Waddingtons

Whooops!

March 23, 2021 by Penny Leave a Comment

Without car boot sales and charity shops not many “new” vintage board games have come into this house recently, but then I spotted someone selling a big bundle of games just over in the next village. When I messaged the guy and said my husband would be over shortly to pick them up he happened to mention that he also had some extra games and he should bring some extra money in case any of those were also of interest. I was somewhat delighted therefore when he came home with some extras – including three small box Waddingtons games that I wasn’t familiar with. Possibly the most interesting of which was Whooops! (Note the three o’s – more important than you might realise)

I’ve obviously seen lots of Waddingtons games over the years, many in the traditional “long box” that many of us saw Cluedo and Monpopoly in. The box for Whooops is more comparable with a small box version of Careers that I have in my collection, but with that version of Careers the board wasn’t included, but with Whooops it is folded inside the box.

Taxis and Prams

In Whooops each player has control of both a taxi and a pram. Not an obvious combination. The aim of the game is to make as much money as possible in taxi fares whist using your pram to try to block other taxis on zebra crossings and prevent them from picking up fares.

The instructions are relatively simple with each player having a taxi and a pram of the same colour. Taxis start at the air terminal and prams starts in the park. Each player has two bank notes. Quite what denomination they are will depend on which version of the game you have.

Zebra crossings

Players roll the die once and move both pieces by the number they roll. Taxis have to keep to the road, prams to the path. The paths cross the road at zebra crossings, but taxis are not allowed to stop on these crossings and a by-law is in place to fine any driver who does so.

The twist in the game is that whilst there is a policeman next to each zebra crossing on the board, they are not always watching it. When a player lands on a zebra crossing they must roll the die again and note whether they roll and odd or an even number. Next to every crossing it says odd or even. Depending on what they have rolled the policeman is alerted on all odd or even crossings and fines any taxis on them. And yes, that is ALL crossings, not just the one where the player rolled the die again.

What is not totally clear to me is where you are trying to go in your taxi. I’m assuming you have to go to the Station at the other end of the board as the rules doe talk about how taxis must land on one of the station’s four spaces by an exact throw and if they overshoot the station they must circle round and try again. They talk about taxis having to go to the air terminal to pick up a fare, but is that after they have dropped the first fare at the station? And how do you remember which taxis are carrying a fare and who are returning to base?

The rules show that a taxi can pick up an extra fare by landing on one of the four taxi stands on the board.

The winner of the game is either the first to collect an agreed sum, or the player with the most money at the end of the game.

10 shilling of £1 taxi fares?

Interestingly both the board and the further card of instructions and clarifications wedged into the bottom of the box are dated 1967, but the instructions actually have 1970 on them. When I looked this game up on Board Game Geek they have a 1970s version listed as “the only version of this game” yet their description of it is dated 1967. The other difference is that they, and this second article I’ve found mentioning it, both talk about 10 shilling taxi fares and yet my version definitely talks about £1 fares and contains £1 notes rather than 10 shilling ones.

I’m therefore suggesting that there were actually two versions of the game – probably one in 1967 using 10 shilling notes, and a second in 1970 with £1 notes instead. It’s also interesting to note that Waddingtons also used the name Whoops (note with two o’s instead of three!) for a completely different game later. Honestly, the history of all their games is so inconsistent and absolutely fascinates me!

My thoughts on Whooops!

There’s something about Whooops! that I find incredibly charming, but at the same time I’m not sure I can see it appealing to just children. Maybe it would. Certainly the box size really lends itself well to being taken on a family holiday or similar, or maybe just for a family who don’t have a huge amount of space to store big box board games. Certainly the small box means I don’t have to do too much negotiation to be able to add it to my Waddingtons collection.

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Project KGB Game No 1 The Secret Formula

August 16, 2020 by Penny Leave a Comment

Every so often you find a game that you didn’t even know existed and you (understandably) get very excited as a result.

