Zapp Zerapp

About this board game

Zapp Zerapp is a 2–4-player racing game released in 2000, with play lasting about 30 minutes. It gives the familiar Parcheesi, Sorry, or Trouble-style race a novel twist: movement is decided by choosing and shaking small wooden containers rather than simply rolling and using dice.

Each turn, two dice are rolled and their combined result is announced. All players then simultaneously choose one of thirteen containers and shake it. The containers hold between one and thirteen lead pellets, with each value identified by a sticker on the bottom.

The goal is to select the container with the highest number of pellets that does not exceed the dice result. This creates a quick contest of judgment and timing as everyone reaches for a container at the same time, hoping to claim a strong move without exceeding the announced limit.

• Race pawns from their starting positions around the board.
• Move toward the safe zone using selected pellet values.
• Choose simultaneously from thirteen numbered wooden containers.
• Resolve movement from the highest selection to the lowest.

After all containers have been selected, players move one by one, beginning with the highest selection and continuing downward, provided the selection allows movement. The race also includes a familiar setback: if another player’s pawn lands on or passes over a pawn, that pawn is returned to its starting location.

With simultaneous grabbing, uncertain choices, and a traditional race around the board, Zapp Zerapp turns a classic-style pawn dash into an energetic test of selection and risk. It is designed for 2–4 players and offers a compact game session of roughly half an hour.