game components - abacusspiele · this funnel, in any orientation. important: by placing dice, new...

Since 1979, every introduction to this game has begun with Reinhold Wittig‘s words:

„I‘ve often been asked how you do this: inventing games. Now, I want to add one more short answer – one that might be suited best to show the numerous different possibilities of inventing a game. At the same time, this answer is an invitation:

Invent your own rules for the dice pyramid. Play with numbers, with colours, with chance – but, above all, have fun!“

Game components:

• 1 pyramid base with 3 dice-holding compartments

• 1 white dice

• 40 blue dice

• 40 yellow dice

• 40 red dice

• 1 set of instructions for 5 different games

2

A swift dice-grabbing fun for 3 dice-grubbers by Uwe Beul

Brief descriptionAll players play simultaneously, trying to get hold of as many dice of a certain number as possible. Quickness and a good eye are in demand! The player who has grabbed up the most dice by the end of the game wins.

Game components• the pyramid base

• the white dice

• 40 blue, 40 yellow, and 40 red dice

Set-upSet up the complete pyramid with all the blue, yellow, and red dice. The distribution of the colours and the orientation of the dice are random. After that, remove the topmost dice from the pyramid and take it out of the game. Place the pyramid base in the middle of the table so that each player faces one of the three sides and can see only the dice numbers on his side. The youngest player takes the white dice and is the first to have a turn.

Illus. 1: Arnold, Bridget, and Claudia each sit in front of one side of the pyramid. The coloured outlines show which dice numbers the players can see from their perspective.

Course of the gamePlay proceeds in clockwise order. On your turn, you roll the white dice and immediately call out the number rolled – the „number-to-grub“ – so that everybody can hear it. Now all players simultaneously look for free-lying dice that show the just-rolled „number-to-grub“. For this, they may consider only the numbers on the dice they are facing.

A dice is considered free-lying if it can be taken off the pyramid without other dice moving.

Illus. 2: Arnold is the starting player; he rolls a „5“. Only the two upper „5“s are free-lying. The other „5“ marked here is blocked by the red „4“ above it and therefore is not free.

1

ArnOLD

BRIDGET Clau

diA

2

„FIVE!“

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3

If you find such a dice, you may take it off the pyramid and put it in the dice-holding compartment in front of you. By removing one or more dice, other dice become exposed so that you can then take them off the pyramid as well. These can also be dice that you couldn‘t see before.

Important: You may use only one hand and may never take more than one dice at a time into your hand. That means that you have to take and store dice one by one!

Illus. 3: Arnold has taken the two dice, one after the other, and put them in his dice-holding compartment. But Britta has also found a „5“ on her side. This gives Arnold access to two „5“s, one of which was completely covered before.

Players may keep grabbing dice until the player who has announced the „number-to-grub“ calls out „Stop!“ He can do this anytime – at the latest when he no longer finds any suitable dice. After that, nobody is allowed to take any more dice from the pyramid. If somebody has a dice in his hand that he has just picked from the pyramid, he may still put it into his dice-holding compartment. Then it‘s the next player‘s turn.

Illus. 4: Arnold has detected and taken another one of the now-accessible „5“s. Since he is afraid that the other players might catch up, he now quickly calls „Stop!“ and passes the white dice to Bridget.

End of the gameThe game ends when all the dice are lying directly on the base of the pyramid at the start of a player‘s turn. Now all players count the dice they have collected in their dice-holding compartment. The player who has grabbed up the most dice wins. In case of a tie, the players involved share the victory.

Illus. 5: After a short while, there are only a few dice left on the pyramid base. Arnold has just called „Stop!“ The remaining dice are all lying directly on the base of the pyramid. This ends the game; all players count the dice they have collected in their dice-holding compartments.

5

4

„Stop!“

3

4

A clever construction game for 3 master builders

Brief descriptionPlayers try to incorporate their dice as cleverly as possible, and, in doing so, cover other players‘ dice colours. Smart thinking and spatial perception are in demand! The player who is able to incorporate the most dice wins.