As I’ve said many times before on here, I love spy based games, yet I didn’t know about the two Spy Training Games that Waddingtons released in the 1970s. Now, what is a bit confusing here is the different names of the different games, so please bear with me whilst I try to explain.

Project KGB The Secret Formula Box Design

Project CIA or Project KGB?

From what I can gather there were two games initially released in Canada by “House of Games”. These were:

Project CIA: The Secret Formula, and
Project KGB: The Double Agent

Now, House of Games is what Waddingtons was known as for many years, and certainly my version of this game is published by House of Games Waddingtons, so I am assuming that the first version was published by them too. I know from experience that they did publish many games in Canada (certainly it was what I saw with versions of Ratrace that I’ve owned) and this game has details in both French and English on the box.

The observant of you will by now have noticed that the game I am featuring here is Project KGB: The Secret Formula. It appears that the game’s name changed at some point between the first and second versions, despite the fact that both were published in the same year, 1973. Now I don’t have a version of Project CIA: The Secret Formula to compare against, but the record on Board Game Geek suggests that it was only published in English.

The two games were designed so that they could be played as standalone games, or the boards could be put together to play as a combined game in two stages. Waddingtons also apparently sold a combined version of the two games in the one box in 1975 called Super KGB.

The Secret Formula

Let’s concentrate now on the actual game I have in front of me – Project KGB Game No 1 The Secret Formula.

The problem with the version of the game that I picked up is that it doesn’t contain any instructions. Nor could I find an actual set of rules anywhere on line, despite asking in loads of different online groups. The best I could find though was this excellent description of how to play the game, which I think is detailed enough to actually be able to play from.

The aim of the game is to find a hidden envelope with a secret formula in it, whilst avoiding a guard and other agents who are also looking for it.

Project KGB The Secret Formula Board Layout

The board contains what I assume is some sort of spy HQ building, complete with laboratory, observation tower, conference room, dormitory, communications building and training ground. Envelopes (white tiles in the game) are left in pre-designated places around the board and players have to go to each location to pick up the enveloped.

Project KGB The Secret Formula close up picture of the secret formula tile

One randomly contains the secret formula (i.e. a formula written on the back of a white tile) and the player who gets this envelope has to try to get out of the building with it without any other players realising.

Project KGB The Secret Formula picture showing the board with additional envelope tiles scattered on it

Now, the first confusion is why there are so many more envelope tiles than there are spaces to put them on the board. Is there an actual reason for this? Were they just spares in case people lost some, or was the set I have at some point used in conjunction with another game and they came from there?

Other Agents and the Security Guard

The tricky bit is that if another agent approaches you in the game you have to hand over your envelopes and miss your next go. There is also a security guard who moves around the board in a pre-designated manner, or he can be summoned to a room if a player rolls a double whilst they are in there.

When a player is in a room with a guard then both must roll dice in order to escape the room. The agent can not pass through any square occupied by the guard, but if they roll enough to avoid him and exit the room then nothing else happens. If the player is unable to exit the room then they are captured by the guard. They have to drop all of the envelopes they are carrying on the spot and their playing piece is removed from the board and they miss a turn. At the start of their next turn they can enter the property and its grounds through any of the gates on the board.

Project KGB The Secret Formula picture showing gameplay with envelope tiles and playing pieces

Not having a copy of the rules leaves me with quite a few questions about game mechanics here. I’m not sure I exactly understand who rolls the dice on behalf of the guard or what the point of doing so is. If indeed this is accurate.

There are apparently some more detailed rules around the guard role and interactions with it, but again, without a copy of the full instructions I’m a little in the dark about how it all works properly.

My thoughts on Project KGB The Secret Formula

Without the rules it’s hard to play Project KGB The Secret Formula fully, but even just walking through the game I can see a few flaws. Firstly, I’m not sure how easy it is to hide if you have the secret formula. If you’re heading towards an exit on the board then is that not a giveaway for other Agents to come after you? Also, there’s only one secret formula to collect. If you happen across it on the first envelope that you pick up then it’s a pretty short game.

