The SNARK! rules – The Hunting of the Snark

JJ Secker’s Rules of the card game SNARK!, OCR from snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SNARKrules.pdf

SNARK!
GAME FOR 2,3 OR 4 PLAYERS
FEATURING CREATURES
FROM THE MIND OF LEWIS CARROLL
IS THE MOST FRABJOUS GAME YOU WILL EVER PLAY!
IS THE MOST FRABJOUS GAME YOU WILL EVER PLAY!
IS THE MOST FRABJOUS GAME YOU WILL EVER PLAY!
What I tell you 3 times is true.
ZZOTA LIMITED
LIMITED EDITION
EDITION NO.42

On July 18th 1874 as he was out walking,
at the surprised age of 42, a thought came into
the mind of Lewis Carroll.
“The Snark was a Boojum you see.”
From this final line he created the epic poem
“The Hunting of the Snark”.
If you have not read this Agony in Eight Fits
you will not understand the game of Snark!
and you should also be having difficulty with
Life itself round about now.
On October 6th 1985,
111 years + 111 days later,
a thought came into the mind of JJ Secker.
“Your Snark’s still a Boojum, LC.”
He spent a happy hour devising Snark! which
you are now clutching and wondering “Why?”
A decade or so later an artist drew a Snark.
On being informed, somewhat pompously,
that the Snark resembled a Boojum
and a Boojum was an Allegory
a thought came into the mind of Xanna Eve.
“The Snark will be a Boojum, you’ll see.
On February 11th of the bicentennial year 2006
following a torrent of laughter and cheers
Zzota Limited WWW.ZZOTA.CO.UK
ominously published the game of Snark!

CONTENTS
※ CREW DECK (10 cards)
Depicting accredited Snark Hunters.
※ ANIMAL PACK (8 cards)
Detailing fauna they will meet.
※ STOCK PILE (38 cards)
Containing Kit and Marks they will need.
※ GENUINE SNARK WARRANTS (40 cards)
Which must be amassed.
The backs contain Stirring Verses
to stiffen the sinews at moments of
high peril or low despair.

BEWARE!
※ BOGUS SNARK WARRANTS
have been spotted in circulation.
They are of no use to the Game whatsoever
and should be destroyed on sight.

=== 1 ===
SNARK®
THE RULES IN 8 FITS &
2 EXTRACTED APPENDICES

Fit the First:
The Round Winner
To win any Round you must hunt down a Snark
Having hired a couple of Crew
And collected at least one distinguishing Mark:
But beware lest your Snark be a Boo…

=== 2 ===
Fit the Second:
The Landing
Before the first Round formalities
must be observed.
Snark! is a game for 2, 3 or 4 players. Each
of these scenarios has its own discrete flavour
which must be savoured discreetly. So if,
for example, there are five persons present and
it is required to play a three-person game then
the excess two must be subdued, trussed or
bribed in order to remove them from the arena.
The leader for the first Round must be
established. (There is no dealer in Snark!
only his anagrammatic alter ego). The first
leader is he or she whose age is nearest to
exactly 42. Thus if all players are under three
years old the eldest will be the first leader; if all
the players are over 103 then the youngest will
serve. If other conditions apply then the first
leader must be established with tact and
diplomacy, but without snorts of disbelief. The
leader ensures that all players each have 10
Warrants. If less than four players are involved
the remaining Warrants are not used. If Bogus
Warrants are found, see Contents card.

=== 3 ===
Fit the Third:
The Preparation
The game comprises a number of Rounds from
1 to infinity. Before each, the following occurs:
The leader builds the ‘Ark’ by placing the
relevant cards from the Crew Deck faces up as
shewn. The leader shuffles the Animal Pack
and places it face down.

Then, he shuffles the Stock Pile
and places it face down beneath
the Ark. Each player pays one
Warrant into the Warrant Pool.

