Rolled Bones TM is a fast paced game that is easily played once the basic dice features and game flow are learned.
To win, a player must fill his Base Area with the minimum base dice needed to complete his base (typically six Base Dice), announce it's completion, and keep it at it's minimum for One Full Round. Upon a player completing his base, he must declare "Base Complete". If he forgets, he cannot make the announcement until the begining of his next turn. The winner gets the honor of starting the next game.
Two or more players, each player will need
All the dice faces have similar layout and symbolism that identify how they are played. Below you will find the game jargon, layout, and symbol legend used on the dice.
The Faces on Base, Creature, and Item dice will have a numerical value, typically from 1 - 6, which indicates their current power.
All dice have an alphanumeric for quick reference of their stats in the manual and on the web site
Following the D'Code TM with a dash, is the general title of the die. i.e. "Archer".
Some die faces may have symbols on them which indicate extra natural abilities. These symbols are found to the right of the Die Name within the colored band as follows.
A "Flash" allows that die to be played at anytime during the game.
This symbol indicates the ability to group Base, Creature, and/or Item dice with the banding symbol, into one force. Banded dice attack and defend as one creature, add their face values together, and share all abilities. Banding and un-banding can only be done before any attacks are declared in a players turn. Once banding or un-banding is declared it cannot be changed until the player's next turn.
In a battle, a die with "First Strike" wins in a tie
The flying symbol indicates the ability to fly. Here are the benifits of flying.
Below are the properties and parameters of the five different types of dice (Bones TM, Base, Creature, Magic, and Item) that play in the game.
There is only one die that is shaped like a bone. It is the Bones TM die and it serves multiple functions during game play. It is used to determine which die is brought into play, resolving battles, dealing damage, and the like. It may not be removed from the game and is never sent to the Chaos Bag TM. It's name is "Bones".
Base Dice are needed to complete your Base in order to win. Their D'Code TM begins with a capital "B", i.e. B0001.
Once placed, Base Dice cannot be moved until Base Destruction has occured
Base Dice can defend innumerable times in any turn. When a Creature and/or Item die is sitting atop a base piece, they may Intercept attacks on it. Base die cannot Intercept attacks.
Creature Dice are used to defend your forces and to attack your oppenent's. A Creature's D'Code TM begins with a capital "C", i.e. C0001.
A creature may only perform one action per turn.
When coming into Play from the Bone Rack TM, Creature Dice may move into either the Arena Area or the Base Area.
They can defend innumerable times in any turn.
Creature(s) on top of a Base or Item die may be used to Intercept attacks to them. Creatures cannot Intercept attacks made on other Creatures
Magic Dice are used to bring some special effect into game play and/or change features of game play. The Magic Dice D'Code TM begins with a capital "M", i.e. M0001.
In general, Magic Dice cannot modify other Magic Dice, i.e. cannot add a magic Contortion Modification die to a magic Slow Drain die. Magic Dice can be applied to a Creature, Item, or Base Dice.
Magic Dice effects are applied to the target die at the time they are played. Recurring powers are applied when they are first added to another die and at the beginning of the casters successive Turns.
Magic Dice cannot be attacked.
Item Dice Imbue powers that remain in effect while sitting on it's target. Their D'Code TM begins with a capital "I", i.e. I0001.
Item Dice can do one Action per Turn
When coming from the Bone Rack TM, Item Dice can come into play in either the Arena Area or the Base Area.
Item Dice may attack, and can be attacked. Creatures or Items stacked on top of them may Intercept attacks made on them.
Item Dice with recurring powers are applied when they are first added to another die and at the beginning of the caster's successive Turns.
Weapons and armor are considered Items. When weapons or armor are used in battle they add their face value to the attack or defense (but not both). Each weapon or armor piece is suited for use by a specific creature when on it's power side. When the indicated creature is using the die on it's power side it gains one Bones>small> TM roll to attack or defense.
All Creature and Base Dice have a special power side. These powers come into effect when the 5th side of that die is up. The 5th side has text explaining that special power. When these faces are in play, their power will overrule the general rules of the game to which they apply.
On a player's turn, Creature and Item dice can do one action. An action consists of a Move or an Attack.
During his turn a player can move creature and/or item dice in play from one area to another. Creature and Item dice can move anywhere within an area without it costing a move.
A player may make attacks with any eligible Creature and Item dice available to them in their turn. Creature, Item, and Base dice may be attacked, while Magic dice cannot. The player may make attacks on able dice within the same area or in an adjacent area.
Stacking dice is part of the game. Any stack of dice must meet the following restrictions:
A player commits to performing the placement of a die when they release it, or when they touch it on another die and release it. (Such as, a player plays a negative two value Contortion Die by touching it to the chosen target and letting go.)
Do not touch or knock over another player's dice! If done without permission, the offending player must reduce his front door 1 face values point for every infraction until destroyed. The defender enforces this rule. When a die is modified by another's die, both parties gain the right to touch any dice in that stack.
