Game: Maus nach Haus

Thread: Re: Of Mice and, uhm, Hippos?

pdclose — 2008-10-07T16:10:18+00:00

cvandyk wrote:
... but could you expand on how you would rate this, either for kids or adults?

Sure, I’ll give my 2 worth.

I was very skeptical of this game when it first came out. It came to my attention because a whole pile of my game group attended BGG Con and tried the Haba version there and loved it. They started looking for copies as soon as they got back, but it proved very difficult to track down. Then Gamewright announced the retheming, and everyone cheered and waited patiently for it to arrive.

I should mention that our game group loves Crokinole, and one member owns a gorgeous Hilinski brothers board. Unfortunately that board doesn’t make it out to game night often enough. The member lives a distance away and doesn’t want the board sitting in his car all day, experiencing temperature extremes or risk getting stolen, so if he doesn’t make it home before coming out to play the board doesn’t make an appearance. We completely agree with that decision, as well as realizing that those boards are huge and a pain to haul around from place to place. So, it would be really nice to find the fun of Crokinole in a smaller, portable package...

Jonathan Burd, one of our group members who is a huge dexterity game fan and an early booster of this game, managed to get an early copy of Hula Hippos and brought it to game night. (An aside: if you are a dexterity game fan then I highly recommend geekbuddying Jonathan!)

I sat down to play figuring this was going to be very limited fun, if at all. I based my skepticism on previously owning Elk Fest, a game I found to have very limited appeal and far too simple for skilled Crokinole players. The only time we had fun with this was when we purposefully sunk each others' moose, but then the game goes on forever.

Hula Hippos, however, has proved to be exactly what we were seeking: Crokinole for poor people! It is that much fun, and can require that much skill! There are obvious differences between Crokinole and Hula Hippos, of course, but their similarities strike the right notes. With Hula Hippos you are trying your best to both guess where and how a ring will land, as well as position your mice to be underneath. That usually means targeting opponent mice for removal from the area, just like robbing an opponent of that 15 score shot in Crokinole. The fact that the hippos are shaped closely to disks is gravy and another point in this game’s favor.

Hula Hippos is obviously more chaotic, but for a game night starter, while waiting for everyone to arrive, or a game night closer, it’s a definite hit! For that, plus it’s ability to scratch the Crokinole itch, I’d give it an 8 or a 9 for adults. Games are fast and they don't overstay their welcome.

If you’re expecting a game of strategy that you’ll play all night long, then you’re going to be disappointed. But as a lightly strategic dexterity opener, it’s definitely worth the money. I got my copy for under $10 at my local ToysRUs.

For the college-age drinking crowd, that likes to play "caps", I’d rate this a 10. Oh yeah, for the 20-something dexterity game fans, this is a must-own!

For the younger set, this game is fun. As long as your kids know not to put the pieces in their mouths, they can play this. Changing the shape to the roundish hippos has made this more accessible to younger children, imho. While an adult might still have to set the ring spinning (one move that does require some actual dexterity), flicking hippos can be done by anyone. There is no more reminding youngsters to line up the mice right side up and flick the body not the ears for proper travel. Hippos evens the playing field amongst the ages.

For the youngest set, I’d rate this a 6.5 only because working the ring can be a little too difficult for smallest children. Otherwise, for children old enough to work the components on their own, this is up there with Tier auf Tier for just plain fun combined with a bit of skill, and for them I’d rate it an 8 or a 9.

Some folks may get frustrated with flicking hippos off the table, and sending them flying into the room, but that’s the skill part of this game: learning not to flick too hard or too soft, just like in Crokinole. If you can’t stand this frustration, or just aren’t a fan of dexterity games, then this isn't the game for you. If you like dexterity games and want something that mimics the fun of Crokinole in a simple, cheap package, then this is perfect!

Wow, this turned out to be a lot more writing than I expected! What a blab I am when I get going... Can I get another 3 for this mini-review?

Thread: Re: Of Mice and, uhm, Hippos?

cvandyk — 2008-10-06T23:56:48+00:00

Excellent comparative review - very useful, and definitely a game that I aim to look into. I know that this is primarily a review of the components, but could you expand on how you would rate this, either for kids or adults?