=== 4 ===
Fit the Fourth:
The Play
The leader of the Round commences by
taking the top card from the Stock Pile into his
hand (without revealing it to the other players)
thus completing his turn.
Every player’s turn will be completed by
taking the top card from the Stock Pile.
At no time may a player have more than five
Stock cards in his hand.
NOTE: If a player has less than five Stock
cards when it is his turn then he may take
NO other action than to pick up a card
from the Stock Pile.
Play passes clockwise round the table.
If a player has five cards he may perform
ONE of the following FIVE actions:
1) Stock Exchange
2) Hire a Hunter
3) Become the Bellman
4) Bewilder the Crew
5) Go Hunting

=== 5 ===
1) Stock Exchange
The player places one of his cards face upwards
on a Discard Stack adjacent to the Stock Pile
then picks up the top card from the Stock Pile,
completing his turn. NOTE: Cards may never be
picked up from the Discard Stack. When the
Stock Pile is exhausted the leader of the Round
shuffles the Stack and places it face down.
2) Hire a Hunter
Any Crew who is ‘alive’ and on the Ark
may be hired for the Hunt. To do this a player
must have the one, two or three Snark-Hunting
implements to attract the Crewman as illustrated
on the relevant Crew card. (e.g. The Banker
requires only a Railway Share whereas the
Baker requires Thimble + Fork + Soap. The
number of implements reflects the man’s
usefulness.) The player displays the relevant
cards), places them on the Discard Stack and
puts the relevant Crew card face up in front of
him. He completes his turn by taking the top
card from the Stock Pile. NOTE: Once a
Crewman has been hired he remains with that
player till he goes hunting or the Round ends.
Only one Crewman can be hired in a turn. No
player may hire more than two Crewmen (or one
Crewman if he is Bellman) at any one time.

=== 6 ===
3) Become the Bellman
A player may assume the influential role of
Bellman at any time he can satisfy the right
conditions – EVEN if there is a current Bellman.
He must have a Bell card and a Map card, which
he displays and discards, and pays one Warrant
into the Pool. He takes the Bellman Licence,
either from the ship or from the possession of
another player and places it in front of him,
finally taking the top card of the Stock Pile to
complete his turn. NOTE: He may not be a
Bellman if he has currently hired two Crewmen.
4) Bewilder the Crew
The current Bellman may, after discarding a
card, shout “Starboard & Larboard”. All players
(including Bellman) must select and pass, face
down, one Stock card to the player on his right
and one to the player on the left. No cards may
be picked up until all passes have been made.
The Bellman completes his turn by picking up
the top card from the Stock Pile.
NOTE: If a player happens to have only one
card in his hand when the order is given he
passes it to the right, and gains an extra card at
the expense of the player on his left.
5) Go Hunting

=== 7 ===
Fit the Fifth:
The Hunting
The Hunting player must EITHER be the
Bellman with/without a Crewman
OR have hired one or two Crew. NOTE: It
is possible to hunt “solo’ but a secondary
Crewman greatly increases chances of survival. §
He must also have from one to five
DIFFERENT Marks of the Snark in his hand.
If he has, for example, two Ambition cards he
does not display the second as it does not count.
He displays his Marks and places them on
the Stack. He then turns up from the
Animal Pack, one at a time, as many cards
as he has displayed Marks.
NOTE: If he has five different Marks he
may turn over ALL cards in the Animal Pack,
one at a time, until the Snark has been found
or his men eliminated.
He follows the instructions on the Animal
Pack cards if they are relevant. If the Hunt is
unsuccessful he returns any surviving Crew
&/or the Bellman Licence to the Ark for
rehire, reshuffles the Animal Pack, and
picks a card from the Stock Pile.

=== 8 ===
The Animal Pack
SNARK [Snarx Snarx]
If the Snark is turned the player has
WON THE ROUND. He takes the Pool.
If the total number of Warrants in his store now
total 20 or more he has WON THE GAME and
will be given three cheers by the other players.
If not, he becomes the leader next Round.
BOOJUM [Boojum Pseudosnarx]
If the Boojum turns up the one or two Crew
on the hunt ‘softly and suddenly vanish away”
They are immediately replaced face down on
the Ark whence they take no part in the
remainder of the Round. The player must pay
one Warrant to the Pool for each vanished
Crewman. NOTE: A player with no hunters
left may not continue the Hunt even if he has
more Marks displayed.
The Bellman, with his advanced Snarkological
knowledge, is immune to the Boojum.
But if he has a Crewman with him the Crewman
vanishes (cost 1 Warrant) and he continues the
Hunt alone if he has the entitling Marks.

