Agawan Base, "capturing base" in English, is a popular Filipino street game among children, but can be played by people of all ages. The game is played with a minimum of 6 players split into two teams. To win, a player has to "capture" the base of their opponent by touching it.
You can easily replicate and customize the Agawan Base board game to your liking by simply copying the basic 19 by 5 lines layout on a piece of paper or by printing it. Let your imagination run free! Don't like the color scheme? Change it! Don't like how round and flat the pieces are? 3D print your own custom play pieces! Want to just print-and-play? Just click here for a printable PDF copy of the board.
Minimum recommended board size: A4
Maximum piece size if using A4: 25mm diameter or smaller (ex. Philippine 5 peso coin)
Each side has 6 pieces: 5 pawns and 1 base. The pieces are arranged symmetrically as shown in the image. The board is made up of 19 horizontal lines intersecting 5 vertical lines.
At the start of their turn, the player rolls a six-sided die and the result determines the maximum number of moves that can be made. Only a single pawn can move per turn.
Pawns can move horizontally, vertically, or a combination of both, depending on the number of moves they have.
The objective is for a player to move their pawn and land it on their opponent’s base.
Captures can only be made when an opponent’s pawn enters your territory or lands on the border.
To initiate a capture, the defending player must land a pawn on the intruding pawn. Both players will roll their die and there will be three possible outcomes:
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If both players roll a tie, they must roll again.
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If the result of the defending player’s die is higher than the intruder’s, the intruder’s pawn is captured, taken out of play, and the defender’s pawn takes its place.
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If the result of the defending player’s die is lower than the intruder’s, the intruder evades capture and moves backwards one space towards the direction of their territory while the defender’s pawn takes its original place.
A captured pawn can be brought back to play when the player captures an enemy pawn. The returned pawn is then placed anywhere along the starting line.
