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SNARK!
@snark.games
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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.games
23 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) show the utensils required for Snark hunting. All cards in the stock pile have the same back.
23 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) show the utensils required for Snark hunting. All cards in the stock pile have the same back. --------------------------- SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown
February 12, 2026 at 2:20 PM
snark.games
9 Snark hunters, that's my preference when interpreting lines 9 and 10 of "The Hunting of the Snark" (snrk.de/snarkhunt/#1...). However, the lines are ambiguous. There also could be 10 hunters, as since 1876 almost all Snark readers believe.

See also: snrk.de/boots-bonnet...
The correct non-sequential interlaced portmanteau 'Boots' can be built from 'Bonnets and Hoods'. The lines 9 and 10 from Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark" are ambiguous: 009 The crew was complete: it included a Boots — 010 A maker of Bonnets and Hoods — Two interpretations are possible: • The usual interpretation is that this is the introduction of two crew members: The 'Boots' and the 'maker of Bonnets and Hoods'. • Alternatively, the two lines also can be interpreted as the introduction of a 'Boots', who is a 'maker of Bonnets and Hoods'. The table below shows the names N of all crew members and how some properties P of the members are positioned besides the names of the members. crew | 10 members | 9 members ---------------------------------- Bellman| PNP|PNP Boots | N | NP maker of Bonnets and Hoods | N | - Barrister | NP | NP Billiard-marker | NP | NP Broker | NP | NP Banker | NP | NP Beaver | NP | NP Baker | PNP | PNP Butcher | PNP | PNP See also: https://snrk.de/boots-bonnetmaker/#9or10 and the much larger page https://snrk.de/page_boots-bonnetmaker/
February 12, 2026 at 7:58 AM
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.games
Some cards of SNARK!
※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker
※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown
Some cards of SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Design (2006): Xanna Eve Chown http://snark.games
February 11, 2026 at 9:22 AM
snark.games
2/🧵

In the SNARK! game are 40 cards with selected stanzas from Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark". Each card in this subset of all the cards is a "SNARK WARRANT". There is a red "GENUINE" stamp on each card.
=== 40 warrant cards === Front (of all cards): ※ "SNARK WARRANT" stamped "GENUINE" ※ A number XLII ※ Signature of the Bellmanager ※ Number or the stanza on the back Back: One stanza from "The Hunting of the Snark" per card. Selected stanzas: 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 my on-line Snark, for example, https://snrk.de/snarkhunt/#5.01 will lead you to the stanza 5.1.)
February 10, 2026 at 11:51 PM
snark.games
There also is a German translator of "The Hunting of the Snark" who understood that Carroll used "Boots" as portmanteau for "Bonnets and Hoods".

snrk.de/page_boots-b... is about Günther Flemming's translation:
Günther Flemming’s translation: 009 Die Crew war komplett, sie umfasste ‘nen But — 010 Er machte so Bonnie wie Hut — 011 Einen Beistand im Schlichten von ihrem Disput — 012 Einen Broker, der schätzte ihr Gut, 013 Einen Billard-Markeur mit enorm sichrer Hand, 014 Der vielleicht hätt’ verdient noch viel mehr — 015 Ein Bankier jedoch nahm jeden Penny zum Pfand 016 Für sein eigenes hohes Salär. Lewis Carroll’s original (with a non-sequential interlaced portmanteau): 009 The crew was complete: it included a Boots — 010 A maker of Bonnets and Hoods — 011 A Barrister, brought to arrange their disputes — 012 And a Broker, to value their goods. 013 A Billiard-marker, whose skill was immense, 014 Might perhaps have won more than his share — 015 But a Banker, engaged at enormous expense, 016 Had the whole of their cash in his care. Source: https://snrk.de/page_boots-bonnetmaker/der-but-machte-so-bonnie-wie-hut/
February 10, 2026 at 4:54 PM
snark.games
Does it affect the game if the Boots is the Bonnetmaker? If so, there only would be only 9 Snark hunters in the crew, not 10.
But we could leave the game as it is. The Boots deserves that. He is the most reasonable Snark hunter in the crew. The maker of Bonnets and Hoods is his inner artist.
Two illustrations by Henry Holiday to Lewis Carroll's 'The Hunting of the Snark' (1876) Details: https://snrk.de/boots-bonnetmaker/ Let us take all the nine crew members in order of their introduction in Lewis Carroll and Henry Holiday's tragicomedy: (1) The Bellman, their captain. (2) The Boots, a maker of Bonnets and Hoods. (A correct non-sequential interlaced portmanteau "Boots"can be built from "Bonnets and Hoods". Try under Linux: an -w 'Bonnets and Hoods' | grep boo) (3) The Barrister, brought to arrange their disputes, but repeatedly complained about the Beaver’s evil lace-making. (4) The Broker, to value their goods. (5) The Billiard-marker, whose skill was immense, might perhaps have won more than his share. From John Tufail I learned that in Henry Holiday’s illustration the Billiard-marker is preparing a cheat. (6) The Banker, engaged at enormous expense, had the whole of their cash in his care. (7) The Beaver, that paced on the deck or would sit making lace in the bow and had often (the Bellman said) saved them from wreck, though none of the sailors knew how. (8) The Baker, also addressed by “Fry me!”, “Fritter my wig!”, “Candle-ends” as well as “Toasted-cheese”, and known for joking with hyenas and walking paw-in-paw with a bear. (9) The Butcher, who only could kill Beavers, but later became best friend with the lace-making animal.
February 10, 2026 at 4:45 PM
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.games
#TheHuntingOfTheSnark #games #videogames #computergames #cardgames #game #videogame #computergame #cardgame #gamedesign #underdevelopment

snrk.de/zzota-snark/
=== https://snrk.de/zzota-snark/ === SNARK!, created by ZZOTA in 2006, is a card game based on Lewis Carroll’s “The Hunting of the Snark”. Jeremy Jexon Secker defined the rules in 1985. The beautiful design of the cards is by Xanna Eve Chown. Sadly, ZZOTA vanished away in 2017.
February 9, 2026 at 2:12 PM