How to play
Everyone has a window of 20 panes, 4 rows of 5, and a secret colour only they know. The game lasts 10 rounds. Each round, two dice per player plus one are rolled into the middle. Players pick one die each in turn, first to last and then back again, so everyone picks twice and one die is left over. Place the die you pick in your window, or pass.
Placing dice
- Your first die goes on a pane at the edge of the window.
- Every later die must touch a die you already placed, side by side or corner to corner.
- Two dice side by side (up, down, left or right) can never share a colour or a number. Corner to corner is fine.
- A coloured pane takes only that colour, and a numbered pane takes only that number.
Scoring
Each game uses three goals, picked at random from these:
- Rainbow rows: 6 for each full row with five different colours.
- Rainbow columns: 5 for each full column with four different colours.
- Number rows: 5 for each full row with five different numbers.
- Number columns: 4 for each full column with four different numbers.
- Low pairs: 2 for each set of a 1 and a 2.
- Middle pairs: 2 for each set of a 3 and a 4.
- High pairs: 2 for each set of a 5 and a 6.
- Full runs: 5 for each set of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
- Full colours: 4 for each set of all five colours.
- Colour chains: 1 for each die touching a die of its colour corner to corner.
Then add the numbers on every die of your secret colour, and take away 1 point for each empty pane. The highest total wins; a tie goes to the bigger secret-colour total.
Tips
Plan around the panes that ask for something: if their neighbours already hold that colour or number, they can never be filled. High numbers in your secret colour are worth grabbing, and in a game for three or four, taking a die someone else needs can matter as much as taking one you need.