# Bulls and Cows — crack the code

- From: Bulls and Cows, the pencil-and-paper game Mastermind was based on
- Players: 2 players
- Time: 8–10 min
- Made by: Traditional

Made with boardgameBuilder 0.14.4. To design from it, open boardgameBuilder and choose Open game: its blocks go on the canvas, and the feelings are left for you to pick.

Each player writes a secret four-digit number with no digit repeated. You guess the other player's number, and they tell you how many digits are right and in the right place (bulls) and how many are right but in the wrong place (cows). You work out the number from these counts.

## What it shows a designer

Pure deduction from counted clues. It shows how much information a single answer can carry, and how a guess can be made to learn rather than to win.

## What you need

- paper
- a pen each

## How to play

1. **Secret number.** Each player secretly writes a four-digit number using four different digits, such as 4271. Agree whether it may start with 0.
2. **Guess.** Toss a coin to see who starts. Take turns guessing the other player's number, also with four different digits.
3. **Bulls and cows.** The other player answers with a count: a bull for each right digit in the right place, a cow for each right digit in the wrong place. They do not say which digits.
4. **Write it down.** Keep a list of your guesses and the answers. Use them to rule digits in and out.
5. **Win.** The first to get four bulls wins.

## After playing, talk about

- Which guess told you the most?
- Did you guess to win, or guess to learn?
- Did you keep notes, or hold it in your head?

## Where the rules are written down

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulls_and_cows
- https://www.bullsandcowsgame.com/howtoplay.html

## Its blocks

- Victory condition: race to finish
- Player interaction: solo in parallel
- Chance or skill: mostly skill
- Theme: abstract
- Information visibility: deduction
- Timing: take turns

## Saved state

boardgameBuilder reads this part back when the file is opened.

```json
{"mechanics": {"victory-condition": "race-to-finish", "player-interaction": "solo-in-parallel", "chance-skill": "mostly-skill", "information": "deduction", "theme": "abstract", "timing": ["take-turns"]}, "chosenFeelings": [], "previousMechanics": {}, "previousFeelings": [], "turnNumber": 0, "locked": false, "turnHistory": [], "answers": {}, "tests": {}}
```