Sixis
Sixis Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal Cards
Each goal card has two sides: a blue "easy" side, and a red "less easy" (hard) side worth more points. You will have several cards to choose from, but your roll will need to match at least one for you to be able to act on your turn.
Setup
Start by taking the Sixis card and placing it in the center (red side up). Then, deal out cards blue side up as indicated by the diagrams below. The leftovers are placed underneath the Sixis card and will not be used this round. Each player takes six dice of a single color, and places them in one of the spaces indicated by a circle. You should sit next to your dice, lest they be lonely!
In a three or four player game each player has access to the six cards adjacent to their area, plus the Sixis card. In a two player game, you have access to all cards.
The printed rulebook shows the card layouts as diagrams for each player count. The diagrams are: 2P, a single column of cards with the Sixis card in the middle and seats 1 and 2 on either side; 3P, a V-shape of cards around the Sixis card with seats 1, 2 and 3 placed around it; 4P, an X-shape of cards around the Sixis card with seats 1, 2, 3 and 4 placed at the four arms.
Playing the Game
In a random fashion, choose a start player. The suggested method for this is to roll all six of your dice and compare totals. This loud noise will of course draw attention to the fact that you are playing a lowly 'dice' game, and may bring shame upon you all. Apologies.
Each player's turn has five steps. Play passes clockwise at the end of each turn.
- Round Over? If your turn begins and the Sixis card is the only card available to you, the round is over!
- Keep Saved Dice? On your previous turn, you may have set aside dice to save for this turn. If you want, you can choose to roll ALL of your dice instead of just the ones you didn't save. You can't pick and choose, though.
- Roll Dice! Take all of your dice (except for the saved ones!) and roll them. Be sure to complain about being unlucky, if warranted.
- Score OR Flip One Card: If your dice (combining both rolled and saved dice) satisfy the conditions on a card you have access to, you have a choice. You may either take the card for points, OR if it is blue side up, you may flip it over to its more difficult red side. You cannot flip and then take the same card in one turn, even if you have the dice the red side requires. If you rolled six of a kind, you may take the Sixis card, immediately ending the round.
- Save Dice: You may choose any or all of your dice to save and lock-in for your next turn's roll. Set them aside, near the Sixis card in the center to indicate which you have chosen.
Clarifications
The Full House card, and Two/Three Pair card each need distinct numbers for their sets. 5/5/5/5/5 is not a full house, and 5/5/5/5/4/4 is not three pair.
Ending the Round
If your turn begins and all six cards you had access to are gone, the round is over! If the Sixis card is claimed, the round ends immediately. At the end of the round, each player counts up all the points on their claimed cards. Highest score wins! You can also play sets of three or five rounds, or to a set total (say, 600).
Special Rules for Two Players
In a two-player game, you have access to all eight cards plus the Sixis card. Everything else plays like a normal three or four player game, except for the end condition. At the start of your turn, if all the cards are red or all cards on one side of the Sixis card are gone you may end the round, but you do not have to. Taking the Sixis card still ends the round as normal.
Team Play
With four players, you can (and should!) play as teams, sitting opposite one another. Tally both your and your partner's score together. No other rules differences.
Advanced Start
After the dice roll to determine who will play first, allow the second player to save up to two dice from his roll, the third player up to three dice, and the fourth player up to four dice. This mitigates the start player advantage, allowing the other players a little head-start before their first turn.