Board Game “Halli Galli”

January 14, 2022 663 Views

“Halli Galli” is a board game created by “Amigo” in 1990. It consists of cards with fruit illustrations attached to a bell with a switch.

Known for its very simple rules, it is a game that even young children can easily participate in.

A Dexterity Game – Halli Galli:

While “Halli Galli” is a board game, it leans more towards a physical game involving “eyes and hands” than one might expect from traditional board games. The game rules are as follows:

The game progresses by collecting cards. If a player loses all their cards, they are eliminated, and the last person with cards remaining becomes the winner.
Before starting, distribute the 56 cards to each player and place the bell in the center. However, players should keep their cards face down, so they don’t know what they have.
In a designated order, each player flips one card at a time, facing up for all to see. (Cards are flipped from the outer edge to allow others to see them first.)
Once a full round is completed, and it’s a player’s turn again, they flip a new card onto the one they previously played.
If there are five cards of the same fruit among the face-up cards, players rush to ring the bell. The first one to ring the bell takes all the face-up cards.
If someone rings the bell before there are five matching cards, they give one card each to other players as a penalty. The cards they played during that time are placed face down under the bell. In the next round, the person who correctly rings the bell takes all the cards underneath.
When only two players remain, the one who correctly rings the bell wins, and the one who makes a mistake loses.

Halli Galli Expansion Packs:

“Halli Galli” has various expansion packs, including:

Halli Galli Extreme: Features cards with different fruits and animal cards. When cards with the same shape appear, everyone rings the bell, and the fastest person takes the cards.
Halli Galli Deluxe: Has 19 additional cards compared to the base game, allowing up to 7 players.
Halli Galli Junior: Designed for ages 4 and up (compared to the original 6 and up), featuring two attributes: color and shape.
Halli Galli Ringaling: Involves looking at the card and putting on a rubber band that matches the picture.
Halli Galli Cups: Involves opening cards and placing cups according to the pictures.
Halli Galli Link: Cards are laid out in a circular pattern around the bell. Players collect seven cards with at least one common feature to ring the bell and end a round. The one with the most cards when no cards are left wins.
Halli Galli Party: Features cards with various colors, musical instruments, and different fruits. If two or more common attributes overlap, players ring the bell.

Halli Galli Balance Patch Rule:

Given that “Halli Galli” is a game of dexterity, certain factors like hand positioning and the bell’s location can provide advantages. To minimize these advantages, some groups have implemented a balance patch rule:

One hand holds an earlobe. The bell can only be rung with the hand holding the earlobe.
Cards can only be flipped using the hand opposite the one holding the earlobe.
Attempting to ring the bell at the wrong time results in a penalty. Even if the hand holding the earlobe is the only one to drop, cards are given as a penalty to other players. The same penalty is applied if the bell is rung with the opposite hand.