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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Create Your Own Hijara Game


What's your family's favorite game? 
Do you play any homemade, original or unique games?




Here's a fun game you can make. My family has played it countless times since I've made it and that's saying something since it hasn't even been a week yet. If you're the type who gives homemade gifts this game would be great. It's definitely for older children. On the box if you see it in the store, it's recommended for ages 10 and up.




There's a few options to making the game board:

You can use thin cardboard see here and here.

You can also use a checkerboard. and just draw the borders and write the numbers in. My little brother gets credit for that idea.
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Or you can make it the way I did. For that you'll need:
1 template of board or make your own. Mine (below) is pretty stark, but I think it's less distracting when playing the game. You can make it as colorful as you like though.
Sharpie
Scrap Paper
Packing Tape
Decorative Vase Fillers-2 bags in different colors. You will need 32 pieces of each color.
Optional: Drawstring Bags or Ziploc Bags, Box to Store it the pieces.
 



Right Click and Choose Open-Link in a New Tab on your desired game board (with lines connecting the boxes or without lines) to open in a new tab and print it. You will need to print 2 copies.

First one has lines connecting the boxes, the second one doesn't. You will need to add lines to connect the middle boxes if you print the first one.

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Skip this if you're just going to use one of my templates:

To make your own template:
If you want you can make your own template-using Word or a similar program on your computer. You make 8 squares using the square tool of equal sizes.  4 on the top and 4 on the bottom.

Then create a text box for the score, type in increments of 5. So it should read 5, 10, 15 all the way up to 65. Make sure your text isn't crowding and it's a size you like.

Add lines to the boxes, so each box is split into 4. You can also add connecting lines if you'd like. See this image for a sample Hijara board.

Save your template.

Print 2 copies.

Continue Here:

Write in the numbers 1-4 in each box using a sharpie-see below. Remember to place paper underneath so the sharpie bleeds through onto that. I used a plain black sharpie. You may also want to use a stencil to get a crisper more professional look. You can see that I just wrote it in though.

Now if you have a paper cutter this is a good time to use it, if not scissors will do just fine. You want to trim one of the printouts of some of the white space on the side opposite the numbers. This will be the middle of your board.

Overlap both printouts so the papers are symmetrical and the scores are on opposite sides. Tape together using Packing Tape on both sides. I wanted to make my game board fold, so I folded it at this point trying to line up the edges the best that I could.

Cover both sides of the game board with packing tape using long strips. If there's extra you want to fold it to the back of the game board. Do this slowly, so that the tape doesn't bunch, or crease. Cover the back of the game board. The tape also makes the game board more sturdy.
game board ready to play
If you're cynical like some other people I know in real life
and want to tell me there's a box holding it down in the corner.
That box is not necessary to hold the board down.
We actually played all of the games without anything holding it down.

Now you can apportion 32 stones for game play +1 for keeping score totaling 3 stones per person.

The game rules are here. Also since you are not playing on the computer, it would be a good idea to add in that any point not accounted for are forfeited. We play that the person has until the next person puts down their piece to claim their points. If someone gets more than 65 points, they just start their marble at the 5 again. Of course they don't lose their points they are just added to the points they originally had. so if someone has 65 points and gains 15. They would just move their marble to the 15 point marker and have 80 points. Although the rules use blue and yellow pieces you can play with any 2 colors you choose and even pick who goes first.

The following are samples of how it might look during game play, but there was no actual game happening at the times of these pictures.
Sample of how it might look during game play

Whoa! Someone got a bit distracted
and let someone get 20 points. See the marble on the 20 point mark.

We are currently using a gift box like the one you put baby clothes in for gift-giving. I don't know how sturdy it is, or how long it will last. It doesn't seem to sturdy, but it's working for us right now. Don't forget to decorate it so everyone knows what game is inside. I recommend decorating the box while flat.



I lost the first few games whether against real life opponents or the computer. So I'm pretty proud of this.





in the box.


Play Instructions Can Be Found here and here. The first link has diagrams which can be helpful to see how you can score points. We have also added on that you cannot claim points later in the game. Points need to be claimed before the next person makes their move.

Have Fun!

Update: I received the following email from Martin, the creator of the game, I linked his site. Who knew he had another game.:

Hello,

As designer and owner of all rights to the game Hijara, I was interested to see your Create Your Own Hijara Game.

The site you linked it to is owned by a Russian who knocked off my Hijara and Rhumb Line games.

