Live
Game of the Goose
A game board on the grass or in the hall, teams as pawns and a challenge on every square. We lay out the board, write the challenges and run the game.
How to play life-size Game of the Goose
Life-size Game of the Goose is the well-known board game at full scale. The squares are laid out on grass, on a square or on a sports hall floor, and the teams are the pawns. A team throws a big dice, walks that number of squares and gets a challenge on the square where it lands. The first team to reach the finish wins.
Everyone already knows the rules from childhood, and that's why it gets going so quickly. After one sentence of explanation, the first team throws. The excitement comes from the challenges and from the setbacks that suddenly send a team that's well ahead back again.
- Game board, dice and materials for all the challenges
- Challenges written for your group and age range
- On a field, a square or in a sports hall or function room
- One and a half to two hours, from about 15 people
Four kinds of squares
Challenge squares
Most of the board. A team that lands here gets a challenge: a question, a test of skill or something it has to build or act out together. Success means staying put or moving a few squares forward.
The goose
Just like in the board game, landing on a goose lets you move your throw again. That creates the moments when a team that's behind is suddenly three squares from the lead.
The well and the prison
Here you're stuck until another team comes to free you, or until you complete an extra challenge. This causes the most discussion, and also the most help between teams.
Duel squares
Two teams on the same square play a short duel for the spot. That keeps the board moving and stops the leaders from quietly pulling away.
A game where nobody is left out
For companies, life-size Game of the Goose is a relaxed alternative to sporty team building. There's walking and laughing, but nobody has to run hard. That works well for departments with big age differences or colleagues who quickly feel left out when there's a competitive element. The challenges can be about your own company, which immediately turns it into a game about each other's work.
On family days, children and parents play in the same team. Children throw the dice and do the hands-on challenges, parents answer the trickier questions. For schools and clubs, it suits sports days, anniversaries and end-of-season events, because a whole class or youth section can take part at once.
If you're looking for inspiration for the squares, read our challenges for life-size Game of the Goose. If you don't want to work it out yourself, we'll write the challenges for your group.
What is needed
A flat lawn, a square or a sports hall is enough. The board needs a shape in which all the teams can see each other, because half the fun is seeing who has just fallen into the well. On a field, we lay out the board as a winding trail; in a hall, usually along the walls.
Because life-size Game of the Goose can also be played indoors, bad weather is rarely a problem. If the venue has a hall or canteen, we agree beforehand that we'll move inside if it rains. Setting up takes about forty-five minutes and is done before the group arrives.
We play across the Netherlands, from Enschede. The price depends on the number of participants, the playing time and the location. You'll get it after a short enquiry, within 1 working day.
Frequently asked questions
How big is a life-size Game of the Goose?
That depends on the location. On a lawn or school playground, we space the squares well apart so teams really walk from square to square. In a sports hall or function room, we make the board more compact. We match the number of squares to the playing time, so for an afternoon we often use fewer squares than the classic board of 63.
How long does a game of life-size Game of the Goose take?
Allow one and a half to two hours, including the explanation. It can be shorter if it's part of a longer day; then we make the board smaller. We advise against longer, because after a few hours of dice and challenges attention drops, even among keen players.
What challenges are in life-size Game of the Goose?
A mix of questions, hands-on challenges and small contests against another team, alternating with the familiar setbacks such as the well and the prison. We adapt the challenges to the group: different questions for a department than for a group of eight-year-olds. You'll find examples in our blog about challenges.
What age is life-size Game of the Goose suitable for?
Anyone from about six can join in, and grandparents can stay in the game too. No fitness is needed, and anyone who doesn't want to run can throw the dice or answer the questions. That's why it suits families and schools so well.
Tell us about your plan
Interested in life-size Game of the Goose? Fill in the short form and we'll send you a price estimate within 1 working day.
Life-size Game of the Goose on your field or in your hall
Tell us the date, the number of people and the location, and we'll send you a proposal.