BaoTz

BaoTz is an Android game to play bao game of mancala family.

Bao (meaning board from Swahili) is the strategy board game played by two people. It is famous in East Africa countries (especially in coastal regions of Tanzania) and other nearby countries, and it is currently being played in many places around the world. This free simple game app will help you to practise and learn more about this game.

Bao game types:

This game app has three kinds for bao: Bao kubwa or bao kuu (also called Bao la Kiswahili), bao dogo and bao toto. Bao kubwa is the most famous type and more advanced in its strategic status. Bao dogo is just bao kubwa type with omitted "namua" phase.

To win these two types is to clear all holes in opponent front row or to leave your opponent with no valid play.

You can read on Wikipedia, it has full article about Bao kubwa and bao dogo. Just search for "Bao (game)" on Google.

Bao toto in other hand is the straight version as it has minimal restrictions. Therefore there is no house rule. Also reverse (edge) holes have no special functionalities. You win bao toto if front row of your opponent has no hole with 2 or more seeds. In this case, the front row is said to be unstable or unhealthy.

Example, you lose if your front row looks like this:

(1) (0) (1) (1) (1) (0) (0) (0)

To start sowing, you only allowed to take all seeds from hole with two or more seeds (no matter from front row or back row, you can choose whatever) then you sow starting from any adjacent hole to establish sowing direction.

When you land in hole with seed(s) you can capture seeds from opponent facing hole if it has seed(s) and then you continue sowing the next hole by preserving the current direction. If you land in empty hole, then your turn is over. NB: On Android TV you can also use remote control to play this game.

You can read more help within app.