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Each Player selects a color and uses their 5 Pawn Dice Regular Side Up:
place two dice on Space 1, one die on Space 3, and two dice on Space 6.
Movement Rules:
Players move in opposite directions around the board in a "U" shape.
Pawn Dice can pass, but can't land on a space occupied by 2 Pawn Dice (a "Block").
Landing on a single opponent's Pawn Die (a "Blot") captures it.
Players must make a move if a valid option is available and must capture if possible.
Rolling doubles is treated as four of that number instead of two.
Starting the Game:
Each player rolls one Movement Die to decide who goes first; re-roll any ties.
At the start of your turn, roll the two Movement Dice and either move one Pawn Die
the total of both dice (landing on the space shown by each die), or move two Pawn Dice
separately, each using the value of one Movement Die.
Capturing and Redemption:
Captured Pawn Dice must re-enter the game before any other moves.
Use a Movement Die value that matches an open Home Space (1-6) to redeem a
Captured Pawn Die, and place it on the corresponding Home Space.
You may capture an opponent's Blot or form a Block when redeeming.
You must redeem all of your Captured Pawn Dice before any other move.
Bearing Off:
Begin bearing off once all of your Pawn Dice occupy your opponent's Home Spaces (1-6).
When you roll a Movement Die that matches the Home Space position of one of your
Pawn Dice on your opponent's side, you must bear it off.
Unlike traditional backgammon, only an exact roll bears a die off.
If no valid moves are available, you forfeit the remainder of your turn.
Winning:
The 1st player to bear off all their Pawn Dice wins!
Basic Game (Special Sides):
When redeeming, your captured Pawn Dice are rolled with the Movement Dice and re-enter
with the rolled side face up, which may include special sides.
Special sides stay in effect until that die is captured again, and they always apply.
Regular +Regular 0Regular −Double moves a die value twice, landing both timesSwitch swaps with an opponent Blot or one of your dice before movingHalf moves half the number rolled, rounded up
Tournament Play:
Play rounds to an agreed points target. Each round awards 2 points:
1 for bearing off all your dice first, and 1 for the lowest bearing-off score.
Score = the Home Space numbers of the dice you bear off, adjusted by each die's
center symbol: + adds 1, 0 adds nothing, − subtracts 1.
Winning the race often means a higher score, so the better player must plan to take
both points. That tension is the game!