Project KGB The Secret Formula picture showing the secret formula tile turned over

The game also reminds me of Top Secret, a Jumbo Games release that I have previously played and written about. In Top Secret though Agents are moving around the world and have to collect briefcases which could contain either secrets or a bomb. It seems to have a whole extra level of risk to it that isn’t in Project KGB The Secret Formula, and the playing pieces (agent shaped with actual briefcases to collect) are far nicer than the standard playing pieces and tiles representing envelopes that Project KGB has. Admittedly Top Secret is a later game published in 1985, but it would be interesting to know if any inspiration for it came from Project KGB. I know it was originally based on another game, but I still wonder why a spy version was created.

I am still intrigued though as to why Waddingtons changed the names of the games slightly and I’m still trawling charity shops and car boot sales to try to get my hands on the partner game The Double Agent, or the combined version Super KGB. In the meantime though, I’ll just concentrate on trying to get a copy of the instructions! It’s also time to finally dig out my copy of another Waddingtons spy game, Spy Ring, and see how that compares.

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Travel Go

July 4, 2020 by Penny Leave a Comment

It will probably come as no surprise to observant readers to learn that Travel Go is a game based around travel.

But the thing to remember about it is that Travel Go was a game produced originally in the 1960s (by Waddingtons, but the version we have is Gibson Games under licence from Waddingtons) when travel was a pretty complicated affair – especially when compared to current Covid lockdown rules!

Notice on the Travel Go board game saying that the game was made by Gibsons under licence from Waddingtons

There’s so much to say about Travel Go that it’s hard to know where to start. I’m also somewhat unsure as to whether I absolutely loved the game, or hated it with a passion. Let me explain…

Travel Go – Aim of the game

I’ll start by explaining about the aim of the game and the playing board. All players in Travel Go aim to travel around the world, buying souvenirs from major cities they visit and then return to London. The first player to do so is declared the winner and the number of souvenirs required is dictated by the number of players.

Sounds relatively simple, but it isn’t.

For starters, to travel anywhere you need to buy a ticket. Being the 1960s this can only be done at an authorised ticket agent (British Airways, the International Railways Booking Office, etc) or by going to a travel agent (remember them?). And as people didn’t have credit cards you had to pay for any tickets in the local currency, which you had obtained by going to either the Bank or the Bureau de Change with your trusty travellers cheque or notes of another currency. It may all sound rather antiquated, but this is the way things used to be before internet bookings, credit cards and smart phones came into being.

The Travel Go Board

Travel Go board showing a map in the middlle of the board and a track around the board's perimeter

The way all this happens in Travel Go is that the board has two parts – a map of the world in the middle with the cities and routes between them marked, and a regular track around the outside which contains places like the ticket office and the Bureau de Change. Players have two counters, one on each section of the board and they start off on the outer track trying to buy a ticket to be able to move on the inner map section.

All players start in London with some Sterling and from there they have to decide where they want to go to buy a souvenir first and then try to land on the right squares to buy their ticket. Once their ticket is purchased they then start their journey and when their turn comes about their die rolls instead move them along their route on the map.

Travel Go board showing pawns on a map of Europe

Once a player has reached their destination (which frustratingly has to be done by rolling an exact number to land on it!) their turns then revert to using the outer board to get to a Bureau do Change, Bank or Thomas Cook travel agent to change some of their money into the local currency. Once they’ve done that they can then buy a souvenir and continue along the outer track until they land somewhere where they can buy a ticket to their next destination. And so play continues.

Currencies of the world

With the need for local currencies comes the need for what feels like a million and one different bank notes! I’ve never played a game where the banker has such an important role before. It’s one of the few games where I genuinely believe that someone just having the banker role alone could still feel involved and busy during the game.

A selection of different currency bank notes from the Vintage Board Game Travel Go

Obviously many of the currencies that were in place when the game was produced are no longer valid. Especially in Europe. It’s also worth noting how some currencies were only valid in one city, whilst others could be used in countries with more than one city to visit, or even in multiple countries. It was like a currency history lesson as we went off to look up some of the less familiar ones.

