Actors-resources schema

Strategies proposed

Actors-actions table

Process

Rules

Number of players: 3 to 6 players and a game master.

Tools:

3 boards: one for the flood period, one for the flood recession period, one for the low flow period.

Money: each person receives 3 francs

Fish: when fishermen work, they should respect a certain amount of fish, or the resource won’t reproduce well for the next year.

Wood: resource in the forest

Bourgou: in the bourgou fields

Board organization:

Deep blue: Minor bed of the river Niger

Medium blue:  Area liable to flooding + lakes

Deep green: Forest

Brown and Sand: dry area but liable to flooding

Green: dryland

Green and hatched: irrigated rice

Hatched: area for rice crops

Spotted: area for bourgou crops

Roles/Actors/Players:

Farmers

Farmers grow rice. They have to wait for the low flow to sow, and for the flood recession to harvest and earn their money.

Breeders

Breeders lead their cattle to the bourgou fields, in order to feed it. During the flood, breeders can either become nomadic and leave the Delta with their cattle, or become a farmer. In that case, the new farmer will give money (1 franc) to the nomadic breeder: the nomadic breeder will take care of it until flood recession.

Fisherman

Fishermen fish in the river Niger. During the low flow, they can also go into lakes.

The game master: represents the Jowro and the Master of the water

The Jowro controls the land that does not belong to the village. Every actor who uses the land (for example, for pasture) mmust pay him a fee.

The Master of the water : gives fishing quotas

Important!

·         The communal land is free, players don’t have to pay a fee. The Jowro’s land is not free, players have to pay 1 franc when they use it (lasts one year).

·         Farmers (rice) have to grow their crops in hatched and spotted areas.

·         When in conflicts for a land plot, players can use a “Village chief” card: the village chief will make a decision!

·         Overgrazing and overfishing is dangerous. If players overfish or overgraze, there won’t be a lot of resources left during the net year.

Ex: there are 5 bourgou counters, and breeders use 3 for each land plot to make their livestock pasture. So if 2 breeders go on two bourgou plot, there won’t be enough resource.

Ex: every fishermen can take 2 fish in the Niger. But if there are not enough fish in the Niger left, the Master of Water can speak and give quotas.

·         Breeders must be on the river’s bank.

·         Between the low flow and the flood period, fishermen and breeders can decide to become farmers.

Decision time

Each player receives 4 francs.

Before the beginning of the game, farmers can chose where to sow their rice crops.

Breeders can decide either if they want to be a nomadic breeder or a farmer-breeder.

The game begins with the flood period. Once the crops are settled, they won’t move! They will receive their output after the flood, during the flood recession.

During the low flow period:

-farmers plant rice crops

-breeders can move towards the river and the lake, where bourgou is.

-fishermen move towards the Niger river or the lakes.

During the flood period:

-farmers don’t play.

- breeders play second. They are either farmers (see above) or nomadic

-fishermen play third. They don’t receive any output during the flood.

During the flood recession period:

-farmers harvest and get their outputs.

-breeders move towards the river. Arrival of the nomadic breeders into the game.

-fishermen fish and earn money.