Alhambra Dice

 

Alhambra Dice
Company: Queen Games; Type: Eurostyle; Players: 2-5; Time: 60 minutes; Genre: Push Your Luck; Rating: 💥💥 💥 💥 I like it!

This is the dice version of the classic tiled game (which I have only played once and for which it didn't really leave much of an impression on me -- make of that what you will.)

The gameplay is simple. Your goal on your turn is to score as many points on your dice of a given color with the fewest number of dice rolls. On your turn, you roll eight white dice. You score by counting the number of matching results for the color track you have chosen to play for on your turn. You can make up to three such rolls, saving your successful results from each roll.

The wrinkle is how tied results get broken on a given color track. The first die roll is worth more in breaking a tie than the second, the second is better than the third. If you score on a space that is already occupied, you must take the next lowest spot available on that track.

The color tracks are arranged on ascending rows of three for each possible score:

    8 wins: 1st - 2nd - 3rd

    7 wins: 1st - 2nd - 3rd

    6 wins: 1st - 2nd - 3rd

    and so on . . .

Say, you roll a result of four wins on your dice on your first toss. You can roll again to try to add more wins to your total -- at the risk of not achieving any. Or you can stop and maintain your rank within the results for that total.

For instance, if I roll again and fail. I am at 2nd place for 4 wins. Before I could only be beat with a result of five or higher. Now, I can be beat by 4 wins at 1st or still by five wins or better. Note: If your result places you on a result that has already been taken, you must place your token on the next lowest unoccupied rank.)

At the end of the round, each color track is scored in turn. Each turn, the winner for a given color gets to choose between scoring two points OR one point and taking a bonus chip. Second place gets whichever result is left.

The first, third and fifth (final) rounds are scoring rounds in which victory points are also scored for your relative rank for that color. In the first scoring round, only the top player scores. On the second scoring round, the top two score. And on the final round, the top three score.

Back in the day, when we played it, my late father turned out to be the shrewdest as to determining when to push his luck or not. (My mom always took all three rolls on each of her turns,) My dad would often win, my mom turned out almost always to be in last place as a result.

Quick yahtzee-like push-your-luck game always with some interesting choices to be made on each turn and round. Enjoy!