If a stack of dice falls, and the players cannot agree on what faces were showing, re-roll them and place them back in their original spot.
There are four areas in which dice are played, the Chaos Bag TM, Bone Rack TM, Base Area, and Arena Area. The diagram shows their setup (Bag excluded). Each area has it's own set of parameters within which the dice are played.
The Chaos Bag TM is where all the dice not currently In Game are kept and pulled from during a players turn. Before any dice are pulled out, shake the bag well, and do not look into it when pulling dice. If too many dice are pulled, put them all back and re-draw. All defeated dice in the game are returned to the Chaos Bag TM.
The Bone Rack TM is where dice pulled from the Chaos Bag TM are placed after being rolled, and from where dice are moved into play as a result of a Bones Roll TM. Dice brought into the Bone Rack TM from the Chaos Bag TM are Potential Dice and are in game but not in play.
The maximum dice the Bone Rack TM can be filled to is six. Rolled diced, from the Chaos Bag TM, may be arranged and rearranged in the Bone Rack TM in any order from left to right. You may not change the order of the dice in the Bone Rack TM from the time the Bones TM Roll is made, to the time it's result is played from the Bone Rack TM
At least one die in the Bone Rack TM will come into play during a players turn, which is determined by the rolling of the Bones TM Die. The number rolled on the Bones TM Die is the die piece, in the Bone Rack TM, reading from the left side of the rack to the right, that comes into play.
When coming into play, Creature and Item dice perform a one-way move from the Bone Rack TM.
At the begining of a players turn any Base dice in the Bone Rack TM may be freely added to the players base before any dice are pulled from the Chaos Bag TM. If they are not played before pulling from the Chaos Bag TM they can not be added until the player's next turn.
This Area is where the player builds his Base with Base dice. The Base Area is in front of the Bone Rack TM and is surrounded by the Arena Area.
A Base is typically built in a six-pack fashion. All Base Dice added to a Base are assembled from left to right.
A Base always has two exits, the Front and Back doors. The Front door is the die that is the furthest left and furthest foward in the Base Area. The Back door is the die furthest from the Front door
With one Base die, it acts as both Front and Back door.
Creatures and Items can only exit the base from the doors
A Creature or Item may move to a door during it's move, but unless residing on a door at the time of the Bones Roll TM, exiting the Base must wait until the following turn.
If a Base Die is destroyed, the defending player may Rearrange his Base pieces. If there is no Rearrangement and the front door is defeated the next Base die in the Base becomes the Front door.
This is the area in which most battles take place. The Arena Area is all the area in front of the Bone Rack TM. In addition to Creature and Item dice being able to make attacks on each other, this is also where they must reside in order to make attacks on an oppenent's Base.
With an understanding of the dice and the areas they are played in, now is the time to learn the order in which the game is played and the order in which battles are resolved.
1. The players determine how many Base Dice the game should be played to in order to win the game. A typical game is to build up a Base of six Base Dice.
2. Each player fills his Chaos Bag TM with the dice he wants to play, and that meets the minimum Chaos Bag TM requirements.
1. The Players shake their Chaos Bag TM and pull out 6 dice. They roll these dice and place them into their Bone Racks TM. When a die is rolled into the game the top face is the one that is active.
NOTE: The first time the Bone Rack TM is populated with dice, it MUST have at least one Base die in it. If it does not, return the hand and draw a new hand until it does.
2. Determine who goes first. This is done by each player rolling the Bones TM die. The player with the lowest roll goes first. In case of a tie those players re-roll until it is broken.
Each players turn follows the order of phases below.
On his turn a player may determine to use his Creatures or Items to make attacks on his opponent's forces. Attacks can only be made on an opponent's Base or other target dice.
All attacks upon a base, unless otherwise noted, can only attack the opponent's Front door.
All Other TargetsA player may choose to have any of his forces attack any Creature or Item dice in the same area, or if able within another area.
If able an attacking die may choose what type of attack it will perform. i.e. An Archer may choose to attack an opponent in hand to hand combat instead of using his projectile weapon.
All dice fight in hand to hand combat, unless they have a projectile weapon.
Compare totals and whoever has the highest total value wins that battle.
Ties: Both the attacking and defending dice are defeated.
A defeated die is returned to the Chaos Bag TM, along with any dice modifying it within the same stack.
The attacker announces what target die he is shooting at. The defender announces any able dice to intercept the shot.
Then, the two players roll their Bones TM dice against each other and compare results. If the attacker's roll is equal to or higher, a hit was scored. If the defender's roll is higher, he avoids the attack.
On a hit, the two players roll against each other again to determine the outcome.
If the attackers value is equal to or higher then the defender's value the defender is defeated.
A defeated die is returned to the Chaos Bag TM, along with any dice modifying it within the same stack.
Here is an example of the first 2 rounds of a game between players to show how the basic play of the game is done.
