SNARK!

Some cards of SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Design (2006): Xanna Eve Chown http://snark.games

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

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 ...

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).

=== 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.)

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.

23 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) provide the players with 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

3/🧵

23 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) provide the players with the utensils required for Snark hunting. All cards in the stock pile have the same back.

Snarks Have Five Unmistakable Marks: https://snrk.de/snarks-have-five-unmistakable-marks/. 15 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) represent the Snark's marks. All cards in the stock pile have the same back. --------------------------- SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown

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Snarks have five unmistakable marks: snrk.de/snarks-have-....

15 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) represent the Snark's marks. All cards in the stock pile have the same back.

‪SNARK!‬
4a/🧵

A remark on the Snark's 2nd mark: The Snark's fondness for bathing machines probably is one of Lewis Carroll's Oxford Christ Church insider jokes. He poked fun at a temporary belfry (snrk.de/the-new-belf...).

bsky.app/profile/snar...

It next will be right To describe each particular batch: Distinguishing ※ those that have feathers, and bite, ※ And those that have whiskers, and scratch. ---------------------------------------- https://snrk.de/snarks-have-five-unmistakable-marks/#ambition: Trump underestimated the instincts of a bald eagle. Such birds quickly sense evil.

4b/🧵

Another remark, this time about the Snark's 5th mark: It's Ambition. This trait can turn a Snark into a Boojum.

The GIF is in snrk.de/snarks-have-....

Beware! In the 8 cards of ANIMAL PACK you have two chances to meet the Bandersnatch. The animal that looks to me like Schrödinger's Pig will need some special solution for the virtualization of SNARK!. ------------------------------------- SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown

SNARK!‬
5/🧵

Beware! In the 8 cards of ANIMAL PACK you have two chances to meet the Bandersnatch. The animal that looks to me like Schrödinger's Pig will need some special solution for the virtualization of SNARK!.

Last week I didn't know that there are platforms for virtual cards. In this and the next week I'll evaluate which platform I might use. Do you have any recommendations?

bsky.app/profile/snar...

Thank you for the post. I am just starting. You give me the idea to start with pure text (without artwork) first.

I still didn't decide which TTS I'll be using. I thought about Tabletopia. But Playingcards might be an alternative.

bsky.app/profile/snar...

On the day of posting this, the SNARK! blog is just 4 days old, but I am hunting the Snark since almost 20 years. Sooner or later someone might post a comment that starts like this: "Sorry for destroying your illusions about Lewis Carroll, but did you know ..."

snrk.de/kwm/ describes what I know.

2026-02-12 Q: «How about Jeremy Secker's card game "SNARK!"?» A: «Yes — Jeremy Jexon Secker’s card game SNARK! (often stylized in all-caps) is a real card game directly based on Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark. It was released in 2006 by the publisher ZZOTA and the rules were defined by Jeremy Jexon Secker back in 1985. The artwork for the original deck was created by Xanna Eve Chown. The game interprets themes and imagery from Carroll’s poem for a tabletop experience rooted in the Snark-hunting narrative and atmosphere. Here are the key details: 📜 What SNARK! is Card game inspired by The Hunting of the Snark — the original poetic narrative of an absurd, doomed expedition to find the mysterious Snark. Rules designed in 1985 by Jeremy Jexon Secker, making it one of the more substantial game adaptations of the poem. Published in 2006 by ZZOTA. The cards feature artwork tailored to the poem’s characters and themes. The original SNARK! sets are now out of print — ZZOTA ceased operations around 2017, and the game stopped being widely available. 🃏 Current status and revival efforts Enthusiasts have discussed creating virtual tabletop versions of SNARK! for platforms like Tabletopia or similar online tools — often to celebrate the 150th anniversary of The Hunting of the Snark in 2026. These revival projects aim to bring the original gameplay experience to a digital audience, though they’re typically community-driven rather than commercial.»

ChatGPT's answer to the question «How about Jeremy Secker's card game "SNARK!"?»:

2026-02-12 Q: «Are there games which are related to Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the snark"?» A: «Yes, there are games based on Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark. The most prominent is SNARK!, a 2-4 player card game designed by Jeremy Secker, featuring illustrated characters and events from the poem. Additionally, a hidden object game by Long Leaf's Friends exists, and a Snarkhunter app was developed by Burn the Curtain to accompany a promenade theatre show. ※ SNARK! Card Game: Created by Zzota Games, this card game is designed for 2–4 players and focuses on hunting the Snark, with vibrant illustrations. ※ Long Leaf's Friends Game: A digital hidden object game that offers a 15-minute experience based on the poem. ※ Snarkhunter App: An interactive, location-based app designed as a "forest adventure" to complement an outdoor theater performance. ※ Virtual Revivals: Due to the scarcity of the original Zzota cards, fans have worked on reviving the game through virtual platforms like Tabletopia. These games generally focus on the nonsensical, adventurous, and search-oriented themes of the original poem. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=are+there+game+which+are+related+to+Lewis+Carroll%27s+%22The+Hunting+of+the+snark%22%3F »

I started my SNARK! revival project only three days ago, and already now the slightly creative Google AI tries to tell me what I am doing.

I know Long Leaf's Snark game (www.lewiscarroll.org/2011/09/29/h...). Children might like it.

I am still evaluating tabletop simulators. First I have to take fotos from an legacy card game which I want to virualize. So I am curious what people say about TTS.

I also like real cards. But if the cards for a good game are not available anymore, playing them on a virtual tabletop at least gives them a (virtual) life.

4c/🧵

(Whoops, snrk.de/wp-content/u... is not a GIF.)

It next will be right To describe each particular batch: Distinguishing ※ those that have feathers, and bite, ※ And those that have whiskers, and scratch. ---------------------------------------- https://snrk.de/snarks-have-five-unmistakable-marks/#ambition: Trump underestimated the instincts of a bald eagle. Such birds quickly sense evil.

4b/🧵

Another remark, this time about the Snark's 5th mark: It's Ambition. This trait can turn a Snark into a Boojum.

The GIF is in snrk.de/snarks-have-....

‪SNARK!‬
4a/🧵

A remark on the Snark's 2nd mark: The Snark's fondness for bathing machines probably is one of Lewis Carroll's Oxford Christ Church insider jokes. He poked fun at a temporary belfry (snrk.de/the-new-belf...).

bsky.app/profile/snar...

Snarks Have Five Unmistakable Marks: https://snrk.de/snarks-have-five-unmistakable-marks/. 15 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) represent the Snark's marks. All cards in the stock pile have the same back. --------------------------- SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Artwork (2006): Xanna Eve Chown

4/🧵

Snarks have five unmistakable marks: snrk.de/snarks-have-....

15 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) represent the Snark's marks. All cards in the stock pile have the same back.

23 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) provide the players with 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

3/🧵

23 cards in the STOCK PILE (38 cards) provide the players with the utensils required for Snark hunting. All cards in the stock pile have the same back.

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/

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...

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.

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!"?

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...

bsky.app/profile/snar...

Some cards of SNARK! ※ Rules (1985): Jeremy Jexon Secker ※ Design (2006): Xanna Eve Chown http://snark.games

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

=== 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.)

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.

bsky.app/profile/snar...

bsky.app/profile/fing...

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/

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:

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.

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.