I see from my access logs that someone found me by searching the web for “Missionaries and Cannibals”. So:
Missionaries & Cannibals. This is a bar game we used to play. The rules are simple, the solution isn’t, especially when you’re in Jay’s Elbow Room getting hammered.
The story is that there are three missionaries want to use a rowboat to cross a river with three newly-converted cannibal friends. There are six people but the boat only holds two, so they’ll have to row back and forth in singles and pairs.
However, there are two gotchas. First, although all three missionaries know how to row the boat, only one cannibal does. Second, if cannibals outnumber missionaries on either shore they will give in to temptation and eat the missionaries. Got that?
Great.
Start by drawing a couple of lines down the center of a placemat – this is the river. If there’s no placemat, draw on the table.
Now put three dimes on one side of the river. These are the three missionaries. And put two pennies and a nickel down with the quarters. These are the two cannibals who can’t row, and the one cannibal who can. [UK: use 5p, 2p and 10p. EU: you’re on your own.]
Now move coins across the river and back in singles and pairs until all six are on the other side.
Click for solution.
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