For the genuine Hijara, see : http://www.gamesaboveboard.n.nu/hijara

Martin 




What's your family's favorite game?

Do you play any homemade, original or unique games?




72 comments:

  1. What a great game! Thanks for sharing how to create my own game. I can't wait to play it.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy this game and have as much fun playing as my family does.

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  2. I love family game and this one seems so much fun! I have to try it making it right now! thanks!

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    1. Thanks for stooping by. It's a great game and I really hope you have as much fun with it as my family does. I would love to see how yours comes out.

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  3. I've never heard of this game. I'll have to look up the rules so I can figure out how to play it. Looks like fun.

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    1. It's a lot of fun. I thought I included a link to the rules in my post, but I don't see it now. So I guess it got deleted. Thanks for pointing it out to me. I will update as soon as I get a chance.http://www.sapphiregames.com/online/hijara.php and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijara. Thanks for stopping by.

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  4. I love homemade games! Such a great idea, and perfect for rainy days. Thank you for sharing! I cant wait to teach my girls how to play.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I hope your girls enjoy this game as much as my family does.

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  5. I've never heard of this game. I looks fun. Thanks for sharing. I'll have to give it a try.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoy the game as much as my family does.

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  6. I've never heard of this game, but I have younger kids. I'll file away until they're older!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. It's definitely one of the lesser known games as I only played it and found out about it recently. We were getting bored of all the classic games more common games and needed a change of pace. This hit the spot. So it's definitely a great game to file away until your kids are older.

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  7. We love games here! The most recent game we taught our kids is Sequence. I have a board my grandfather made years ago by hand. So much fun!

    They also love chess and are teaching it to younger siblings as fast as they are ready. (I have eight children).

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I have 5 siblings. The greatest thing about having so many children is that there's almost always somebody to play with. I hope you guys enjoy this game.

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  8. That's an interesting game. What's the gist of it? (I would rather hear from you than leave your site.) We have made up a few games in our family too.They seem to be so much more fun!

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    1. You need to get 4 in a row or 4 in a box. Each type of sequence that qualifies as 4 in a row is worth a different amount of points. You can either have all of your stones in 1 box (1, 2, 3, 4 in one box) which is worth 20 points, or in a row horizontally, vertically or on a diagonal. This can be all the same number such as 1-1-1-1 or 1-2-3-4. All the same number are worth 10 points and the 1-2-3-4 is worth 15 points. If you ever played Rummikub you can think of it as a lay and a run. The catch is that you can't place a stone in a higher number before the lower numbers are filled in each box. So you can't place a stone on a 3 in a box if there is no stone on the 2. Each player only places one stone per turn. Players end up needing to play both the offense and defense at the same time. Hope this helps and thanks for stopping by.

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  9. I have never heard of this game! Thanks for the tutorial.

    My husband and I play a lot of Rummikub, though!

    -Rebecca @ Love at First Book

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. Rummikub is also a big favorite around here. I think it's the game we played most often.

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  10. Interesting. I haven't hear of this one before! Looks like something my boys would love.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. It's definitely not one of the more well-known games like monopoly, rummikub, clue, etc. The boys in my family loved it. Even though it's a 2 player game it's fun to watch as long as you keep quiet because people withh aren't playing will definitely see moves that the players will miss. Hope your boys love this game as much as the boys in my family do.

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  11. This game is new to me, too. I love the idea of making my own game boards!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I actually saw this game in a store and I passed it up because I thought it looked boring and too hard to understand how to play. I got inspired to make it after playing it at a friends's house. If your imaginative you can even make up your own games to go on the game boards.

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  12. This game is new to me as well. It sure does look like a lot of fun! And I think making it will be half the fun! Thanks for sharing all the details!

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  13. If you're in a game rut like we were, this game is a nice change of pace. My family had more fun with it, than I even expected. It is a strategy game and you need to think. They like games like that. Making it is fun, especially as you can get pretty wild or decorative with it if you'd like or keep it simple. As long as you have the template and the stones, it's pretty open-ended on how you make it. Thanks for stopping by.

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  14. I've never played this game! But we've been wanting to get more board games for family game nights. This is perfect!

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  15. I only learned about this game a few months ago and I had fun playing it and watching others play. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as my family did. Thanks for stopping by.

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  16. I have never heard of this game but it looks interesting!

    Stopping by from the Blogelina Commentathon!

