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SNARK!

@snark.games

On occasion of the Snark's 150th anniversary – see @snark150.bsky.social – I want to revitalize a legacy card game on virtual desktops.

※ Admin: @goetzkluge.bsky.social
※ Web: https://snrk.de/zzota-snark/
※ More Snark hunting: @snarkhunt.bsky.social

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SNARK! @snark.games · 2d

#TheHuntingOfTheSnark #games #videogames #computergames #cardgames #game #videogame #computergame #cardgame #gamedesign #underdevelopment

snrk.de/zzota-snark/

SNARK!

@snark.games

If you develop games built on Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark", then you should consider, that there are (including the Beaver) only 9 hunters, not 10 (snrk.de/boots-bonnet...). But I think that this does not affect the fun you have with existing games.

The Hunting of the Snark @snarkhunt.bsky.social · Dec 30

About Lewis Carroll's 'The Hunting of the Snark': Is "Boots" among the portmanteau words which can be made from "maker of Bonnets and Hoods"? Under Linux, the programs 'an' and 'grep' help to answer the question.

$ an -w 'maker of Bonnets and Hoods' | grep boot
bootees
bootee's
booths
booth's
bootee
booted
boots
boot's
booth
boot

(Boldface has been set manually after running the command.)

See also: https://snrk.de/boots-bonnetmaker/

Keys: The Hunting of the Snark | TheHuntingOfTheSnark | Lewis Carroll | LewisCarroll | portmanteau | portmanteaus | anagram generator | anagramgenerator | anagramm

February 12, 2026 at 1:48 AM

SNARK!

@snark.games

By now, my concept for my SNARK! revival project seems to get more stable. I am still checking which virtual tabletop tools would serve me best.

I guess that preparing the cards will take some time. Example: help.tabletopia.com/knowledge-ba... (Tabletopia)

Image: www.reddit.com/r/tabletopga...

https://www.reddit.com/r/tabletopgamedesign/comments/1r2dm7c/on_occasion_of_the_150th_anniversary_of_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1

Post in reddit's r/tabletopgamedesign (2026-01-12)
GoetzKluge

On occasion of the 150th anniversary of "The Hunting of the Snark" I want to revitalize the legacy card game "SNARK!" using a virtual tabletop.
Discussion

This isn't marketing of a new game. The real card sets of "SNARK!" are not available anymore since around 2017. That's why I want to give it a revival as a virtual card game. Playing the virtual cards should be free of charge, as my objective is to use the game to make people more aware of Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark" (published in 1876 und by now in public domain). The book celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026. (I got into this Snark business in 2008 when I started to analyze Henry Holiday's illustrations to Carroll's tragicomedy.)

The game project is aligned with the game creators and not commercial. Jeremy Jexon Secker defined the rules of the card game in 1985. The artwork is by Xanna Eve Chown. The game was released into the market in 2006 by ZZOTA. Sadly they stopped operating in 2017.

My SNARK! project is in a very early phase. I am just starting to prepare about 100 virtual cards. So I'll have around 150 photos to take, as quite a few cards have different backs. (The original images from 2006 are not available anymore.) Looking at preparing the graphics e.g. in Tabletopia, there probably will lots of work for me to be done beyond just taking photos.

I am still evaluating whether Tabletopia will be a useful tool for my project. I also have a look at boardgamearena.com, playingcards.io, screentop.gg, abletopsimulator.com, vassalengine.org, virtualtabletop.io or similar platforms.

...

Do you think that Tabletopia will be useful for me, or should I look for other tools or for completely different approaches to reviving "SNARK!"?

February 12, 2026 at 12:12 AM

SNARK!

@snark.games

Some cards of SNARK!
※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker
※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown

February 11, 2026 at 9:22 AM

Reposted by SNARK!

SNARK!

@snark.games

1/🧵

I'm now digging into the game. As an engineer, I said and heard RTFM often enough, so here we go:

JJ Secker allowed me to put the rules in public domain:
※ snrk.de/wp-content/u... (black&white, 3MB)
※ snrk.de/wp-content/u... (color, 48MB)

Images from the manual (20 pages in 18 PDF pages).

SNARK!
A FANTASTICAL GAME FOR 2,3 OR 4 PLAYERS FEATURING CREATURES FROM THE MIND OF LEWIS CARROLL

SNARK!
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 three times is true.

ZZOTA LIMITED
LIMITED EDITION
EDITION NO. 42

https://snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ZZOTA-SNARK_color.pdf

On July 18th 1874 as [Lewis Carroll] 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.

https://snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ZZOTA-SNARK_color.pdf

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.

Animals Bellman
Banker
Broker Boots Billiard-marker Bonnet-maker Beaver
Baker Barrister Butcher

Stock

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

3

--------

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

4

https://snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ZZOTA-SNARK_color.pdf

Last page of https://snrk.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ZZOTA-SNARK_color.pdf

PRIMARY APPENDIX: Animal Pack Drill ...
SECONDARY APPENDIX: Chances of Success ...

February 10, 2026 at 9:28 AM

SNARK!

@snark.games

AFAIK, the possibility that "Boots" might be a portmanteau made up from "maker of Bonnets and Hoods" first was mentioned in 2007 (snrk.de/page_boots-b...) in a Wikipedia comment.

bsky.app/profile/snar...

The Hunting of the Snark @snarkhunt.bsky.social · Nov 21

If Lewis Carroll chose "Boots" as a portmanteau for "Bonnets" and "Hoods" (zirk.us/@snarkology/...), then there might be only 9 Snark hunters in "The Hunting of the Snark", not 10 (snrk.de/page_boots-b...).

#portmanteau #TheHuntingOfTheSnark #LewisCarroll