Banker role

Fares Chart and instruction booklet from the vintage board game Travel Go

As well as swapping one currency for another constantly, there’s also the job of looking after the fare tables to tell everyone how much it costs to travel between places. When tickets are sold in the game you’re supposed to fill in a little paper ticket slip. We didn’t bother when we played, but I wish we had as quite often you would simply forget where you were and what you were doing. Especially when you’re trying to be the banker as well.

An example of one of the fares charts from vintage Board Game Travel Go

I’ve heard people say that some children have really enjoyed taking on the banker role and I can definitely say that it would have appealed to me as a child. It would certainly be a good way of them practicing their maths!

Luck and risks

When you’re travelling round the outer ring of the board, some squares tell you to pick up a luck card. Doing so results in either being rewarded financially, or by receiving a card that could help them with their journey later in the game. But depending on where your journey takes you, some luck cards are more helpful than others.

Luck cards and travel Tickets from vintage board game Travel Go

Whilst players move around the map section of the board, if they land on a point denoted by a red circle they have to pick up a risk card. Some risks only apply to certain modes of transport, so picking one up isn’t always dangerous. But on other occasions you can end up sent somewhere like Christmas Island and suddenly find yourself with no local currency and no ticket out!

There’s another hazard in Travel Go. Each city only has two souvenirs available to purchase. So, if you’re the third person to get to a city and haven’t realised, you’ll find yourself leaving empty-handed.

That’s if you actually manage to get to your destination. The rules state that when you’re on the map section of the board you have to throw the exact number required to reach your destination. When you’ve got places close together (or if you’re just one stop away) this can mean players trying for ages to roll a one. We often had a player stuck for a number of turns trying to get somewhere and it became incredibly frustrating!

What we thought of the game

Travel Go is a funny old game really. Incredibly accurate for what travel was like in the 1960s when it was produced. Lots of faffing about to buy tickets, and the hassle of having to change money wherever you go.

Travel Go Playing board showing a track around the edge as well as a map in the middle of the board

Should a modern version ever be produced I think it would actually remove so much of the vintage charm. Flashing a credit card anywhere in the world and booking things online might be convenient in the modern day, but it wouldn’t make the game quite as interesting. That’s not saying that there isn’t scope for a modern day version. I just think it would need something to replace all the money changing that goes on.

For those of us old enough to remember when travel was like this, it’s a wonderful look back at that time. The Gibsons version we played (which I think was published in 1978) had British Airways on the board as the place to buy air tickets, but looking online I see that older versions (I think just the ones branded as Waddington’s Go, but I’m not totally sure) had those squares occupied by BOAC instead – really showing the age of the game.

Travel Go House rules

Reading up online about Travel Go it seems that some people play some interesting house rules. One that we all agree would be good is removing the need to throw an exact number to get to a destination on the map section of the board. This would certainly remove a lot of the frustration that we all felt when playing.

A second popular rule is to deal out the souvenir cards at the start of the game and players have to go to around the world to buy and collect the souvenirs that they have been dealt. I guess it’s a bit like having a mission for the game. It would remove that risk of arriving somewhere and finding that all the souvenirs have already been bought I suppose.

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Careers – a vintage classic board game

April 12, 2020 by Penny Leave a Comment

Lockdown is finally giving us an opportunity to work our way through the huge collection of vintage board games that we have put together over the last few years. It genuinely is a thrill to look through the collection and work out what we now have time to play. Careers has been sat there for an age, yet it’s a game that I have heard so much about over the years. Everyone that plays it seems to be full of praise for it.

Careers Vintage Board Game Waddington Games

Trying not to be limited by just the people we’re locked down with, we’ve also been experimenting at playing games online with friends situated elsewhere in the country using Skype, a couple of cameras and a bit of pre-planning. So far they’ve been quite successful (and they will be covered in other blog posts just as soon as I get chance!) but they have been games that we’ve already known. Venturing out into vintage games that none of us have played before is a new (and exciting) challenge.

