Goal
To be the first player to reach the top of any three columns.
Playing
To start your turn, roll all four dice. Look your roll over carefully. Then split your roll in half
in any way you wish, and add the two dice in each half. The purpose: to create a pair of
numbers.
Example: Let’s say you roll a 1-5-4-6. With this roll, you can create any of the following pairs:
6 and 10 (1+5 and 4+6); or 5 and 11 (1+4 and 5+6); or 9 and 7 (5+4 and 1+6).
The pair of numbers you choose to create represents the two columns into which you must now
place markers.
Example: On this roll of 1-5-4-6, let’s say you choose 6 and 10 as your pair. You must now
place a marker into the "6" column and another marker into the "10" column.
When first placing a marker into a particular column, always place it onto the space at the
bottom of that column.
In this game you may roll more than once on a single turn. On each additional roll, you also
create a pair of numbers in the same way.
a) Let’s say you roll again and create a pair that includes a number you’ve already chosen.
When this happens, move the marker up one space in that number’s column.
b) Let’s say you roll again and decide to create a pair with a new number. If you have another
marker left, you must place it into the new marker’s column.
You may continue to roll as long as your last roll allowed you either to place a marker or to
move one up. If you prefer, you may stop your turn whenever you wish. To stop, simply replace
each marker with one of your colored squares.
Placing a Marker
a) If you choose a column that does not already have one of your colored squares in it, place the
marker onto the space at the bottom of that column.
b) If you choose a column that does already have one of your colored squares in it, place the
marker onto the space directly above your colored square.
c) You may place a marker onto a space that’s already occupied by an opponent’s colored square.
d) If you can place a marker on your roll, you must.
Example: Let’s say you’ve already placed markers into the "3" and "6" columns and you roll a
2-4-5-5. If you want to move up the marker in column "6", you must place the third marker
into column "10". Otherwise you must place the third marker either into column "7" or "9".
Blowing It. When your roll will not allow you either to place a marker or to move one up, you’ve
"blown it" and must end your turn. Remove all of the markers that you’ve placed, but leave all of
your colored squares that are already on the board.
Remember: As soon as you’ve placed all three markers on your turn, each additional roll on that
turn must allow you to move up at least one of the markers. Otherwise you’ve "blown it" and
your turn ends.
Winning a Column. You win a column as soon as you place one of your colored squares onto
the number at the top of that column. If any of your opponents already has a colored square in a
column that you win, he or she must remove that square immediately.
a) A marker on the number at the top of a column does not mean you’ve won that column.
Example: Let’s say you’ve placed markers into columns "3", "6" and "8", and that you’ve just
moved the marker in column "6" to the number at the top. You could stop your turn now and
win that column by replacing each of the markers with one of your colored squares. You
decide, however, to roll again -- hoping to win columns "3" and "8", too. You roll a 2-4-5-5.
Tough luck. You have no more markers to place, and you can’t move the marker in column "6"
any higher than it already is. So you’ve "blown it" and must end your turn by removing all of
the markers that you’ve placed. In other words, you do not win column "6".
b) You may not place a marker into a column that someone has already won--even if you’ve won
that column yourself.
Example: Let’s say that columns "6", "8" and "10" are already won, and you roll a 2-4-4-6.
You’ve "blown it"-- even if you still have markers to place.
Winning
The winner is the first player to win any three columns.
Variants
Number of Columns
The number of columns to win the game can be changed. Standard is 3; alternatively, 4 or 5 can be selected. This is capped by how many players are in the game:
- 2 players = 5 columns
- 3 players = max. 4 columns
- 4 players = max. 3 columns
This variant can be combined with the variant "Jumping" or "Forced Move".
Jumping
When you would move your marker to a space which is already occupied, you instead move it up to the next open space.
Forced Move
When you move your marker to a space which is already occupied, you must continue rolling until you can move it to an
open space where you will get the option to stop, or until you "blow it", in which case you lose all progress.