Buffalo Chess is an abstract strategy game for two players, designed by Alex Randolph in 1975. In this asymmetrical variation of chess, one player controls a herd of buffalo trying to cross a river, while the other player controls a Rancher and their dogs who are trying to stop them. The game is also known as Prairie Chess, Bison, and Trespass.

Learn more about the game:

Board Game Geek: Buffalo Chess
Ludii Games Portal: Bison
joonas.io: Buffalo Chess

Playing the game:

Buffalo Chess is a two-player game where each player has different pieces and objectives. The buffalo player wins by getting one piece to the other side of the board, while the Rancher player wins by capturing or blocking all the buffalo. A set of compiled rules is included.

About the model:

Buffalo Chess was created by Alex Randolph, a prolific board game designer with a career that spanned four decades. I came across Buffalo Chess while browsing the Abstract category on Board Game Geek and became immediately interested in its simple, clean design both in terms of the game board and rules.

Like my other models, my design goals are:

• An easy, straight-forward print that fits most printer beds and doesn't require an AMS or multi-color machine to look good.
• A complete game with everything needed to play, all available in one place.
• A very permissive and open license that allows the models to easily serve as a base for others.

Printing:

The game board: While the game can be printed in a single color, its aesthetics are greatly improved by printing the rivers and board's squares in different colors. The rivers are individually modeled pieces which can be printed separately from the main board and have small holes that compliment small pegs on the main board. The rivers should gently snap into place and do not require any glue. 

I recommend printing the main board in two colors. The initial color being what will help define the lines between squares and the secondary color becoming the surface of the squares themselves. 

In my example, I used a black matte filament for the base of the board, a cherry wood filament for the squares, and a light blue for the river.

• Print the main board and river pieces at 5% gyroid infill with 3 walls.
• Perform a color change at layer 21 to change the colors of the board's squares.

Player pieces: One player will need (11) Buffalo pieces. The other player will need (1) Rancher and (4) Dog pieces, for a total of (16) player pieces. 

Pieces can be printed flat and without supports.

• Print pieces at 10% gyroid infill with 3 walls.
• The Buffalo, Rancher, and Dog pieces are visually distinct enough but should be printed in different colors to help with aesthetics. 

Safety Information:

CAUTION: This game is not suitable or intended for children under 3 years of age. The game as presented may include small pieces that could pose a choking hazard for small children. Young players should have adult supervision at all times while playing.