (Chrysalis Youth

Empowerment Network) has been running

the Uganda Village Board Game Convention

since 2017, with help from leading names in the

hobby such as Matt Leacock (Pandemic), Tony

Boydell (Snowdonia) and Hub Games (creators

of Rory’s Story Cubes). e charity aims to bring

young people from across northern Uganda to the

village of Koro, with hopes of teaching condence-

building, initiative and problem-solving skills,

alongside a focus on teamwork. Activities include

several tournaments, roleplaying sessions and

even a space for people to create their own

designs. Not all of the convention’s activities

rely on modern examples of game

design though, as one of the

largest events is a grand

tournament of that old

Ugandan pastime, omweso.

In 2018 CYEN organised the

second Uganda Village Board

Game Convention, raising over

£4,000 through crowdfunding. e

charity kindly oered rewards for some

donations including signed Molerats in

Space memorabilia, whilst Matt Leacock and Tony

Boydell themselves oered prizes for donations

such as copies of Pandemic and a specially created

Tsavo Lions train card for Snowdonia. Leacock

heavily covered the event in his blog and even

created team-based rules for the various Ugandan

districts playing Molerats in Space.

e convention has built up a healthy

collection of games but is still looking for

donations, with dexterity and language

independent games being sought out in

particular. Look up CYEN’s website if you’re

looking to slim down your collection and help out.

Simple board and card games have also

been used in Uganda to inform residents of less

developed areas on aspects of sexual health and

other issues. Ugandan-based company Zzimba

Games started business as a producer of jigsaw

puzzles but later expanded into simple Snakes

and Ladders-style games with added worldly

messages on safe sex, business management and

land acquisition.

Academia and healthcare providers

have also taken an interest in the

benets of educational board games,

with several studies examining levels

of engagement of Ugandan men with

games focusing on pregnancy, childbirth

and STIs. Despite recent improvements,

Uganda still has a high rate of maternal

deaths each year, largely due to little or delayed

maternity care. Husbands play a key role in

determining the safety of their wife and infant

as often, due to imbalanced power relations,

women’s decisions are limited.

e game Whose Shoes? was developed

to encourage men to take a more proactive

approach to the use of healthcare during

their partner’s pregnancy. Gameplay involves

players rolling dice and moving shoe-

shaped playing pieces around the board.

Dierent spaces correspond to coloured

cards containing information on diet,

potential birth problems and the problematic

cultural issues aecting healthy childbirth.

Unsurprisingly, studies found that the visual

aids and interactivity oered by a board game

were preferred over general talks on the topic,

with Ugandan men displaying a healthy

engagement with the information learned.

Uganda may not be leading the way in regard

to its own innovative designs but, perhaps

more importantly, demonstrates the universal

power of board games. Game mechanics

can teach vital skills to anyone, regardless of

background, whilst specic theming can be

used to generate understandings of issues

important to specic communities.

UGANDA

Words by Chad Wilkinson

around the world in 80 plays

communities across the country.

e UK charity CYEN (Chrysalis Youth e UK charity CYEN (Chrysalis Youth

Empowerment Network) has been running Empowerment Network) has been running Empowerment Network) has been running

the Uganda Village Board Game Convention the Uganda Village Board Game Convention the Uganda Village Board Game Convention

since 2017, with help from leading names in the since 2017, with help from leading names in the since 2017, with help from leading names in the

hobby such as Matt Leacock (hobby such as Matt Leacock (PandemicPandemicPandemic), Tony ), Tony ), Tony

Boydell (Boydell (Snowdonia) and Hub Games (creators ) and Hub Games (creators

of Rory’s Story CubesRory’s Story Cubes). e charity aims to bring ). e charity aims to bring

particular. Look up CYEN’s website if you’re

looking to slim down your collection and help out.looking to slim down your collection and help out.

Simple board and card games have also Simple board and card games have also

been used in Uganda to inform residents of less been used in Uganda to inform residents of less

developed areas on aspects of sexual health and developed areas on aspects of sexual health and

other issues. Ugandan-based company Zzimba other issues. Ugandan-based company Zzimba

Games started business as a producer of jigsaw Games started business as a producer of jigsaw

puzzles but later expanded into simple puzzles but later expanded into simple

and Ladders-style games with added worldly -style games with added worldly

messages on safe sex, business management and messages on safe sex, business management and

land acquisition. land acquisition.

Academia and healthcare providers Academia and healthcare providers

have also taken an interest in the have also taken an interest in the

benets of educational board games, benets of educational board games,

with several studies examining levels with several studies examining levels

of engagement of Ugandan men with of engagement of Ugandan men with

games focusing on pregnancy, childbirth games focusing on pregnancy, childbirth

and STIs. Despite recent improvements, and STIs. Despite recent improvements,

Uganda still has a high rate of maternal Uganda still has a high rate of maternal

tabletopgaming.co.uk 45

Slides & Ladders, Whose Shoes? and

a modern omweso board (pic: Yintan)

• three Ugandan games that range from
  entertaining to educational

young people from across northern Uganda to the

village of Koro, with hopes of teaching condence-

building, initiative and problem-solving skills,

alongside a focus on teamwork. Activities include

young people from across northern Uganda to the

village of Koro, with hopes of teaching condence-

alongside a focus on teamwork. Activities include alongside a focus on teamwork. Activities include

several tournaments, roleplaying sessions and

even a space for people to create their own

designs. Not all of the convention’s activities designs. Not all of the convention’s activities designs. Not all of the convention’s activities

rely on modern examples of game

design though, as one of the

In 2018 CYEN organised the

second Uganda Village Board

Game Convention, raising over

£4,000 through crowdfunding. e £4,000 through crowdfunding. e

charity kindly oered rewards for some

Molerats in entertaining to educationalentertaining to educational

alongside a focus on teamwork. Activities include alongside a focus on teamwork. Activities include

Whose Shoes?

pic: Yintan

• three Ugandan games that range from

alongside a focus on teamwork. Activities include

several tournaments, roleplaying sessions and

even a space for people to create their own

designs. Not all of the convention’s activities designs. Not all of the convention’s activities designs. Not all of the convention’s activities

rely on modern examples of game

In 2018 CYEN organised the

second Uganda Village Board

Game Convention, raising over

£4,000 through crowdfunding. e £4,000 through crowdfunding. e

charity kindly oered rewards for some

Molerats in

Slides & Ladders, Whose Shoes?Whose Shoes?

a modern omweso board (a modern omweso board (pic: Yintan

• three Ugandan games that range from – three Ugandan games that range from
  entertaining to educationalentertaining to educational

alongside a focus on teamwork. Activities include

several tournaments, roleplaying sessions and

alongside a focus on teamwork. Activities include