=== 9 ===
BANDERSNATCH
[Bandasnajjus Frumius]
A Bandersnatch will ALWAYS snatch the
Banker (even if he is accompanied) or any solo
Crewman unaccompanied by fellow Crewman /
Bellman. This is the main reason for going
hunting with two men.
There are two of these snappish beasts in the
Pack so if, say, the Banker and Boots were to
meet two consecutive Bandersnatchi the first
would snatch the Banker and the second would
snatch the Boots who had continued the Hunt
singlehanded.
A snatched Crewman must be returned face
down to the Ark dead for that Round. One
Warrant is paid into the Pool. A hunterless
player may not continue the Hunt.
Two Crew or Bellman + Crew are immune from
attack by these cowardly creatures.
A solo Bellman can ward off a Bandersnatch
attack but the effort immediately ends the Hunt.

=== 10 ===
IF ALL FIVE MARKS
HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED, IGNORE
ALL THE REMAINING
INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS FIT.
The remaining Animals either entitle certain
Crew the turn of one extra card from the
Pack or forfeit certain Crew the turn of
one card from the Pack.
NOTE: If a forfeit is incurred on the
last card then it should not have been turned,
a paradox ensues and the turn ends.

JUBJUB [ubjubix Symmetrica]
If one of the Crew on the Hunt is the Butcher
he recognizes the voice of the Jubjub
and is entitled to an extra card.
If one of the Crew is the Beaver he fails to
recognize the scream of that desperate bird
and forfeits the turn of one card.
HYENA [Hyaena Hyaena]
If one of the Crew is the Baker he jokes with
the Hyena and is entitled to an extra card.
BEAR [Ursus Horribilis]
If one of the Crew is the Baker he walks
paw in paw with the Bear and is entitled
to an extra card.

=== 11 ===
PIG [Porcus Animatus]
If one of the Crew is the Barrister and
the Pig is Live (when the card is turned over
the word ‘LIVE’ is facing the player) he
is entitled to an extra card.
PIG [Porcus Defunctus]
If one of the Crew is the Barrister and
the Pig is Dead (when the card is turned over
the word ‘DEAD’ is facing the Player) he
forfeits the turn of one card.

=== 12 ===
Fit the Sixth:
The Unwarranted Player
If a player has no Warrants to meet his
commitments (to pay into the Pool at the
beginning of a Round or upon losing a Crewman
during a Round) he must retire from the game.
If however a player has no Warrants but HAS
met his commitments he may continue playing
in the hope of winning the Round.
If however however all the Crew are
rendered ‘dead’ in that Round then he can
never go hunting again and must
therefore retire from the Game.
An unwarranted player leaving the game must
place all his Stock cards on the Discard Stack
and thereafter becomes solely responsible for
shuffling the Animal Pack.
Unwarranted players are as worthless as
Bogus Snark Warrants.

=== 13 ===
Fit the Seventh:
SNARK WARRANTs
The Square Winner
The Overall Winner: that Man among Men
Who doubles his primary store
Of Warrants. You’ll find that you started with 10:
To succeed you must make the first SCORE

=== 14 ===
Fit the Eighth:
The Elliptical Loser
If only one player is left in the game in the
middie of a Round, (as will usually happen
with two players and may happen with three
or even four he is NOT YET the winner.
He must first collect his Snark.
He assumes the role of solo Bellman with a
set of five Marks; that is he pays a Warrant
and turns as many cards as necessary from the
Animal Pack until…
a) he finds the Snark in which case he is
the overall Winner, Fair & Square
OR
b) he encounters a Bandersnatch in which case
the Animal Pack is reshuffled, he pays another
Warrant and tries again.

