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| Parker Brothers 1965 edition |
Game: Booby Trap
Designer: Frank W. Sinden
Publisher: Parker Brothers
Year: 1965
Price Paid: $2
Playing Time: 20 minutes
Recommended Ages: 12 and up
Synopsis: Booby-Trap is a dexterity game for 1 to 6 players in which you attempt to remove pieces from a board that are held together by a wooden bar attached to a spring without causing the bar to move.
Components: Spring board, rulebook, assorted game pieces
At least 20* of each piece:
Large, red discs
Medium, blue discs
Small, yellow discs
* In early printings of the game, there were a random amount of pieces included in each game, but usually a minimum of 20 per piece.
Thrifting Notes: Be sure to check that the spring still retains its tension. If the board has been stored with the spring compressed for a long period of time, the spring can lose its strength and not provide the appropriate tension. Also, don’t worry if the amount of pieces don’t match. As long as there are roughly 60-70 pieces, it is most likely what was shipped with the game.
Gameplay: The game is set up by randomly placing all the game pieces on one side of the board, with the spring-loaded wooden plank holding them firmly against the walls of the board. Each player in turn will attempt to remove a piece from the board without causing the wooden bar to move. Points are scored depending on the size of the piece successfully removed, and points are subtracted if the bar moves more than half an inch. Ruler markings on the side of the board are used to determine how far the bar has moved.
On a player’s turn they are allowed to touch exactly one piece, and must either remove the piece or pass on their turn. If all players pass two times consecutively, the next player is required to remove a piece. Turns continue in a clockwise manner until there are as many pieces left on the board as players in the game.
When a player is successful in removing a piece without the bar moving more than half an inch, they keep the piece in their score pile. If a player attempts and fails to remove a piece (the bar moves half an inch or more), they are penalized the value of the piece they were attempting to remove. Both the piece they removed and an equivalent amount of pieces from their scoring pile are removed from the game. The values of the pieces are as follows:
Large, red pieces: 3 points
Medium, blue pieces: 2 points
Small, yellow pieces: 1 point
If a player does not have enough pieces in their score pile to pay a penalty, they incur debt, which must be paid as soon as they have enough value in their score pile to repay it.
Review: Booby-Trap is a fast, simple dexterity game. Fans of similar games, such as Jenga, will enjoy this one. The larger reward for more difficult pieces and the leeway of that half inch of movement makes the game more interesting and fun for older players and is a rare one that really can be played with the maximum amount of players and still be enjoyable, as the turns are quite fast. The solitaire rules, on the other hand, are pretty lackluster (successfully clear the board without tripping the spring bar more than three times).
The game plays fast, usually under thirty minutes, and can be taught in about two. It is a decent family game that all ages can enjoy together. The manufacturer recommends ages 12 and up, but younger children can easily play this game.
Rating: 6/10
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