Thread: Re: Of Mice and, uhm, Hippos?

Profesor Mora — 2008-10-06T22:31:15+00:00

Give me Haba mice over Gamewright hippos anytime!! Not only because are considerably cuter, but also because are strange shaped and trickier (well, they are mice)

Nice comparison!

Thread: Of Mice and, uhm, Hippos?

pdclose — 2008-10-06T20:02:36+00:00

A review of components and gameplay between the two versions.

Maus nach Haus (Mouse in the House), by Haba, is a great dexterity game for both kids and adults, in either of its printings. The American printing, known as Hula Hippos, by Gamewright, changed the mice to hippos and the house to a hula hoop, but the game plays exactly the same.

A wooden ring about five inches in diameter is spun in the middle of the table, and players attempt to flick each and every one of their six wooden disks so that they land underneath the ring when it finally stops spinning. Only those who land within or partially underneath the ring get to score points. The first person who reaches four points, which is a total of four disks trapped over time, wins.

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Image courtesy of Rick Redfern

Both games come in a box, but the Hula Hippos version is a tall, rectangular, extremely tight fitting affair that almost requires a crowbar to open. It’s a really tight fit! Once open, the box is nicely roomy and the insert holds everything well.

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The Maus nach Haus box is the typical short, square Haba box, similar to those found in the Kosmos 2-player game line. While shallower, its insert also holds the components nicely too.

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Image courtesy of SwedeLad

In fact, if you happen to own both games, as I do, there’s room in either box to store the complete contents of both games!

The rules for both games are well laid out and illustrated. Haba provides rules in several languages in the same rulebook, while Gamewright provides a fold-out sheet with English on one side and Spanish on the other.

The rings for both games are identical. I’m very happy to report that there was no loss of quality in what is perhaps the game’s most important component! My Haba ring is slightly darker, but the Gamewright ring appears to be made of the same material, and is the same shape and weight as well.

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The most interesting change to the game’s components is the change from mice to hippos. Both the shape and the finish changed, and it’s interesting to consider whether this affects game play or not.

Hippos are stamped in black ink, with an image on both sides, and finished with a light laquer. The shape of the hippos is much closer to the round flicking disks of Crokinole, than the bow shape of the original version’s mice.

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The mice, in contrast, are bow shaped and are lightly carved as well as finished in contrasting colors, giving them depth to their design that the hippos don’t possess. But they are finished on only one side. The other side is blank. Mice, however, are more heavily laquered than the hippo pieces.

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So how does this change of shape and finish affect game play? Well surprisingly, it doesn’t affect it as much as you might think it would! The hippos seem slightly more consistent than the mice, but I don’t think there’s enough of a difference to make one version more desirable over the other.

So hippos appear to flick more true, as you’d expect from something that’s closer to disk shaped, but the bow shape of the mice causes them to spin while traveling, mimicking that same disk shape almost perfectly. As well, both games' flicking pieces weigh exactly the same, which removes another potential area for flicking differences between the games. The vast majority of the time, mice and hippos both travel the same paths and the same distances.

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Haba components image, right, courtesy of toulouse.

The only caveats I have are these: the mice, with their ears and triangular bodies, can do some strange things if flicked from the wrong spot on their body. As well, you need to make sure your mice are right-side up when you flick them, otherwise there will be a significant drag from the carved indentations on their fronts. There are no such limitations with the stamped hippos.

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Haba box cover image, right, courtesy of toulouse.

I also asked some experienced players, who had also played both versions, for their opinions, hippos or mice: all responded that it ultimately makes no difference and that both games are way more fun than they deserve to be for such simple components. Both versions are highly recommended, for all ages!

Images are created by me, pdclose, unless otherwise noted above.

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pdclose — 2008-10-06T18:50:51+00:00

A comparison of the main components of both versions, side by side. Quality of the rings is identical. Hippos are circular but less laquered; mice are bow shapped but more laquered.

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pdclose — 2008-10-06T18:47:59+00:00

Mice and Hippo flicking pieces compared, front and backs. Hippos have images on both sides and evenly light laquer overall; mice have detailed fronts, and plain backs with more laquer.

