Handmade sugoroku ideas: exciting original sugoroku
Sugoroku is a game where you roll a die and move forward the number of squares shown, aiming for the goal.
It’s been a classic New Year’s pastime since long ago!
In this article, we introduce DIY ideas for making your own sugoroku.
If you’re tired of the usual version, give these a try.
There are lots of fun ideas, like a “Punishment-Only Sugoroku” where every space is a penalty, or a “Giant Sugoroku” where participants physically move from space to space.
Have everyone taking part help come up with what to write in the squares!
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Handmade ideas for sugoroku. Exciting original sugoroku (1–10)
Punishment Game Sugoroku
As the name suggests, this sugoroku where every square you land on only dishes out penalties is perfect for livening up the often-dull New Year holidays.
Everyone writes their own penalty ideas on the back of the squares, and whoever lands there has to carry them out, so you can enjoy the originality and the unique flavor of the members gathered that day.
Just be mindful that some people aren’t great with these kinds of games, so don’t get carried away and spoil the mood.
It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that serves up a thrill with every roll of the dice.
Word Sugoroku
This is a sugoroku game where you name items that belong to the category written on the square you land on, such as animals or drinks.
Combining it with language learning for small children who are just acquiring words can make it a great exercise for building knowledge and imagination.
Also, if you make a longer board and add a rule like moving forward extra spaces equal to the number of syllables or sounds in the word you answered within the landed category, players will need to think of longer words, making it enjoyable for adults as well.
From standard categories to niche ones, coming up with categories during the creation stage is part of the fun of this sugoroku.
Difficult Kanji Sugoroku
This is a sugoroku game where even if you move forward by rolling the dice, you’ll be sent back to the start if you can’t read the kanji written on the space you land on.
For children, you can adjust the difficulty based on the participants’ grade levels; for adults, filling the board with tricky, hard-to-read kanji could make it fun as well.
You might also add constraints like limiting kanji to the “tree” radical or the “speech” radical, or ramp up the difficulty as players approach the goal to make it more thrilling.
It’s a brainy sugoroku that’s sure to test your knowledge and imagination while leading to new discoveries.
Handmade ideas for sugoroku. Exciting original sugoroku (11–20)
Gojuon Sugoroku Game
The “Gojūon sugoroku,” where you fill a grid with sentences that start with designated kana from the Japanese syllabary, is fun because you can tailor the rules to the participants’ ages and personalities.
If you’re playing with children who have just learned the syllabary, coming up with prompts together can also be part of the learning process.
You can certainly enjoy it using only the standard set of sounds, but for adults, creating prompts that include voiced and semi-voiced sounds in addition to the basic 50 sounds increases the number of squares and makes it more mentally engaging, so you can have fun from the creation stage as well.
It’s a highly recommended sugoroku that also lets you showcase your sense for good prompts.
Color Sugoroku
A color sugoroku game where the piece matching the color rolled on the die moves forward is perfect for New Year’s play because both the making and the rules are simple.
You can craft the board, pieces, and die out of origami, so you and your child can enjoy it starting from the crafting.
By matching the die’s colors to the board spaces, the piece of the rolled color advances, offering a different kind of thrill from regular sugoroku.
Since you never know whose roll will move which piece, the outcome is unpredictable until the very end—making it a fresh new twist on the classic game.
Arrangement Sugoroku
By tailoring the instructions on the squares where players land—a staple of sugoroku—to different age groups, the game could become more engaging.
For older adults, landing on certain squares could prompt tongue twisters or light exercises; for children, they might involve solving math problems or naming anime characters.
Having age-appropriate tasks that require a bit of effort will liven up the whole game.
If you have many participants, trying team play instead of individual play could also offer a fresh way to enjoy it.
This is an idea that can be used in a wide range of settings, from preschools to senior care facilities, so we hope you’ll find it helpful.
Werewolf Sugoroku
This game combines Werewolf and sugoroku, two table-talk classics with big fan bases.
In standard Werewolf, the game advances through rounds of town discussions and werewolf attacks, but here it progresses according to the instructions on the sugoroku board spaces, completely changing strategies for both the villagers and the werewolves in a fun way.
Since no one can choose exactly when to make their move, the match might be decided surprisingly early.
If you’re bored with ordinary sugoroku or standard Werewolf, this fresh take on sugoroku is definitely worth a try.