When you’re the last Bellman and find
to your cost
You’ve no longer the help of your Crew
And you’re on your last Warrant and then
that is lost
Then THE SNARK IS THE WINNER so Boo…

PRIMARY APPENDIX:

Animal Pack Drill

SECONDARY APPENDIX:

Chances of Success
Your chances of catching a Snark in a Hunt are roughly one in…

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Marks    | Crew Solo | Bellman Solo | Crew+Crew | Bellman+Crew
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
1 Mark |    8    | 8    |    8    | 8
2 Marks   |    5    | 4⅔ |    4⅓ | 4
3 Marks   |    4⅓ | 3⅔ |    3    | 2⅔
4 Marks   |    4    | 3¼ |    2½ | 2
Full Marks |    4    | 3    |    2    | 1⅓
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

TERTIARY APPENDIX (responsible for any errors in this appendix: Goetz Kluge, 2026-03-07)

Detailed description of the cards.

== CREW DECK (10 cards) ==
See “Preparation” (p. 3)
Depicting accredited Snark Hunters.
Front: Live crew
Back (except Bellman): Dead crew

Hiring a crew and becoming the Bellman:
※ BELLMAN: A player can become the Bellman if the player has MAP + BELL.
※ BANKER: Can be hired by a player who has RAILWAYSHARE.
※ BROKER: Can be hired by a player who has RAILWAYSHARE + FORK.
※ BOOTS: Can be hired by a player who has SOAP + SMILE.
※ BILLIARD: Can be hired by a player who has SMILE + RAILWAYSHARE.
※ BONNET: Can be hired by a player who has THIMBLE + SOAP.
※ BEAVER: Can be hired by a player who has FORK + THIMBLE.
※ BAKER: Can be hired by a player who has THIMBLE + FORK + SOAP.
※ BARRISTER: Can be hired by a player who has RAILWAYSHARE + SMILE + THIMBLE.
※ BUTCHER: Can be hired by a player who has SMILE + SOAP + FORK
Additionally, further rules apply for hiring a crew and for becoming the Bellman.

== ANIMAL PACK (8 cards) ==
Detailing fauna they will meet:
※ Bandersnatch (2 cards)
※ Boojum
※ Bear
※ Hyena
※ JubJub
※ Pig (dead & alive)
※ Snark

== STOCK PILE (38 cards) ==
Containing Kit and Marks they will need.
The Snark’s five Marks:
※ Taste (3 cards)
※ Fondness for bathing machines (3 cards)
※ Slowness in taking a jest (3 cards)
※ Lateness at getting up (3 cards)
※ Ambition (3 cards)

Kit of utensils:
※ Bell (4 cards)
※ Fork (3 cards)
※ Map (4 cards)
※ Railway Share (3 cards)
※ Smile (3 cards)
※ Soap (3 cards)
※ Thimble (3 cards)

== GENUINE SNARK WARRANTS (42 cards including 2 bogus warrants) ==
Front and back of the 42 warrants (including the 2 bogus warrants) There are 80 images to be prepared for virtualization.
Front (of all genuine Snark warrants):
※ “SNARK WARRANT” stamped “GENUINE”
※ A number XLII
※ Signature of the Bellmanager
※ Number of the stanza on the back
Back: Each back contains a stirring verse
from “The Hunting of the Snark” to
stiffen the sinews at moments of high
peril or low despair:
1.1-1.8, 1.11-1.13, 1.15,
2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 2.15-2.21,
3.6, 3.7, 3.10,
4.9, 4.10,
5.1 (equal to 6.1, 7.1, 8.1), 5.6, 5.8,
6.3, 6.16,
7.3, 7.6, 7.7,
8.6-8.9
(In Goetz Kluge’s on-line Snark, for example, https:///snrk.de/snarkhunt/#5.01 will lead you to the stanza 5.1.)

Bluesky @snark.games

2026-02-28, updated: 2026-03-07