Game: The Ladybug Game

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swuyau — 2008-05-25T05:54:29+00:00

Component

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weevol — 2008-04-13T21:48:55+00:00

sample cards : move ahead and move back

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weevol — 2008-04-13T21:44:42+00:00

sample cards : get 4 aphids and move 2/go again

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weevol — 2008-04-13T21:27:30+00:00

tommy teal and olivia orange on the game board

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weevol — 2008-04-13T21:23:35+00:00

ricky red and ella yellow on the game board

Thread: Adding a Decision

beehive23 — 2008-03-12T07:03:16+00:00

I suggested Chicken Cha Cha Cha, but the in-laws got my 4 year old son this for Christmas instead. While it's got a couple of conditions which must be met in order to win, there are absolutely no decisions to be made while playing this game. Draw a card, do what it says. Repeat.

So, after trudging through this a couple of times I instituted a new rule. Two cards are face up and the player chooses which one to use. This change isn't going to make this game a Spiel des Jahres winner, but at least it gives players something to do other than mechanically following the instructions of the cards. Even my 2 1/2 year old likes the change. He doesn't make his card decision based on strategy but he appreciates the fact that he gets to choose something. An end to fatalism.

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zefquaavius — 2007-12-26T15:56:52+00:00

Mantis card.

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zefquaavius — 2007-12-26T15:55:35+00:00

Sample ladybug card - back and front.

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zefquaavius — 2007-12-26T15:54:51+00:00

Blurb about the designer.

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zefquaavius — 2007-12-26T15:51:01+00:00

Unpunched sheet of tiles

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zefquaavius — 2007-12-26T15:50:13+00:00

Better scan of the box back.

Thread: Gantrell's Regimented Review

gantrell — 2007-08-02T04:52:38+00:00

The Ladybug Game
Ages – 3-up (see nitpick below)
Players 2-4
Maker – Zobmondo
Designer – Kylie Copenhagen (a 6 year old!!!!)

Components:
– Long 3 section, fold-out heavy duty board
- 4 lady bug characters (2 male, 2 female)
- 4 plastic clips to hold characters
- 1 double sided page of a short “ladybug adventure” story
- cardboard insert (for the gamebox) that has rules printed on it
- 61 cardboard aphid chits
- 38 ladybug cards
- 8 praying mantis pass cards
Concept:
This is a fairly basic level kid’s game where the ladybugs start on “start” (very original) and walk the path to the rose garden at the end. On the way there are three types of special squares that modify things. Most of these special squares are the typical, go forward, go backward type squares, Some are special squares that give you special aphid chits and the third type are two special obstacle squares, a preying mantis that you need a pass to um…pass and the ant square that where you need to pay the ants 10 aphid chits to pass. Movement is done by drawing cards and moving the appropriate number of squares forward or backward. The first ladybug to the rose garden is the winner.

The good:
This game is very pretty and he ladybug characters are cartoony but very cute. The oversized cards are well made and will stand up to a fair amount of tiny fingers picking at them over and over and the information on them is in large type, if overall they are a bit lacking in artistic presence (see below). A nice, sturdy box…..most people will say who cares, but I appreciate a heavy-duty box that will take a bit of child pounding and withstand it. Surviving a pounding means that all the components will stay together and that means that the game gets to stay in the house which means that the game will be played, duh.

The nitpicky:
The board is in nice bright colors, cute graphics and good text. In contrast to that are the bland movement cards. I think the backs are pretty, a nice red and black ladybug pattern, However the information side lacks any sort of pretty designs, art or interesting bugs. I think that is a missed opportunity.
The listed ages on the box is 3 and up. Hmmmm…..I don’t agree with this. My wife pointed out that with adult help a 3 year old could play. True, but is that the point of those age ranges? Also it states that “no reading necessary to play”……..well this is just wrong. All the cards need to be read as well as most of the special squares. Now after a few plays most kids will be able to remember what the important info is, but once again they will need help to get started. I think the age range is better for 4 ½ or 5 years. and up.

Overall:
I did enjoy this game and it is definitely a step up from Candyland. This game adds more advanced concepts like going backwards as well as forwards, losing a turn and paying with a money unit (aphids) to be able to continue on the path. It will replay decently well for adults but once again your child will grow out of it and will move on. This one won’t stay in the library for ever. However at the right age range The Ladybug Game is a nice and different diversion. All that being said, notice that the game was designed by a 6 year old for a school project. Bravo to her and good job!

Thread: Not bad - all luck

Stonewall — 2007-06-22T17:41:23+00:00

For a 3 year old or beginning gamer, this is not bad. It's all luck, there's no decision to be made.

But it's a heck of a lot funner than candyland, and the ladybugs are cute.

