Aggravation vs. Chinese Checkers: Different Games

"Aggravation" and "Chinese Checkers" are completely different games. The confusion may stem from both being marble-race games on star-shaped boards.

Aggravation (1960, Milton Bradley / Hasbro)

• Board: Cross-shaped track with 4 arms; each player has 4 marbles starting in "Base."
• Mechanic: Roll die → move marble clockwise. Land on opponent → send them back to Base (aggravate).
• Goal: Get all 4 marbles into Home (safe zone) by exact count.
• Key Feature: "Shortcut" center hole (must enter by exact roll).
• Players: 2–6 (team play possible).

Chinese Checkers (Sternhalma, 1892 Germany)

• Board: 6-pointed star (hexagram); 121 holes.
• Mechanic: Move 1 step to adjacent hole OR hop over adjacent marbles (multiple hops allowed). No dice.
• Goal: Move all 10 marbles from your starting point to opposite star point.
• Players: 2, 3, 4, or 6 (each uses one or two colors).

Quick Comparison

Both are family classics — Aggravation for dice chaos, Chinese Checkers for spatial tactics.