Overview

Gute Freunde (Good Friends) is a children’s board game that won the Kinderspiel des Jahres (Children’s Game of the Year) in 1989. Players control wooden frogs that jump between decorative lily pad tiles arranged in a circle. When two or more frogs land on the same lily pad, the players hold hands, say “Gute Freunde!” (Good Friends!), and each draw a coin from a bag. The player who collects the most valuable coins wins.

Components

• 12 decoratively painted wooden lily pad tiles
• 4 small wooden frog playing pieces
• Wooden coins (gold and silver) in a cloth bag
• 1 die
• Instructions

Setup

1. Arrange the 12 lily pad tiles in a circular course on the table.
2. Each player chooses a frog and places it on one of four adjacent lily pad tiles at the starting position.
3. Place all gold and silver coins in the cloth bag and mix them.
4. Set the die within reach of all players.

Turn Structure

On your turn:

1. Roll the die to determine the number of lily pads to jump.
2. Move your frog that many lily pads around the circular course.
3. Check for friends: If your frog lands on a lily pad occupied by one or more other frogs, all players on that lily pad hold hands, say “Gute Freunde!”, and each draw a coin from the bag.

Actions

Movement

• Frogs jump from lily pad to lily pad around the circular course.
• The number of lily pads jumped equals the die roll.
• Movement is always in one direction around the circle.

Making Friends

• When two or more frogs share the same lily pad, the “Gute Freunde” event triggers.
• All players whose frogs are on the same lily pad hold hands and say “Gute Freunde!” together.
• Each of those players draws one coin blindly from the cloth bag.

Coin Values

• Gold coins: Worth 3 points each.
• Silver coins: Worth 1 point each.
• Coins are drawn blindly from the bag, so there is a luck element in what you receive.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

When all coins have been drawn from the bag, the game ends. Each player totals the value of their collected coins:

• Gold coins = 3 points
• Silver coins = 1 point

The player with the highest total point value wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• No fixed board: The game uses 12 loose wooden tiles arranged in a circle rather than a fixed game board, allowing flexible setup.
• Social element: The mandatory hand-holding and verbal declaration makes this a strongly social game for young children, teaching cooperation and friendliness.
• Equal opportunity: Since multiple players on the same lily pad all draw coins, the game rewards clustering rather than spreading out.
• Blind drawing: Coins are drawn blindly from the bag, adding an element of chance to the reward.
• Age range: Designed for young children (age 4+), with simple rules and a cooperative/friendly theme.
• Award winner: Won the prestigious Kinderspiel des Jahres in 1989.

Player Reference

Coin values: Gold = 3 points, Silver = 1 point

Gute Freunde trigger: 2+ frogs on the same lily pad

Turn: Roll die > Move frog > Draw coins if sharing a lily pad

Win condition: Most total coin points when bag is empty

Course: 12 lily pad tiles in a circle