Würfel Express Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Course of Play
  • Roll up to three times per turn
  • Evaluating the turn
  • Only one track piece per colour
  • Taking track pieces stolen from other players
  • Nothing suitable rolled?
  • Advantages for the player furthest back
• End of the Game

Components

• 7 colour dice
• 4 punch sheets, each with one 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-track piece in six colours
• A "middle strip" (four puzzle-like strips that fit together, with spaces numbered 1 to 30)
• 6 symbol markers

Setup

(Before the first game, carefully punch all pieces out of the punch sheets.)

• Middle strip: Assemble the "middle strip" and place it in the middle of the table. It sets out the 30-space route that players try to cover with their track pieces as quickly as possible.
• Symbol markers: Each player takes one symbol marker and places it below space 1 of the middle strip, either to the left or to the right. The symbol markers only help players keep track of which race track belongs to whom. During the whole race, a marker is always moved (forward or back) so that it forms the back end of its player's track. If fewer than six players take part, return the surplus symbol markers to the box.
• Track pieces: Lay out the 30 track pieces next to the race area, sorted by colour, one piece after another. These pieces form the display (Auslage). Sort some of the pieces in advance if you wish.
  • If fewer than four players take part, some track pieces must be removed from the game before play begins. With 2 players, remove exactly six pieces: three 2-pieces and three 3-pieces, spread across all six colours. With 3 players, remove two 2-pieces and two 3-pieces, in any four colours.
• Dice: Set out all seven dice.

Course of Play

The youngest player begins. Play then passes clockwise until a winner is determined.

Roll up to three times per turn

On their turn, a player rolls all seven dice. Afterwards they may set aside any number of dice (none to all seven) and roll the remaining dice again. After this second roll they may again set aside any number of dice and roll for a third and final time.

On the third roll, a player may also re-roll dice they have already set aside, if they wish. A player is not forced to roll more than once: they may stop after the first or second roll.

Evaluating the turn

At the latest after the third roll, the player evaluates their seven dice. For each colour shown, if the display holds a track piece whose length matches the number of dice shown in that colour, the player takes it and adds it to their race track.

• Several track pieces may be gained in one turn. The order in which the player attaches them is up to them.
• Only one track piece per colour: A player may never have more than one track piece of the same colour in their entire race track.
• If the display holds no matching track piece, the player may take a shorter piece of the same colour and attach it instead. If there is no shorter piece either, the player has bad luck and gets nothing.

Example: Anna has rolled three red, two green, one dark blue and one light blue die. She may take the red 3-piece and the green 2-piece from the display and attach them to her track. Since the red 3-piece is not available, she instead takes the red 2-piece from the display. (Had the red 2-piece also been unavailable, she would have gone away empty-handed with her three red dice.)

The very first track piece a player attaches to their race track is placed so that it begins at the height of space 1 of the middle strip, parallel to the middle strip. Every further piece is then laid on end so that its segments always line up with the spaces of the middle strip (see the illustration on page 3 of the rulebook).

Only one track piece per colour

Each player may have at most one track piece of each colour lying in their entire race track at any time.

Before rolling, a player may, as often as they like, take back any of their track pieces that are already lying out from the back (i.e. starting from their symbol marker) and return them to the display. Their other track pieces are not affected, i.e. they are not pushed back. However, each player must always leave at least one track piece lying in place (so that everyone can always see at what height of the middle strip they currently are). Afterwards the player moves their symbol marker forward to mark the new end of their track.

Clarification: If, after rolling, a player has the matching dice, they may of course take back the track pieces they have just returned from the back of their track and attach them again at the front.

Important: For every track piece a player removes in this way, they must also set aside one of the seven dice for this turn, i.e. they roll with fewer dice in this turn.

Example: Ben has already built five colours into his track, so he could currently only use green dice. He therefore decides to take some of his track pieces back, starting from the back: he first returns the white piece and then the red piece to the display. He also sets aside two dice, one for each removed piece, so he rolls with only five dice this turn. Afterwards he moves his marker forward as far as his blue track piece.

Taking track pieces stolen from other players

Instead of taking track pieces from the display, players may also steal track pieces from their fellow players and attach these to their own track.

• Per turn, a player may steal at most one piece from each other player. Pieces may be stolen from several different players in the same turn.
• Only the rearmost piece of a track may be stolen, i.e. always the piece at the back, next to the player's symbol marker.
• If a player has only one track piece, that piece may not be stolen.
• When stealing, players may also set aside surplus dice. Combining stealing with taking pieces from the display is allowed.

Note: Each player whose piece has been stolen must then move their entire race track back by the length of the stolen piece (i.e. as far as their symbol marker).

Example: Cecilia has rolled three red dice, three green dice and one yellow die. She could take both the green and the red 3-piece from the display, but instead of the green 3-piece from the display she prefers to steal Ben's green 2-piece. Ben then moves his race track back by two spaces.

Nothing suitable rolled?

If, after their three rolls, a player cannot take a single track piece from the display or steal one from another player, they must remove their frontmost track piece from their race track and return it to the display.

If their race track consists of just one single track piece, they do not return it to the display. Instead they move it (together with their symbol marker) backwards by exactly as many spaces as the piece is long (at most back to space 1).

Example: Dieter has bad luck and cannot roll a single track piece with his throw. Since his entire race track currently consists of just one 3-piece, he does not return it to the display. Instead he moves it (together with his marker) back by three spaces.

Advantages for the player furthest back

The player who is furthest back (i.e. who still has the most spaces to go to the finish) has two advantages:

• If they cannot take or steal any track piece, they do not have to remove their frontmost track piece (or move it back).
• If they have a track piece stolen, they do not have to move their race track back afterwards. Instead they move their symbol marker forward again to the new end of their track.

If several players are tied for furthest back, both advantages apply to all of them.

End of the Game

As soon as a player with a track piece reaches or passes space 30 (the finish), the game ends immediately, and that player is the winner. The places of the other players are determined by how far they are from the finish.