You read numbers off the card saying go forward two, back one, etc. My son knows numbers but cant read, but is already trying to cheat and peek and avoid the moving backwards cards.

Thread: But if they are LADYbugs....why do they have boy names?

xofour — 2006-11-10T04:36:34+00:00

The Ladybug Game

Disclaimer: This is a game made by children (well child) for children. I am not a child, but I feel qualified to review this game because according to my wife, I am very immature. We will see how it goes.

Contents:

The game has a whole bunch of stuff. It’s got Cards, and a board, and aphid chips, and ladybugs and ladybug stands, and more cards, and rules, and a story. Okay maybe not a WHOLE bunch of stuff. But at least half a bunch of stuff. Let’s take a look at some of it. Why not, we have time let’s take a look at all of it.

The cards: Basically how you play the game. They come in two types, movement, and acquisition. Both cards have large bold type and numbers for easy reading. They also contain pictograms for those who have difficulty reading. They are designed to be fairly simple to understand at many levels, although it would help to have at least one person who knows how to read playing.

The board: a 34 space track (with a 7 space loop) with a brightly colored background of flowers and sky and insects. It is bright, and pretty to look at. The track spaces are yellow, with white spaces which provide playing instructions. (as with the cards instruction spaces have both large type, and pictograms)

Aphid Chips: Little white round disks. (1 inch diameter (Just like honeycomb cereal)) These are the smallest component in the game. They are made of very thick cardstock. (approximately the same thickness as a cereal box.) They have a picture of a cartoon aphid, and a copyright stamp. They look good enough to eat. (Which may be a temptation to younger players.)

Ladybug and stand: There are 4 characters: Olivia Orange, Ricky Red, Tommy Teal, and Ella Yellow. I am told by my non-colorblind child that the ladybugs match the color they are named after. The icons are made of the same material as the Aphid chips, but much larger. They have clear rectangular plastic stands to hold them upright. They are cheerful and colorful and each ladybug has a different expression on it’s face to give it character.

More Cards: These are the Praying Mantis Passes. They exist only to keep the mantis from sending you back to the start. They have a picture of the praying mantis on one side telling you it is a praying mantis pass. The opposite side has in big red type the words “BUG OFF MANTIS!” (which is very fun to shout when you are playing.) They are the same size and material as the playing cards

The rules are printed on a cardboard insert. They are very thorough, detailed, and a little bit boring. They explain the game well, but I think it would be easier to have a somebody read the rules, and explain the few important parts than to force a child to read them before playing.

Lastly there is a story explaining the game. It is a tale about the ladybugs adventure, which the game board represents. It is printed on two sides of a sheet the size of the rules, and to be honest, I have not managed to read all the way through the story yet. There are plenty of opportunities to do voices, and I am sure the story will catch the attention of youngsters, but I have not had the opportunity to test that.

Playing:
The game is very simple to Candyland. You draw a card and follow the instructions. It is not based on color though. There is only 1 shortcut, and two major obstacles. The first is square 9 (which is where the Mantis is). If you land there without a mantis pass you get sent back to the start. Fortunately the short cut is between start and the Mantis. And there are 2 opportunities to get a Mantis passed. (As previously mentioned, it is a lot of fun to shout “BUG OFF MANTIS!” when you land there with a pass.) The other obstacle is the Ants. On the 26th space you are required to stop and give the ants 10 aphids. If you do not have 10 aphid chips you follow the 7 space loop “ant alley” until you acquire 10 aphids. (there are 3 opportunities to get aphids in ant alley, but it is possible to repeatedly miss them, and that can get very tedious.) If you wind up getting sent back passed the ants you must get another 10 aphids before you can go past them again. (I guess ants, like politicians don’t stay bought.)

Overview: Plusses and Minuses

Minuses: First off, it is definitely targeted to it’s age group. Unless you convert it to a drinking game, or have a very silly personality, this game will not hold much interest to the over 7 or 8 crowd. Secondly, some of the pieces are a little small for the age group it targets. 3 & up. Mostly the aphid chips, which I can easily see winding up in a 3 year old mouth. On the other hand, I can’t picture many 3 year olds playing this game by themselves, so there will probably be somebody responsible enough playing (or overseeing) to keep this from happening. The last minus is the ant space. While having the obstacle is nice, I can see children rapidly loosing interest the 4th or 5th time around the same seven space loop.

Pluses: First it is very bright and colorful. Secondly it is very easy to learn, teach, and play. It is the kind of game that elder siblings can teach younger siblings and then play with them. (on the occasions when the siblings are getting along.) One of the biggest plusses of this kind of game is watching the very young have fun with it. As they move and play, and occasionally win. An extra advantage is it can be used as a teaching tool. The combination of numbers and pictures on the cards can be used to help the very young grasp the concept of counting, which will come in handy throughout their lives and gaming careers.