• the white dice


Set-upPlace the pyramid base in the middle of the table. Each player takes 40 dice of one colour and puts them as his supply into one of the dice-holding compartments. Now, set up the „starting pyramid“ by putting four dice in the middle of the pyramid base. The orientation of the dice is not significant – neither at this point nor throughout the game. To begin with, each player adds one dice from his supply to the pyramid. The colour arrangement of the dice at the bottom doesn‘t play a role. The player to the right of the youngest player gives up one additional dice to build the top of the „starting pyramid“. After that, the youngest player takes the white dice and is the first to have a turn.

Illus. 1: Claudia is sitting to the right of Arnold, the youngest player. Therefore, she has added a second dice to build the top of the „starting pyramid“.

Course of the gamePlay proceeds in clockwise order. On your turn, you roll the white dice. The result determines the number of dice you now have to incorporate. At least one of the dice to add has to touch a dice already lying on the pyramid base. „To touch“ means having a connection of flat dice sides.

Illus. 2: Arnold begins by rolling a „3“. First, he looks for dice of his colour on the pyramid base. At the moment, there is only one blue dice; it has two free dice sides that he could connect his dice to.

1

ArnOLD

BRIDGETClaudiA

2

4040401

5

In addition, the dice to incorporate need to be connected to each other; they form a „dice configuration“. Depending on the number of dice you have to incorporate, you can form different „dice configurations“. For three dice, for example, there are exactly two possible configurations:

A: or B:

Illus. 3: Arnold begins by rolling a „3“. First, he looks for dice of his colour on the pyramid base. At the moment, there is only one blue dice; it has two free dice sides that he could connect his dice to.

Important: Dice that only touch each other‘s edges or corners are not considered connected.

If there is no possibility for you to incorporate any dice, you have to skip your turn. When you have incorporated the required number of dice or have passed, your turn is over, and it‘s the next player‘s turn.

Illus. 4: Bridget has rolled a „2“. In this case, there is only one theoretically possible „dice configuration“: . But no matter how she tries to incorporate the dice, the flat sides won‘t be connected since one of the dice will always slide down. So she has no chance to add the two dice in compliance with the rules; therefore, she has to skip her turn.

Important: As long as a player has not yet incorporated any dice, his dice colour may not be covered completely by other players‘ dice; at least one side of a dice in his colour needs to be free.

Illus. 5: Now it is Claudia‘s turn; she also rolls a „2“. She can build the „dice configuration“ correctly. If Arnold now rolled a „1“, he could incorporate one dice on the very topl ganz oben einbauen. Since Bridget hasn‘t yet been able to incorporate any dice, her yellow dice may not be covered completely.

End of the gameWhen a player‘s dice colour is covered completely, the game ends immediately. The player with the fewest dice left in his supply wins.

The game also ends immediately if a player starting his turn rolls a number that is higher or equal to the number of dice in his supply. He wins the game, regardless of whether he would be able to incorporate his remaining dice or not.

Illus. 6: Later in the game, Arnold has another turn and rolls a „5“. Since he has only three dice left in his supply, the game ends immediately and Arnold wins.

3

4

5

6

6

A brisk searching game for 2-6 hawk-eyed players by Erika Wittig

Brief descriptionAll players play simultaneously, trying to find suitable spots to place their dice. Some mental calculation and a good eye are in demand! The first player to get rid of all his dice wins.


• 39 yellow dice

• 10 blue or red dice per player

Set-upPlace the pyramid base in the middle of the table. Fill it with 36 yellow dice by putting them all directly on the base of the pyramid. The orientation of the dice is done randomly. Each player takes 10 blue or red dice and puts them down in front of him as his supply. The colour of the dice is insignificant during the course of the game. The youngest player becomes the starting player; he gets the 3 remaining yellow dice and keeps them separate from his supply.

Illus. 1: Arnold and Bridget play a two-player game of „Summing up“. They both get 10 dice; it doesn‘t matter if they are all blue or all red or mixed blue and red.

Course of the gamePlay proceeds in clockwise order. On your turn, you roll the three yellow dice so that all players can see the result. Each player immediately adds up in his mind the numbers on the three yellow dice. Then he looks for a funnel on the pyramid base – a funnel with the same total on its three dice sides.

A funnel consists of three adjacent free dice sides forming a depression that can hold exactly one dice.

