Steeplechase (1899)

About this game

A simple roll and move horse race game simulating a steeplechase. The four horses race around the board jumping water and hedges as they sprint for the finish line. One of the first illustrated race game after The Game of Goose, and The Game of Human Life (c1790). Perhaps the first Sport Race game, and probably of French origin. Several Parisian copies of the boards have been uploaded on the collector Alain Koli's blog, Collection de jeux anciens : Georges Tempier c1850, Nicolas Rousseau c1850, Alexandre Gautier c1851, Bernard Coudert c1860, Hippolyte Narçon c1860/73, Charles Watilliaux c1885. The game has been patented by Georges Tempier in 1851. R. C. Bell in his Games to play (1988) gives the board and the rules of a parisian version by Narçon (1820-1889) for English speaking people, with a lithography by H. Jannin.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 4.
• Rules load. At 1.0/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 8 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.