History of Careers

Careers really is quite an old board game. First published by Parker in 1955 in the US, it has seen numerous different versions over the years and some modernisation, which hasn’t necessarily always been welcome. More on that later.

The game was invented by James Cooke Brown, a fascinating man who did far more than “just” invent a board game – there’s a wonderful write up about him over on the History Girls blog here by someone that has done a huge amount of research on the man and his other achievements.

How to win at Careers

One unique feature of Careers is that is each player sets their own “success formula” which is basically what they need to do to win the game. Made up of three components (money, fame and happiness) each player has to decide which is most important to them and create an equation taking into account all three. Your success formula has to add up to 60 points, (each £1,000 in money is a point) but the weighting between money, fame and happiness is completely up to the player. It certainly takes away that idea that the person with the most money is the best.

What is particularly interesting in Careers is that you don’t share your success formula with anyone until you have achieved it. So players don’t know what their opposition is working towards, or how close anyone may be to winning the game. It’s an intriguing twist.

Playing the game

In terms of actually playing the game, the board has a track to work around round the edge of the board, which represents a year of a player’s life. Leading off the main track are eight “career” paths which players can choose to follow if they land on the relevant start square, or may be forced to follow if they have received an instruction to do so from a card or other square on the board.

The original version of the game had a total of 8 careers paths:

Uranium prospecting in Peru
Hollywood
Politics
Going to Sea
Big Business
Expedition to the Moon
Farming
University

In some later versions of the game I understand that Uranium Prospecting was replaced by a career in Computing, Going to Sea became setting sail on a Yacht and Farming morphed into Ecology. I also understand that there was a girl’s version of the game released at some point that has “being a Super Mom” as a career path on it! I shall refrain from commenting further on that particular version of the game…

Careers Vintage Board Game Waddingtons Games

As you go round the various careers paths (which you do by throwing a single die instead of the usual two) there is opportunity to gain fame and happiness points, appropriate to the different careers themselves. In the current situation, I guess I find it a bit strange that one of the careers isn’t medicine, yet one of the University degrees that players can obtain is medicine and the player that therefore becomes the Doctor in the game collects payments from other players when they go into hospital, and they also themselves receive free hospital treatment.

Players are allowed to go to University once in the game and when they have completed their university education they receive a degree and a £2,000 salary increase.

Opportunity and Experience Cards

As you go around the board players have the opportunity to pick up both opportunity and experience cards. The yellow opportunity cards are used to move to the entrance squares of the various careers on the board. The interesting thing is that they don’t have to be used immediately. It can be held until you want to use it, or even sold to another player.

Pink experience cards actually can not be used on the same turn on play on which they are drawn. They are “premiums” for your career experience and can help players plan when to enter various careers. They can be used at any other time in the game though, instead of a usual roll of the dice. They can also be bought and sold between players.

Player score sheets

A key part of the game of careers is that players have to record quite a lot of information about their journey around the board themselves. At the start of the game players write down their success formula, but as they go they also note down their experiences and happiness and fame points. A record is also made of their salary level and their university education.

Interestingly, out of two vintage versions of the game that I have one has everything on one score sheet (a Waddingtons 1956 small box version) yet 1969 “long box” Waddingtons version has two separate Score Sheets (No 1 and No 2). I’ve no idea why and if anything think it slightly over complicates things.

Corner Squares

The corner squares on the Careers board are also worth a separate mention. The Payday square is pretty self explanatory, with players collecting their annual salary as they pass, or if they are lucky enough to land on the square they get double their salary.

For players who land on the Hospital square they are required to stay there until they throw 5 or less. Whilst there they may not use Opportunity or Experience cards. However, if they want a quick release from hospital there is the possibility of paying the Doctor half your annual salary to leave early.