Illus. 2: The total on the dice of the funnel shown here is 6 + 4 + 3 = 13.

1

ArnOLD

BRIDGET

2

X * 1039-

7

The first player to find a funnel with the applicable total calls out „Stop!“ and points at it. He may put a dice from his supply into this funnel, in any orientation.

Important: By placing dice, new funnels might be generated. These funnels also are also included in the search for suitable funnels.

Illus. 3: Arnold begins by rolling a „1“, a „5“, and a „2“. He adds up the numbers in his mind and immediately starts searching for a funnel with a total of 8. Bridget, however, is faster: After just a few seconds, she has detected a suitable funnel. She calls „Stop!“ and puts one of her dice into the funnel. In this case, there would have been several correct funnels.

If there is no funnel with the right total, the first player to notice this calls out „No-go!“ If the other players verify this, he may put one dice from his supply into a funnel of his choice, in any orientation.

Illus. 4: Bridget has rolled a total of 11 and all players look for a suitable funnel, also considering the funnel formed from the two red and one blue dice. After a quick search, Arnold is sure that there is no funnel with a total of 11; so he calls out „No-go!“ Since he is right, he may now put one of his dice into a funnel of his choice.

If a player calls out „Stop!“ or „No-go!“ and is wrong, he may not place a dice, of course. Instead, he receives one „penalty dice“ from each of the other players and has to add them to his own supply.

After a player has placed a dice or obtained a „penalty dice“, it is the next player‘s turn.

End of the gameThe game ends immediately once one player has no dice left in his supply. This player wins.

It doesn‘t matter whether he has placed his last dice in a funnel or given it as a „penalty dice“ to another player. If several players at the same time give up their last dice as a „penalty dice“, they share the victory.

3

„Stop!“

4

„NO-GO!“

8

A quick memory game for 2-6 memorizing artists

Brief descriptionPlayers try to memorize more and more dice-rolling results over time and reveal them at the right moment. Good memory skills are in demand, but a little bit of luck wouldn‘t be bad either. The first player to accumulate five dice wins.


• 3 blue dice

• 36 yellow dice

• 28 red dice

Set-upPlace the pyramid base in the middle of the table. Fill it with 36 yellow dice by putting them all directly on the base of the pyramid. The orientation of the dice is done randomly. In addition, cover the yellow dice with a layer of red dice. Their orientation is insignificant during the course of the game. The youngest player becomes the starting player; he gets the three blue dice.

Illus. 1: Arnold, Bridget and Claudia have set up the game.

Course of the gamePlay proceeds in clockwise order. On your turn, you roll the three blue dice so that all players can see the result. Add up the numbers you have rolled. Then you lift one red dice of your choice on the pyramid base, thus revealing a funnel with three yellow dice sides.


Add up the numbers on the dice sides of the funnel and call out the total so that all players can hear it.

Illus. 2: The total on the dice of the funnel shown here is 6 + 4 + 3 = 13.

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2

1

ArnOLD

BRIDGETClaudiA

9

Now you compare the total of the funnel with the total of your dice roll.

If the two totals are the same, you keep the red dice and put it down in front of you. After that, you take another turn and roll the three blue dice again.

Important: Funnels that are no longer covered by a red dice have no meaning during the further course of the game.

Illus. 3: Arnold begins by rolling a „1“, a „3“, and a „6“. He adds up the numbers (10) and chooses one red dice on the pyramid base to lift. He hopes to find a funnel with a total of 10 underneath it – and he is lucky. So he may keep the red dice and has another turn.

If the two totals are not the same, you have to put the red dice back into the funnel. After that, it‘s the next player‘s turn.

Illus. 4: Arnold has now rolled a total of 12. This time, he is not lucky: He reveals a funnel with a total of 9. Then, it‘s Bridget‘s turn.

This player now has the choice between rolling anew or taking over the previous player‘s dice-roll result and revealing a funnel. Then he compares the totals as described above.

Note: During the course of the game, more and more totals of funnels come to be known. Players are supposed to memorize as many of them as possible, in order to be able to reveal the appropriate funnel when needed.