Thread: Re: GREAT customer service from Gamewright!

peacmyer — 2008-10-02T16:57:27+00:00

Thanks! Our copy has that same problem, albeit to a lesser degree. I'll email Gamewright....

Thread: GREAT customer service from Gamewright!

pdclose — 2008-10-01T21:04:53+00:00

I bought this game recently at my local ToysRUs (the Hula Hippos version), after getting hooked on it in my gaming group. The ring inside my copy turned out to be oval, not round, and warped (didn't lie flat). It did spin, well, sortof... It mostly wobbled wildly -- could be seen as a feature, I suppose.

I wrote to Gamewright on the off chance that they might have an extra ring they could send me. I expected to be told that for that price (around $10 for the game) there wasn't any customer support, and I could return it to the store for a refund. Well WRONG!!! Gamewright responded right away that they'd be happy to send me a new ring and make my purchase right!

Imagine my surprise when a little over a week later an entire new game arrives in the mail! Yup, that's right, not just the ring but a whole, brand new, complete replacement game! Wow!!!

I am happy to report that the ring in the replacement is perfect, being both round and lies flat, and, best of all, spins wonderfully well!

Thank you Gamewright for such GREAT customer service!

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pdclose — 2008-09-29T21:23:44+00:00

Hippo, Mouse comparison.

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pdclose — 2008-09-21T16:56:36+00:00

Front of box.

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pdclose — 2008-09-21T00:48:56+00:00

Back of box.

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pdclose — 2008-09-21T00:41:18+00:00

The hippo flicking pieces.

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pdclose — 2008-09-21T00:40:40+00:00

Hippos 'n hulahoop!

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pdclose — 2008-09-21T00:39:56+00:00

Inside the box, Gamewright's rethemed hippos.

Thread: Re: Separate Entry?

Bobby4th — 2008-09-04T15:02:49+00:00

I would think not, since it appears to be exactly the same game with hippos instead of mice.

Thread: Separate Entry?

jammasterjake — 2008-09-04T14:18:03+00:00

Are there plans for a separate entry for Hula Hippos? I've got it waiting for me at home right now...

Thread: Re: To be reprinted by Gamewright as Hula Hippos

jammasterjake — 2008-08-28T20:07:05+00:00

I just picked this up at Thought Hammer.

Thread: Re: To be reprinted by Gamewright as Hula Hippos

peacmyer — 2008-08-23T20:15:32+00:00

Just picked up a copy at Toys R Us now that I knew its lineage. Played a fun game with my five-year-old. He said that he didn't like it because it was too short. A strategy gamer in the making....

Thread: Re: To be reprinted by Gamewright as Hula Hippos

peacmyer — 2008-08-19T21:47:55+00:00

Saw it on the shelves of Toys-R-Us last weekend! Now wish I'd picked it up!

Thread: Re: To be reprinted by Gamewright as Hula Hippos

Henry Rhombus — 2008-06-10T15:45:22+00:00

Gamewright is now saying it should be out in June.

Eric
Editor, http://www.BoardgameNews.com

Thread: Mouse flicking fun with a couple of non-gamers

PlanetSmasher — 2008-05-09T19:59:13+00:00

I’ve played this one with a wide range of opponents. It’s great as an excitable family game or as a chaotic, nonsensical filler. Last night I used it as a light opener with 2 non-gamers. Here’s the recap from our 2 games played in about 20 minutes.

I took my typical green, Pam quickly scooped out the pink mice, leaving Katie with the most difficult decision of the game…to play blue or yellow? Since it was her first time playing, I decided to give her a little advice to move the game along. I told her that yellow was the color of cheese, and mice really like cheese. She took the yellow pieces and I quickly went through the rules. We did a couple of practice rounds, and then went into game one as the smack talking began.

Katie got off to an early lead, getting 2 mice to my 1 in on the first spin. Several spins later, Katie got her third before Pam could get her first or I could get my second. Desperate to stay in it, I knew I had to change tactics. I went with the blind mouse technique, turning each of my pieces face down before the next round. They were immediately more effective at bumping the yellow pieces out of the way, but no better at reaching their elusive home than their sighted brethren. I gave them a bit of a pep talk, urging them to use the force. It took a couple of rounds, but it seemed to work as I scored a second, and then third time in back to back rounds. Pam was struggling through game one, but managed to send her first mouse home the round before I snuck in my last. Victory was mine in what will be known in this session report as one of the greatest come backs of that 5 minute span.