Players who end up unemployed go to the Park Bench. Again they can not use Opportunity or Experience cards. but throwing 7, 11 or a double allows them to move on. For the cost of half of their cash players can also buy a new suit and move on in a chosen turn.

To help players with their happiness levels there is also the option of a Bermuda Vacation. Four happiness points are awarded to players who land on this particular corner square and players may also choose to stay there is they roll 7 or less whilst there. But, no one if forced to stay on holiday!

End of the game

With all players having their own success formula and no one knowing what other players are working towards it is difficult to say in advance as to when the game will end, or exactly how.

When a player meets his or her success formula then they simply declare so and are the winner.

I’m told that once everyone playing is familiar with the game it can be easier to know which careers give you what your need for your success criteria and to chase after them. That doesn’t mean that the rolls of the dice will always co-operate with you though!

What we thought of that game

In just a couple of words, we absolutely loved it!

Play is relatively simple, and possible a little dull if I’m honest, for the first couple of times around the board, but once players start on the different career paths the game picks up pace somewhat. The fact that no one knows what the other players have to do to win is a strike of genius. It means that you have no idea if you should be rushing to do something as the others are hot on your tail, or if actually you’re miles out in front. And the other players are no wiser than you.

I think we also all liked how quaint and old fashioned the career paths were. When the game was first issued no one had been to the Moon, so the Mission to the Moon career path must have seemed quite futuristic. The paths for Politics, Big Business and University similarly are very of their time and as for Uranium Prospecting in Peru, well…

Different versions of Careers

Although there isn’t a modern day version of Careers in production right now, there have been various different versions over the years. It was originally produced by Parker Brothers and at other points came under the Waddingtons name. The latest version was published by Winning Moves, yet I’ve also managed to get my hands on a copy that Jumbo produced in 1998. I’m yet to find a record of this version online, but it does look very similar to a Dutch version that Jumbo released in 1998.

Careers Vintage Board Game Waddingtons Games Jumbo

The game is a very close replica of the original Waddingtons game that I also own, but with the Uranium Prospecting replaced by Computing, Hollywood by Entertainment and going to Sea by going on a Yacht. Interestingly there are still 8 career paths on the board, not the six that I have read of there being in later versions. Being a European version of the game the salaries are also all in Euros rather than Pounds.

How to get your hands on Careers

If you’re looking for a copy of Careers then your best bet is to look on either *Amazon or eBay, as both regularly have copies available. As is usually the case, the copies on eBay are priced far more reasonably than those on Amazon… I guess I’m just surprised that no one else has re-issued this game more recently. With a couple of modernisations I can see it being really popular, or an exact replica of the original would also have great retro appeal too.

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For more vintage board games and toys here on Penny Plays take a look here.

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link for anyone who chooses to buy Careers on Amazon. This link is marked with a *. If you buy anything through this link I receive a small commission (thank you) and it costs you no more than it would do otherwise.

Waddingtons Ratrace

January 4, 2020 by Penny 1 Comment

When buying vintage board games I’m always drawn to games that I remember from my own childhood. Even more so if they are exactly the same versions as the ones I had. That’s when my rules about how much I’m prepared to pay go out of the window slightly. That’s certainly what happened with Ratrace.

Ratrace - the 1973 and 1984 boxes of Ratrace from Waddintons — Top – the 1984 version of Ratrace
Bottom – the 1973 version of Ratrace

I remember my parents having a copy of Ratrace when I was a child. I can even remember exactly which cupboard it was kept in. For ages I was looking out in charity shops for a copy and when I finally found one I let out a little whoop of joy and quickly headed to the checkout before anyone else could nab it. The fact that I then found a second version just a couple of weeks later intrigued me somewhat. This was obviously more modern than the one I remembered, but it had to come home with me too so I could work out what had changed!

Ratrace – Aim of the game

The aim of Ratrace is to make it to High Society. The board has three concentric tracks on it. The outer one being where everyone start – Working Class. From there players aim to buy Status Symbols, gain a night school diploma or a Country Club membership before they can make their way up to Middle Class. Further Status Symbols, a University Diploma or a Yacht Club Membership are required to get to High Society. There is always the shortcut route up the social ranks though – by marrying the right people!

