Pick Up Sticks (1850)

About this game

Long, thin sticks are scattered on the table in a heap. The black one is used as a tool to pick up the others. The player picks up sticks one at a time, until he causes any other stick to move besides the one he is attempting to pick up. Score points based on the color retrieved. The game is believed to have developed from the yarrow stalks used for divination with the Chinese I Ching. Published in Germany about 1850. This concept has been re-published in Germany, 2003, by HABA as Mikado, a game Ages 5 and up

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 6.
• 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 4 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.