The Ninki Nanka Board Game

Ninki Nanka Trail

The trail enables visitors to discover the variety of Gambian natural and culture heritage while experiencing the important oral legend of the Ninki Nanka - a mythical dragon said to reside in the creeks of the River Gambia, with stories providing accounts of both a benevolent dragon bringing great fortune and a malevolent dragon bringing danger and even death. The trail is a responsible product that aims to disperse economic benefit to rural areas, and to create opportunities for tourism. It aims to take an innovative approach to engaging the private sector in tourism development and poverty reduction in accordance with the concept of shared value and the principles of responsible tourism, creating better places to live and therefore better places to visit.

Ninki Nanka Trail Board Game

The Ninki Nanka Trail Board Game is an innovative project with the aim of using 3D printing technology to contribute to the efforts of economic recovery and reopening of the tourism as a result of the negative impact of Covid-19. The initiative aims to support tourism promotion, creation of income generation opportunities for tourism MSMEs/SMEs through sales, employment creation for youth as well as improving productive capacities of local artists. It is an open platform for local and international stakeholders with the potential to scale up to other countries.

This design of a cultural/historical elements of The Gambia produced to support addopting innovation technologies in Gambian tourism and handicraft sectors in collaboration with the Internation Trade Centre within the project funded by the European Union.

Edit: 14/11/2022 Improvement of the box lid closing system and player tokens.

Credits

Illustration of the board: ASSET (2013) NNT feasibility study. Design by Art Hotel; Illustration by Nigel Kirto
Storyline and copywriting - Ya Mallen Jagne
3D Design - Baboucar Badjie
Game development and testing - Silvestr Tkáč and Amie Badjie

NINKI NANKA TRAIL BOARD GAME RULES

Number of players: 2 - 5
Time per game: 10 - 25 minutes
Game items: Background Story, 9 Artefacts , 1 Trail Map, 25 Action cards, 5 Player tokens, 1 Dice, Instructions

Setting the game

• Read the background story.
• Lay out the trail map on an even surface.
• Place  the 3D printed artefacts on the orange fields according to their corresponding site on the trail. For example, the artefact depicting a stone circle should be placed on the orange field by the image of a stone circle. The artefact depicting a Kora should be placed on the orange field by the feet of the Kora Player. The orange fields represent real places  in The Gambia and you may learn more about them here.
• Shuffle the Action Cards and put the deck by the trail map.

Each player chooses one token from the box. Players may enter the trail via Banjul or Barra. These two entry points are represented as red fields on the western end of the trail. But to determine whether a player enters through Banjul or Barra, they must roll the dice. If your throw is an even number, place your token on the Banjul entry point. If your throw is an odd number, place your token on the Barra entry point.

Crossing between Banjul and Barra at the start of the game is not possible. Players starting in Barra move towards Kunta Kinte Island and players starting in Banjul move towards Arch 22.

Playing the game

The goal is to visit the sites and collect as many artefacts as possible. A site is visited whenever a player’s token lands on the orange field representing the site. If the artefact had not already been collected by a previous player, the player whose token lands on the field collects it.

Quick  tip: If you wish to make the game more educational add the following rule: Before collecting an artefact by stepping on the field or by effect of a card the player benefiting from gaining the areifact has to describe the historical or cultural item that the artefact represents.

A player plays their turn by throwing the dice and advancing a number of fields based on the outcome. Although players can change direction on the path, they cannot do so randomly and have to wait until they come to a crossroad or roundabout and move along it. They may retreat the way they had come on the trail if an Action Card instructs them to, but they must continue to advance in the original direction when that turn passes.

If a player wishes to cross between Banjul and Barra, they must toss 4 or more on the dice. If not, they must return one of the collected artefacts as a ferry fee. If the player does not have any artefact, they must turn and go back the way they came or use a special Free Crossing card if they have one.

The orientation of the human figure on the tokens will help players keep track of their direction of movement.

• The youngest player plays first, and assuming the players are seated in a circle, the turns follow a clockwise direction.
• If a player’s token lands on a blue  field, they pick an action card from the top of the deck, read out loud the text, and then follow the instructions. You must then place the card at the bottom of the deck. Some cards can be kept for later use,  but always remember to place them at the bottom of the deck after using them.
• In a situation where the instruction on a card is not relevant, ignore it (e.g. When a player is asked to return an artefact but they do not have any yet.) 
• When two players’ tokens meet on the same field they have a chat over some Attaya and skip a turn each. This does not apply to the Banjul and Barra entry points.

End of the game

The game ends in 2 possible ways.

• When all artefacts have been collected, the game ends and the player with the highest number of artefacts is the winner.
• When a single player collects upto 5 artefacts, the game ends and that player is the winner.

The winner returns to Tentaba with the artefacts, decodes the Ninka Ninka’s secret with the help of the wise man and saves Omar’s life.

The secret must be destroyed as soon as Omar recovers his health and the artefacts returned where they were found.

Have fun!

Visit the Ninki Nanka Trail in The Gambia and experience all the adventures in real life!  

Printing instructions

Box: Filament: PET-G (We use Prusament PETG Orange and Prusament PETG Recycled), Infill: 100%, Perimeters: 3, Layer Height: 0.2mm

Other 3D printed items: Filament: PLA, Infill: 100%, Perimeters: 2, Layer Height: 0.2mm

Game board: We recommed to print in textile or thick paper.

Cards: Print on the thicker glossy paper.

Assembling:

1. Player token:
   • Insert the player in the hexagonal holder and glue using superglue.
2. Polygon Shapes:
   • Apply super glue around the corners of the Box Body, then Insert the  Box Ring into the Body and wait for it to dry.
   • Cut a one hexagonal piece of cardboard. Glue it at the inside the base of the Box Body and wait for it to dry.
   • Cut 6 pieces of cardboard with a dimension of 48mm by 33mm for the sides.  Then glue them on the sides of the Box Body.
   • Insert the game items and close the box