Overview

Billabong is a strategy racing game where each player controls a team of five kangaroos racing clockwise around a lake (the billabong) in the center of the board. Kangaroos can walk one space or make chain jumps over other kangaroos (of any color). The first player to get all five kangaroos across the finish line wins.

Components

• 1 game board (16x14 grid with a central lake/billabong and a stream marking the start/finish line)
• 5 red kangaroo pieces
• 5 green kangaroo pieces
• 1 black referee kangaroo

Setup

1. Players take turns placing one kangaroo at a time on any vacant square on the board until all 10 kangaroos have been placed.
2. Kangaroos do not need to start on the starting line – strategic placement further back may allow for longer jump chains.
3. Red moves first.

Turn Structure

On your turn, choose one kangaroo and either walk or jump.

Actions

Walking

• Move the chosen kangaroo one square in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) to a vacant square.
• The turn ends after walking one square.

Jumping

• Instead of walking, the chosen kangaroo may jump over one or more pivot kangaroos (of any color).
• A pivot kangaroo must lie on the same row, column, or diagonal as the jumping kangaroo.
• The jumping kangaroo lands an equal distance on the other side of the pivot, on the same line.
• Multiple jumps may be chained in a single turn.

Jumping restrictions:

1. Only one pivot kangaroo per individual jump.
2. The kangaroo must not land on top of another kangaroo.
3. The kangaroo must not jump off the board.
4. The kangaroo must not jump across any part of the billabong. (However, diagonals that join at the corners of the billabong are legal.)

Using the Referee Kangaroo

• When beginning a jump sequence, place the black referee kangaroo on the starting square to mark the original position.
• If the player loses track of jumps, they can restart from the referee’s position.
• The referee kangaroo can be used as a pivot for jumps during the same turn.
• Once a jump sequence begins, the player cannot switch to a different kangaroo.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Each kangaroo must cross the start line, travel clockwise around the billabong, and cross the finish line.
• When a kangaroo completes the course, it is placed in the billabong (“to cool off”) and plays no further part.
• The first player to get all 5 kangaroos into the billabong wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Kangaroos of either color may be used as pivot kangaroos for jumps.
• The referee kangaroo (black) may be jumped as a pivot, which means at least one jump in a chain may go “backward” to set up further jumps.
• It is critical to keep all kangaroos “in touch” – a lone kangaroo far behind will have no pivots to jump and must walk.
• Blocking tactics: Positioning kangaroos to prevent an opponent from making productive jumps is a key strategy.
• Starting placement is strategic: placing kangaroos further from the start line may allow longer jump chains early in the game.

Player Reference

Movement Type	Description
Walk	Move 1 square in any direction (8 possible directions) to a vacant square
Jump	Leap over a pivot kangaroo to an equal distance on the other side (must be same line, must land on vacant square)
Chain jump	Multiple jumps in one turn (optional; may stop at any point)

Key Rules	Detail
Board size	16 x 14 squares
Kangaroos per player	5
Win condition	All 5 kangaroos across finish line
Direction	Clockwise around the billabong
First move	Red