To start, player A and B fill their racks and roll the Bones TM die to see who goes first. lowest roll goes first.
Player A gets to go first, and he starts by placing his Base dice in his Bone Rack TM into his Base area
He then refills his Bone Rack TM to it's maximum by pulling dice from the Chaos Bag TM, rolling them, and placing them anywhere in his Bone Rack TM. Next, he rolls the Bones TM die. Here he gets a 3 and brings in the third die in his rack, reading from left to right, into play.
It is a Goblin Creature die with a value of 4, so he chooses to move it from the Bone Rack TM into the Arena. With nothing left to do, he announces "Next", ending his turn.
Player B starts his turn by placing his Base dice from his rack into his Base area. He then refills his Bone Rack TM to it's maximum with a draw from the Chaos Bag TM.
Now player B rolls his Bones TM die and gets a 1. he plays the 1st die in his Bone Rack TM out.
It's an Archer Creature die value 3, and player B decides to move it into his Base. He places it on top of the 1st Base die, which is his Front door.
With nothing left to do, he announces "Next", ending his turn.
Player A, starts his next turn by first placing any Base dice in his rack to his Base area. Again he pulls dice from the Chaos Bag TM to fill his rack. Then he rolls the Bones TM, and gets a 5. He brings the 5th die into play. It is a +1 contortion die and he puts it on his goblin. Next he decides to attack with his goblin sitting in the Arena area. He has the goblin attack player B's Base. The attack defaults to the front door of the base
Player A tells player B that his goblin is attacking player B's Base. Player B tells player A what peice he is going to defend with. He can either let the Base peice take the attack or use the archer sitting on top to intercept the attack. He lets his front door Base peice, of value 4, take the attack.
The two players roll their Bones TM dice against each other, total up values, and compare results.
Player A now rolls his Bones TM and gets a 2. He adds this to the value of the goblin, bringing his total attack to 7. (Value of Bones TM roll + Die's face value + any modifications.) = (2+4+1 = 7).
Player B rolls his Bones TM and gets a 1, bringing his total defense to 5 (value of Bones roll + die's face value + any modifications = (1 + 4 + 0 = 5).
Player A having the higher score wins the battle, and Player B's Base piece goes back into his Chaos Bag TM.
With the Base piece having been destroyed, Player B's archer can now spill out into the arena or back into his Base. Player B has him spill into the arena. Also Player B rearranges his Base pieces, in any fashion, now that one has been destroyed.
Done with his turn, Player A says "Next" to end his 2nd turn.
Player B, adds Base dice from his Bone Rack TM to his Base. He draws, rolls, and re-fills his Bone Rack TM with dice. Then, he rolls the Bones TM and gets a 2. He plays the 2nd die out of the Bone Rack TM. Here it is a +2 magic contortion die, which he puts on top of his archer.
With the archer now in the arena area, Player B decides to attack the goblin. Player B has his archer attack with his projectile weapon. He first has to score a hit before any damage can be calculated.
Both player roll their Bones TM dice against each other. Player B rolls a 4 and Player A rolls a 3. The shot hit. With a hit, now they roll against each other again to figure the damage result. Player B rolls a 5, and adds it to his total attack value. (Value of Bones roll + die's face value + any modifications = 5 + 3 + 2 = 10). Player A rolls a 4 and adds it to his total defense value. (Value of Bones roll + die's face value + any modifications = 4 + 4 + 1 = 9).
Player A's goblin is killed and it goes back to the Chaos Bag TM.
With nothing left to do, Player B announces "Next", ending his 2nd turn.
From here each player's turn would follow the order of play as the basic flow of the game, with both working to complete thier base's in order to win the game.
The interactions between the various dice that come into play, and the strategies that present themselves during the game, makes Rolled Bones TM a fun and exciting game for all to enjoy playing.
Players may make alliances with other players. Players in an alliance may not use each other's Bones TM, base dice, or any dice from the others Bones Rack TM. An alliance member can take control of Creature and Item dice within the alliance and use them as his own during his turn.
A player may only propose an alliance to another player during his turn. if the other player accepts, it is done. An alliance can be broken at any time or if members attack each other. An owner's dice cannot be used against him unless he grants it.
Arena rules provide an alternate fast paced game. The object is to be the first player to get 6 kills.
Here your Bone Rack TM becomes the player base and Chaos Bag TM. The players play with only 6 dice in the Bone Rack TM. As dice are destroyed they are re-rolled and replaced on the right side of the Bone Rack TM.
At the beginning of a players turn, he would play the first die on the left end of the Bone Rack TM. If it is a creature, it gets a free move into the arena and may attack. if it is a magic die, it may be played on any die in the game. Creatures can not band while in the Bone Rack TM. Only the attacking creatures get credit for the kill.
To start, the players choose the following dice to fill thier racks with:
How to Win
The first player to score 6 kills is the "Champion of the Arena"