    ~ Dara

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    1. I also only learned about it a few months ago. Thanks for stopping by.

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  17. I've never heard of this game before - will certainly have to try it out! We don't really play any cool table games, the only game I can think of is UNO - quite a silly card game but it keeps us entertained in the beach. :-)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. My family used to play UNO a lot too.

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  18. That looks like a fun game. We haven't played as many board games lately but we were on a chess tournament kick a while back (it is a bit humbling to lose to an 8 year old!).

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. My family had more fun with it, than thought they were going to. I hear you about losing to an 8 year old though, although you should be proud that you have such a bright kid.

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  19. I've never played/heard of this game. Looks interesting. I wonder if my husband would love playing it. Thanks for the great post
    -Stacey
    Gluedtomycrafts.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you and your husband enjoy playing it.

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  20. My son and I still play those old fashioned board games, we love them! We also made several homemade versions of different games. Its a great way to spend time with family and have some fun.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. Old-fashioned? I would call them classic: ). I would love to know what other homemade games you made.

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  21. I've never heard of the game before, but it looks like it could be a lot of fun. Thanks for the tutorial!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. We had lots of fun with it, more than I expected from something so simple.

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  22. Never heard of this game. My kids will love making it with me. Thanks for the instructions!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did.

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  23. it is different... :D

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. Different and unique for when you're tired of all the classics.

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  24. What a neat game! Great idea using a gift box!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. My mom gets credit for the gift box idea. It's only a temporary storage, we had it like that for about a month and have since transferred it to a more sturdy box. Another idea would be to keep it in a shoe box.

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  25. Too bad I just sold all of the glass gem/stones we had from our wedding :(

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    1. Oh well! I actually got them for about $1 at Michael's. Thanks for stopping by.

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  26. neat! I've never seen this game before... it looks fun though! pinning! Stopping by from the comment-a-thon.... Emily

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and for pinning! We definitely had a lot of fun with it.

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  27. This is pretty cool! I would have never thought of making a game board.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! When you realize you can make your own game boards it opens up new worlds of what you can do.

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  28. Scrabble seems to be our favorite. Played while we were dating and still do today. My hubby still says ES is NOT a word. Love your game and will have to look into that further. Great post

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. We play scrabble here pretty often too. Hmm about ES, according to the Hasbro Scrabble dictionary ES is a word.

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  29. Love this idea for a gift! I remember making a similar game at a summer camp once - tons of fun. Thanks for the instructions!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. It's fun to make and fun to play. I hope recipients enjoy it as much as my family did.

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  30. I have never heard of this game before but we are big gamers here. I will have to try it. Thanks.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have as much fun with it as my family did.

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  31. This is great! I am all about DIY and I am sure my family would enjoy this one! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. DIY gives you great satisfaction knowing that you created it every time you use it.

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  32. My oldest (10) is constantly making up his own games. He creates game boards, pieces, and rules. I'll look into this game as it looks pretty easy to make and fun to play.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I think it's great that your 10 year old makes up his own games. I actually used to try and make my own games up, but I guess I wasn't that imaginative because they never came to fruition when I realized my concepts were basically games/concepts that already existed in other games. Maybe one day though. I'd be interested in hearing about the games your son made up, if you'd like to share.

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  33. I have never heard of this game but it sounds like fun! My family and I are always looking for new games to play with each other.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. That's how I found about this game, my family was in a game rut, I hope you guys enjoy this one.

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  34. I've never heard of this game before, but how cool that you thought to make your own game board! I have a few games I made up as a teacher, but until my kids can read, we can't play them.

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    1. Thanks and thanks for stopping by. I'm really interested in the games you made up as a teacher.

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  35. Hum interesting. Never heard of this game but looks fun. I am a big fan of board games though. Favorite: Pictionary :-)

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  36. Never played it, but we love games! We have game nights all the time. I'll have to try this one!

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  37. Oo never played this one, but we have game nights all the time so I'll have to try it out!

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  38. This looks really cool. Love that you made it. I haven't made my own games in a long time.

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  39. I don't play games nearly enough. This one looks really interesting and would be fun to get the whole family involved in making it too!

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  40. I haven't heard of this game before, it looks really fun! Thanks for including the link to the rules!

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  41. As designer and owner of all rights to the game Hijara, I was interested to see your 'Create Your Own Hijara Game'.

    For the genuine Hijara, see : http://www.gamesaboveboard.n.nu/hijara

    ReplyDelete

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