How to play

The way play works is that each player owns a business – which in turn sells status symbols to the other players. As you work your way around Working Class you buy and sell these Status Symbols and you need to buy a certain number to help you proceed. If you land on the Country Club or Night School you can also buy a membership or diploma that you’ll also need. There is also the square you can land on to take you straight to Middle Class through a society wedding.

Ratrace - the board from the 1973 version of Ratrace by Waddingtons

This being a race to High Society they realise that not everyone has enough cash to do everything, and so each player is given a credit card. There’s no limit to what you can put on credit, just as long as you pay off your interest if you land on a square requiring you to do so. You all need to pay off your debts to be able to win the game.

Beware of divorce

The progression from Middle Class to High Society works in a very similar way, only this time both Middle Class and High Society have the added peril of a divorce square. It’s possible you can find yourself socially back at the bottom of the ladder in this game. Maybe I should take notice of the fact that I was booted out of High Society on my first dice roll three times in a row!

1973 Version

The version of Ratrace that I remember from childhood has a very retro feel about it now. The cards for the status symbols are made from very old fashioned matt card, and the choice of colours for the business has a very Seventies feel about it – no one really uses olive and brown as counter colours alongside black, blue, red and green do they?

The Status Symbols that players buy and sell are also off their time: golf clubs, a car radio, an automatic washer and a snowmobile. As a child playing this they all sounded like very strange things to want.

An added dimension to Retrace is the fact that you can also gamble on the Stock Exchange or at the races on the Tote. If you land on the relevant square you have a chance to increase your money (or lose it!) based on the roll of the dice. As a child I always found that part of the game rather thrilling!

1984 Version

It’s fascinating to see how much Ratrace had changed when you compare the version I knew with a 1984 version that I picked up a bit later. The Status Symbols have been updated somewhat to fit in with the 80s more.

Ratrace - a picture of the status symbol cards from Rose's in the 1984 version of Ratrace by Waddingtons

Now people are aiming to own a snooker table, a solarium or even a CB Radio! The physical cards for these status symbols have also changed and are now standard playing card sized with a glossy feel to them.

Ratrace - a picture of the Credit Card and Club Membership card in the 1984 version of Ratrace by Waddingtons

The diplomas, club memberships and credit cards have also been updated and now look much more like the ones that you find as samples inside a new wallet or purse.

Whilst game play remains unchanged, the other obvious difference is in the playing tokens. Whilst in the 70s you just had standard Waddington’s pawns, by 1984 players got a coloured rat instead. I know “rat” is in the name of the game, but to be honest the players have always been people in my mind and the idea of them actually being rats just seems a bit weird to me.

Ratrace - a photo showing the six rat counters from teh 1984 version of Ratrace by Waddingtons

Comedy Instructions

The other thing with Ratrace that really merits a mention is the instructions. Written in a question and answer style, they have a very unique way about them. For instance:

Q Why would I want to spend money on a high-priced Status Symbol?

A Because that’s part of the snobbery to which we all indulge in, to impress our friends and keep up with the Jones. …

They’re a wordy read, and not really ideal if you just want to quickly start playing, but they are comedy in themselves if you read them aloud to everyone. Although that obviously takes a while.

Ratrace doesn’t seem to be in modern day production, but plenty of copies are still available online (either on eBay or on (affiliate link coming up…) Amazon). Sadly you don’t seem to see many copies of it at car boot sales or in charity shops.

Are you a fan of vintage board games?

If you’re interested in vintage board games then why not head over to Facebook and join our new vintage board games group.

For more vintage board games and toys here on Penny Plays take a look here.

Disclaimer – This post contains an affiliate link. If you click through and buy something via this link it will cost you no more, but I will receive a small commission. Small enough that it probably will only buy part of a box of tea bags. Appreciated all the same though!