Dice Democracy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Sequence
• Preparation
• Survey Phase
• Voting Phase
• Objection!
• End of the Round
• Additional Rule Cards (Advanced Rule)
• Component Notes
• Winning the Game

Components

• 14 Dice (with 2 different sizes)
• 1 Covering Cloth
• 54 Popularity Tokens (5 pt and 1 pt)
• 1 Large Objection Stick
• 1 Small Objection Stick
• 6 Large Voting Dials
• 6 Small Voting Dials
• 12 Additional Rule Cards

Game Sequence

This game is played over a number of rounds identical to the number of players (except when playing with 3 players, you play 6 rounds), and the player who ends with the most Popularity wins.

Each round is divided into "Survey Phase" and "Voting Phase". All players act simultaneously in this game, unless otherwise specified.

Preparation

Additional Rule Cards are not used while playing the basic mode. Put them aside on the table. The advanced rule using Additional Rule Cards can be found on the back of this rule sheet.

1. Place the empty Box Tray (the bottom side of the box), the Large Objection Stick, and the Small Objection Stick within the reach of all players at roughly the same distance.
2. Give each player a Large Voting Dial, a Small Voting Dial, and 3 Popularity Tokens worth 3 Popularity.
3. Leave all remaining Voting Dial(s) aside on the table, as we won't be using them in this game. Place the remaining Popularity Tokens aside on the table.
4. Randomly choose a player in any method you wish, such as rock-paper-scissors, to be the Chairperson. Then pass the Covering Cloth and the 14 dice to the Chairperson.

Survey Phase

Count the dice that are cast in the box.

1. The Chairperson casts all 14 dice into the box.
2. The Chairperson announces the count of three loudly, as in "1, 2, 3", while everyone surveys the face value of the dice in the box.
3. After the Chairperson finished counting to three, they cover the box with the Covering Cloth.

If any of the dice drops out from the box, start over from Step 1.

Voting Phase

Vote for the face value that appears the most and the face value that appears the least.

Voting - Prediction

1. Turn the Large Voting Dial to select the face value that has appeared the most, and turn the Small Voting Dial to select the face value that has appeared the least.
2. After selecting your prediction of the most and least face value on your Dials, place them face down on the table.

To qualify as the "least face value", there must be at least 1 dice showing that face value.

After all players placed both Dials facing down, tally the voting results starting with the Large Voting Dial, followed by the Small Voting Dial.

Voting - Tallying

1. All players reveal their Voting Dial at the same time.
2. All players who revealed the number with the most votes will each receive 1 Popularity.

While tallying the votes, if any player who is in the minority wants to object and challenge the voting results, they may grab the Objection Stick as quickly as possible (only available to the quickest player).

There are differences in the rules while tallying votes using the Large Voting Dial and the Small Voting Dial:

Dial	When multiple parties tie for majority votes	Objection Stick to grab
Large Voting Dial	Vote for the higher face value takes priority	Large Stick (Green)
Small Voting Dial	Vote for the lower face value takes priority	Small Stick (Pink)

If anyone grabs a stick, proceed to the Objection Phase. If none, proceed to End of the Round.

Objection!

If either the Large or Small Objection Stick, or both, are taken, it means an Objection is made. In the circumstance where both Objections occur, resolve the Objection beginning with the Large Objection Stick, followed by the Small Objection Stick.

Check for Popularity

1. First, check if the player who took the Objection Stick belongs to the minority. If the player who took the Objection Stick belongs to the majority, they immediately lose 4 Popularity as a penalty. If the player can't pay the penalty, they lose as many Popularity as possible. If this happens, skip the following steps and proceed to End of the Round or next Objection Stick if available.
2. Next, check if the player who took the Objection Stick has the required Popularity. The requirement is 3 Popularity for 1 Stick, and 6 Popularity for 2 Sticks. If the player who took both Sticks has more than 3 Popularity but less than 6 Popularity, return the Small Objection Stick and only Check Public Opinion for the Large Objection Stick. If any player who took an Objection Stick does not have the required number of Popularity, that Objection is considered invalid and proceed to End of the Round or next Objection Stick if available.

Check Public Opinion

1. Remove the Covering Cloth from the box and check whether the number voted as the majority matches the most face value that came up.
2. According to the outcome of the Objection, players will win or lose Popularity.

If the Objection was correct (the voted majority was different from the actual result):

1. The player who took the Stick gets 1 Popularity.
2. Those players who voted for the wrong majority will each lose 1 Popularity, which is falsely gained.
3. Each player who voted for the correct majority will receive Popularity equal to the number of dice with that face value.

If the objection was incorrect (the voted majority was the same as the actual result):

• The player who took the Stick loses 3 Popularity.

When Checking for Public Opinion for the Small Objection Stick, ignore all face values that do not appear on any dice. After checking both Large and Small Objections, proceed to End of the Round.

Example. During the Voting Phase, Player A took both the Large and Small Objection Sticks. While Checking for Popularity, it turns out that Player A only has 4 Popularity. Therefore, Player A returns the Small Objection Stick, as it was not taken during this Round. Then, the Chairperson removes the Covering Cloth to reveal the dice, thus Checking the Public Opinion. The majority of "Large" votes are "4", and Player A's vote is "5". And it turns out that there are four "4s" and four "5s" in the box. According to the "Large" majority vote tallying rules, the larger number takes priority, thus the Objection is successful. All players who voted for the Large Majority lose 1 Popularity, and Player A gains 1 Popularity for the Objection which is succeeded. Lastly, all players who voted "5", including Player A, will receive 4 Popularity, according to the number of 4 rolled.

End of the Round

Without removing the Covering Cloth, the Chairperson shakes the box without revealing the dice.

Then, the player to the left of the current Chairperson becomes the next Chairperson, and begin a new Round starting from the Survey Phase.

Additional Rule Cards (Advanced Rule)

Once you get used to the game, you may play the game using the Additional Rule Cards.

• Shuffle all Additional Rule Cards and place them in a face-down pile, and turn over 1 Card at the beginning of each Survey Phase, before the Chairperson casts the dice. The rules written on the card will be effective for this Round during the Survey Phase and Voting Phase.
• During the End of the Round, discard the revealed Additional Rule Card.
• The Green Rule Cards increase the difficulty, while the Orange Rule Cards increase the excitement of the game.
• Players may discuss as a group to decide whether to use only cards of a color.

The rules text of the individual Additional Rule Cards is printed on the cards themselves and is not reproduced on the rule sheet.

Component Notes

The Special Dice. Among the Large Dice, there is a dice with irregular face value. Once you get used to the game, try playing while paying attention to the dice.

The Important Part is to be the Majority! Feeling impossible to make the right decision in 3 seconds? Don't worry, the important part is "being a part of the majority". Although the truth is important, it might not be the right answer. The trick is to observe what other players are watching and vote for the number that is most likely to get the most votes. If you are still unsure, feel free to decide which number to vote for based on the "Rules for Tallying the Votes". If no player raises any Objection, the box will be shaken, and no one will know the answer. It is totally fine to say whatever you think is right! The vital part is to read the majority outcome, so try to agree with other players and guess the majority!

Winning the Game

The game ends after all players finished playing as the Chairperson. (If you are playing with three players, the game ends after each player acts as the Chairperson twice.)

All players total up their Popularity Tokens, and who have the most Popularity is the winner. In case of a tie, those players share the victory.