Game 2 was played much more aggressively, several turns saw mouse pieces fly from the table. Pam found her mouse flicking groove, but it wasn’t enough to stop Katie and I from quickly reaching the 3 mouse mark. After several turns of playing more defensively to keep the yellow mice out, I got a lucky chance to slide the only remaining mouse left to squeak in for the victory again. The final score was my 4, to Katie’s 3, with Pam happily scoring 2. Not wanting to embarrass my guest any longer, we moved on to another game.

As usual, it was well received for what it is…a quick and fun game that shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Thread: Re: To be reprinted by Gamewright as Hula Hippos

Thommy8 — 2008-04-08T01:59:56+00:00

Does anyone know if this is still on track for an April 2008 release? They have a preorder available at Funagain but no date listed, and there's no preorder or listing at Time Well Spent, Thought Hammer, Boards & Bits, or Fair Play Games. Looking forward to the re-release, but curious when it might be available...

Thread: Re: Great game for kids and adults

waddball — 2008-03-11T14:03:40+00:00

josephc4 wrote:
Do you score your mice which are in the ring after the ring settles down? or do you get a point for a mouse flying through the ring as its standing/spinning? or what?
You score after the ring stops. Mice in the circle or under the ring (propping it up) count.

Do you spin it wildly like a gyrscope? I did not see any pics of it spinning...but then they might be rejected as blurry by those easily offended geekmodders.
Pretty much like a spinning coin, only bigger. Faster you start it, longer it stays spinning (and farther it travels if the surface is even slightly off of level).

Do you get to launch your mice from a standing position? or laying down? Does it matter one way or the other?
Laying down. Standing would make them fall during the flick, so you'd lose some control. I guess you can do it that way, but the rules (and common sense) show them laying down.

HTH

Thread: Re: Great game for kids and adults

josephc4 — 2008-03-10T21:30:57+00:00

Hmmm...I am not understanding the mechanism exactly.

Do you score your mice which are in the ring after the ring settles down? or do you get a point for a mouse flying through the ring as its standing/spinning? or what?

Do you spin it wildly like a gyrscope? I did not see any pics of it spinning...but then they might be rejected as blurry by those easily offended geekmodders.

Do you get to launch your mice from a standing position? or laying down? Does it matter one way or the other?

Edit:Added fourth paragraph, added comment explaining edits.

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toulouse — 2008-03-08T17:44:56+00:00

Single captured mouse

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toulouse — 2008-03-07T22:13:28+00:00

Thread: Re: To be reprinted by Gamewright as Hula Hippos

Fledermaushaus — 2008-02-01T17:46:10+00:00

Gee, they think they can just change the theme of such a strongly-themed game as this and people won't notice! I mean whoever heard of flicking hippos?

(The original is excellent and hard to get so it's good to hear that someone has picked it up).

Thread: To be reprinted by Gamewright as Hula Hippos

autumnweave — 2008-01-31T19:07:55+00:00

Please see this link. Apparently Gamewright has licensed this and it is targeted for reprint in April 2008. I spoke with David Jones at Time Well Spent and he has a pre-order in for this.

Thread by Mark Christiansen:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/280361

Thread: Re: Of (wooden) mice and men

LankyEngineer — 2007-08-18T02:32:00+00:00

This kid's game is immensely popular with my group of twenty-something friends. The game is fast and tense.

Thread: Of (wooden) mice and men

NetSapiens — 2007-08-17T09:11:32+00:00

Normally I would post a few sessions before posting a review.
However, in the case of Maus Nach Haus, there's absolutely no depth beyond the first play, so there's no real point.
Now, this sounds like a very negative statement, but it is intended as a positive aspect.
Allow me to elaborate:

The game is simple: each player gets six little wooden mice (sidenote: if wooden people are meeples, what are wooden mice?). One player spins a wooden ring, approximately the diameter of a cd, and all players flick their mice, in an attempt to have one or more mice inside the ring, when it stops spinning. Each "Maus" that has made it into the "Haus" at the end of a round, is removed from game, and first player to get four mice into the ring wins.

