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Nam-Nam Rules
A traditional Ghanaian variant of Oware played by childrenNam-nam: A Twi word (language spoken amongst the Akans of Ghana) meaning, "to roam" which is descriptive of the nature of play in this version of the game. This version of Oware is also played all along the West African Coast and the Caribbean. It also has many names: Jerin-Jerin (Yoruba-Nigeria), Round & Round (Antigua) etc.
Four seeds are placed in each house on a board that is made up of two rows of six houses making twelve in total. Each row of six houses is the territory of the player sitting nearest to them. With two end houses used as stores for captured seeds.
The object of the game is to capture all the opponents, territory. This Ultimate aim is usually achieved after at least several rounds.
Each player takes it in turns to start. The player must then choose a house from their own territory, from which all the seeds are scooped.
The seeds are then sown in an anticlockwise direction placing one seed in each house as one travel, around the board. If the last seed drops in a house with seeds in it, all the seeds are scooped up and then sown until ones last seed lands in a house, which is empty. If at any point in the game one player does not have any seeds, the other player must sow seeds from a house that would provide the opponent with seeds to continue playing the game. If this is not possible then the game comes to an end, with the remaining seeds going the player who has the seeds on their territory.
Seeds are captured when the sowing of seeds by either player creates four seeds on ones territory. One can only capture seeds on ones own territory, except when four seeds are made with ones last seed on the opponent's territory. Once the seeds are captured they are placed in ones store or in front of one, in the case of portable boards which do not have stores.
When there are eight seeds left in play, since it is impossible to play for the last four seeds. The player who captures the penultimate set of four seeds, also gains the last set of four on the board, this then ends the round. The winner of the first round is the one who has captured the most seeds.
Upon completion of the first round each player places the seeds they have won back in the houses on their territory four seeds in each house. If each is able to fill the same number of houses then it is a draw. However if one player is able to fill more houses than that which they started with then those houses filled, on the opponents side now become part of their territory in the next round. The winner of each round is the one with the most territory. This capturing of territory can go on for quite a while as lost territory can always be reclaimed in subsequent rounds.
The game ends when one persons territory is completely captured, all six houses.