Illus. 5: Later in the game, Bridget has another turn. She rolls a total of 9. She remembers that Arnold has already revealed this total. But unfortunately, she picks the wrong funnel. Now it‘s Claudia‘s turn; she decides not to roll but to take over Bridget‘s dice-rolling result. She knows exactly where the funnel with the total of 9 is, and lifts the correct red dice.

End of the gameThe game ends as soon as one player gets his fifth red dice; this player wins.

3

„Ten“

4

5

„NINE“

„NiNE“

10

A gripping repositioning game for 2-6 advance planners by Jens-Peter Steuck

Brief descriptionPlayers pull dice out of the pyramid and try to re-insert them at a different spot. If they fail, they get „penalty dice“ that count as minus points in the end.

Game components

• the pyramid base


Set-upPlace the pyramid base in the middle of the table and set up the pyramid with all the blue, yellow, and red dice. The colours need to be mixed thoroughly. The orientation of the dice is done randomly and is insignificant during the course of the game. After that, take the topmost dice from the pyramid and remove it from the game. The youngest player becomes the starting player.

Illus. 1: Arnold, Bridget, and Claudia have set up the pyramid for „Cui bono?“. „Cui bono?“, by the way, comes from Latin and means something like „Who benefits?“

Course of the gamePlay proceeds in clockwise order. On your turn, you have to pull one dice out of the pyramid. This dice has to be on an outer edge of the pyramid and also directly on the base of the pyramid. At the beginning of the game, only the three dice in the corners at the bottom of the pyramid meet these conditions.

Illus. 2: Arnold begins. He has to pull one of the three marked dice out of the pyramid. At the beginning of the game, these are the dice at the bottom of the three outer edges of the pyramid.

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1

2

ArnOLD

BRIDGETClaudiA

11

You may put this dice immediately into an appropriate funnel.


This funnel has to consist of either:

1) 1) three dice sides of the same colour; the colour of the dice to put back has to be different;

or

2) three dice sides of different colours; the colour of the dice to put back is irrelevant.

Illus. 3: Arnold pulls the blue dice from the bottom right corner. The dice above it slide down, and a funnel with three red dice sides is formed. Arnold may place the blue dice there since its colour is different from the three dice sides of the funnel.

Important: The dice may not be placed if it extends an outer edge of the same colour.

Tactical hint: It might make sense not to place a dice (even if you can) if this forces the next player to take a dice with more minus points as a „penalty dice“.If you are not able or not willing to place the dice you have pulled, you have to put it down in front of you as a „penalty dice“ and keep it until the end of the game. For each „penalty dice“, you get minus points in the end, according to the dice colour(s):

1 minus point

2 minus points

3 minus points

Illus. 4: Later in the game, Arnold pulls the red dice out of the pyramid and, in compliance with the rules, places it in funnel A. He would not be allowed to place it in funnel B since the three dice sides of that funnel are red as well. And he would not be allowed to place it in funnel C either, since, in doing so, that would add another red dice to this completely red outer edge.

After you have correctly placed the dice or have put it down in front of you as a „penalty dice“, it is the next player‘s turn.

End of the gameThe game ends as soon as one player has to put down his eighth „penalty dice“ in front of him. Now, the players get minus points for these „penalty dice“, depending on their colour(s). The player with the fewest minus points wins. In case of a tie, the player with the lowest number of „penalty dice“ wins. If there is still a tie, the players involved share the victory.

3

4

B CA

About the author: Reinhold Wittig is an artist as well as a game author. For more than fifty years, the man from Göttingen has been working on more and more new game ideas. The spectrum ranges from simple card games to large outdoor game projects. He has always focused on using innovative design elements, as the five „Beautiful Game“ special prizes, awarded by the „Game of the Year“ jury, show. Besides this, he was the co-initiator of the Kunstmarkt

(arts market) Göttingen and of the Game Designers Association that has been promoting game designers‘ rights nationally and internationally since 1991. In 2003, the city of Göttingen awarded him the medal of honour.

English translation: Sybille & Bruce Whitehill, „Word for Wort“

© 2011 ABACUSSPIELE Verlags GmbH & Co. KG, Frankfurter Str. 121, D-63303 DreieichAll rights reserved. Made in Germany.

game components - abacusspiele · this funnel, in any orientation. important: by placing dice, new...

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