So how does it actually play?

In this particular scenario, me (age 37) upended the box on the living room floor with my five year old son and eight year old daughter.
Rules were explained (and, more importantly, understood) almost faster than it took to decide on which color of mice and separating into player piles.

I spun the ring, and mice went flying. My son and daughter quickly took to flinging their mice as quickly as they could, then promptly started screaming at the mice, not unlike the screams grown men can perform while at the horse races. It was an overall riot. Enough so that my wife (Due to marital safeguards, age is withheld.... but she's older than me ) came into the living room because; "I just had to see what was so much fun". Two minutes later, the green mice were in play and we all had half an hour's worth of fun.

Fun factor is immense in this game. It plays really well, since there's enough chaos in there that kids can win due to sheer luck, but not so much so that you don't need skill. You still have to get the mouse close enough to the spinning ring, that it is capable of dropping on the mice. Adults will often resort to mean tactics like flicking mice too far, so the people on the other side have a harder time getting close to the ring, or waiting until the ring is settling, so they can make an accurate winning shot just in the nick of time.
The chaos/luck/dexterity balance is just right in this game.

Summary:
Great game with kids. Somehow it manages to allow adults to play it skill based while kids can play it luck based, and all will still have fun.

Final remark:
This game could actually be a fun drinking game. Just grab the ring, and use bottlecaps instead of mice, whoever gets a cap in the middle decides which other player gets to drink, and as the nioght progresses, more bottlecaps will come into play, while accuracy will go out the window.
Very college-like

Thread: Great game for kids and adults

waddball — 2006-05-15T16:25:42+00:00

Mouse in the House is a simple game, and yet it succeeds on several levels. The game comes with a nice wooden ring about five inches in diameter. Up to four can play, with each player using six small, flat wooden mice (painted on one side only). One player spins the ring on its edge, and then all players attempt to flick their mice into the anticipated center of the ring when it stops spinning. That's it: you spin the ring, flick your mice, and try to get each mouse into the "house" (so much for the theme). Each successful mouse is removed from the game as a point for its owner; you repeat the process until one player gets four points.

This is obviously very simple stuff, and little kids enjoy the chaotic madness that ensues as a bunch of mice are flicked around the table top, bouncing into each other, ricocheting improbably, barely missing the ring or being bounced into the ring at the last moment. Bigger kids see that the spinning ring's eventual settling point becomes clearer the longer you wait, but waiting too long means a cluttered table and the chance of only flicking a few of your mice before the round ends (mice, once flicked, cannot be flicked again that round, unless you use a variant rule for extra frenzy). The biggest kids of all (that would be me) see that aggressive removal of your opponents' most promising mice works pretty well (as they're replaced by yours upon collision), and that there's some self-balancing going on as your scored mice become unavailable.

None of which is meant to suggest that this is some kind of cerebral dexterity game, but rather to point out that behind the simplicity there are a few opportunities for tactics and choices apart from pure flicking skill. The flicking itself is somewhat difficult, not only due to the unpredictability of the ring's settling point, but also to your opponents' obstacles (intentional or not). The mice are oddly-shaped, too, which adds to the unpredictability.

A potentially important question in games like this is how enjoyable they are in "mixed" company (children and adults playing together). I think the stated age range (5 - 99) is pretty close to the money, though I think four or even three year olds could play this with some assistance. I've observed that in around ten games, probably half of which were mixed, the kids fared fairly well. None of the adults were hardened Crokinole players, so there was only a slight bias in their favor, as the kids tended to rush their flicks too soon, before the ring had given away its approximate final position. Even at that point it can take a funny bounce, though, so there's plenty of enjoyable uncertainty. Even more positively, the game captures that elusive sense that when you win it's because you set yourself up nicely, but when you lose it's due to a bad bounce here or there. Again, very nice in a family-friendly game.

I highly recommend the game. It's great for kids, fun for adults, creates an amusing spectacle for observers, and is very quick and easy to explain, set-up, play, and put away. Mouse in the House is a truly great family dexterity game.