Savannah Cafe

Overview

Savannah Cafe is a light strategy card game where each player manages three animals – a lion, a gazelle, and a hippopotamus – racing them along a track to be the first to reach the bar at the top of the board. Players use action cards to move their animals and interfere with opponents. Each animal has different characteristics: gazelles are fast but vulnerable, lions are moderately fast and can eat gazelles, and hippos are slow but invincible. The first player to get any one of their animals to the bar wins.

Components

• 1 Game board with a track leading to the bar
• Animal pawns (lion, gazelle, hippo for each player, in player colors)
• Action cards (various types for each animal)
• Card deck

Setup

Each player chooses a color and takes the three pawns (gazelle, lion, hippo) of that color. Place them on the starting spaces: gazelle farthest back, then lion, then hippo closest to the start. Shuffle the card deck and deal 3 cards to each player. Place the remaining deck face-down.

Turn Structure

On each turn, a player performs one of two options:

1. Option A – Keep the drawn card: Draw the top card from the deck. Before looking at it, decide to keep it for yourself and add it to your hand. Discard one card from your hand (maintaining hand size of 3).
2. Option B – Trade the drawn card: Draw the top card from the deck. Before looking at it, decide to trade it with one of an opponent’s cards. You receive one of the opponent’s cards (chosen blind) and the opponent receives the drawn card.

After resolving the draw, play one card from your hand to move an animal or perform an action.

Note: The back of each card indicates which animal type the card affects, so players know the category before deciding to keep or trade.

Actions

Animal Movement

• Gazelle cards: Move the gazelle a large number of spaces (fastest animal). However, gazelles are vulnerable to being eaten by lions.
• Lion cards: Move the lion a moderate number of spaces. Lions can eat opponent gazelles, sending them back to start.
• Hippo cards: Move the hippo 1 or 2 spaces only (slowest). Hippos cannot be sent back by any animal – they are invincible.

Animal Interactions

• Lion eats Gazelle: If a lion lands on or passes a gazelle’s space, the gazelle is sent back to start. This applies to all players’ gazelles.
• Hippo scares Lion: If a hippo lands on or passes a lion’s space, the lion is scared away and sent back a number of spaces. Hippos are immune to being sent back.
• Gazelle flees Hippo: Gazelles and hippos have no special interaction beyond normal movement.

Card Effects

Each animal type has two possible card effects:

• Move the animal forward a set number of spaces.
• Trigger a special interaction (eat, scare, etc.).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The first player to move any one of their three animals to the bar at the top of the board wins immediately.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Card Backs: Card backs indicate the animal type (gazelle, lion, or hippo), giving partial information about the card before drawing/trading decisions.
• Blind Trading: When trading, you choose an opponent’s card based only on its back (animal type), not its specific effect.
• Gazelle Vulnerability: Gazelles are the fastest but riskiest – being near opponent lions means potential setbacks.
• Hippo Invincibility: Hippos cannot be sent back by any means, making them the safest but slowest option.
• Lion Dual Role: Lions are both threats (to gazelles) and targets (for hippos), requiring careful positioning.
• Hand Size: Players always maintain 3 cards in hand.

Player Reference

Animal	Speed	Interaction
Gazelle	Fast (most spaces)	Eaten by lions (sent to start)
Lion	Medium	Eats gazelles; scared by hippos
Hippo	Slow (1-2 spaces)	Invincible; scares lions

Victory: First to get any animal to the bar wins.