Roundary
Contributed by Bill Perkins (bilihara@agora.rdrop.com)
ROUNDARY
INTRODUCTION:
Although ROUNDARY is a game played with a few gamesets, it doesn't get overly complicated and it's relatively easy to play. It teaches players how to use several kinds of games and it is a good introduction to their types of materials, so young people may like it.
KIND OF GAME:
Multiple gamesets and a game process I call a random odds contest between the players. The process is a typical format found in most games.
PLAYERS AGE: Childhood to adult recommended.
# OF PLAYERS: 2
MATERIALS:
- a set of 28 double 6 domino tiles
- A deck of regular playing cards with only one Joker discarded from the set and removed from play in the game
- one complete set of 3 colored chip tokens
- 3 dice
- A CRIBBAGE board with pegs
- - 1 or 2 dice cups (optional)
GETTING STARTED:
- Players need to decide amongst themselves how many points will be played to for an overall winner in the game. I suggest 20 points to play for a few rounds and a short game as a minimum, but a longer game may be better if the players have more time available.
- Choose the card dealer, the domino mixing set preparer, the chip token banker, and the CRIBBAGE board scorekeeper from among the players.
- The dealer of the cards shuffles the deck an appropriate number of times (I suggest 6 times) and places the cards face down as a stock in a common area between the players until it is used.
- Another player takes the pile of dominoes and puts them all face down in a mixing set at the center of the game on the common playing surface ground between the players (table or wherever the game is being played). He shuffles the tiles for buying purposes for the players.
- After the preliminary steps above have been performed by the participants, the first person to play takes his turn in the game and finishes it. Turns then alternate between the players in the round.
The first player in a round is either:
- At first, the non-card dealers partner in the first gameround of any game.
-OR-
- Subsequently, the winner of the last round of play.
The first player in a round buys one domino from the mixing set and plays it as the set starter for the skeleton of tiles. Then the next player takes his turn.
TAKING A TURN:
DOMINOES: Tiles are played to the 2 ended domino skeleton line of play layout, with all doubles played crosswise to the line of play. The doubles typically become closed for any other subsequent plays once 2 sides have been played to one of them.
Tile play occurs in any turn in the beginning of a round for any player.
A player taking any turn that doesn't involve cards will either be matching a tile just bought that turn to the skeleton or matching a tile to it bought in a subsequent turn that was held as a former mismatch face up in his play station.
All dominoes bought for individual player's uses are face up and visible to all players in the game at all times in a gameround.
Any matchable tile to the skeleton layout must be played to it and no holdbacks are allowed for any player.
CARDS: The first player blocked from play to the skeleton with a tile bought for a turn (and in subsequent turns where it is applicable) uses the dots on the domino drawn to count the number of cards (played in sequence set with more than just one) for a deal to his play station from the face down deck stock held by the dealer. Of course, if he is blocked with the double blank tile, he gets no extra cards. After a set of cards must be folded because its player is dealt a new set with a bought domino in a subsequent turn, they are discarded into his used pile of cards face down.
A player's sequence set of cards dealt to his station for a bought tile held are kept face up while in play, along with any other card/s if held by his opponent in his play station. Any one set may figure as a hand in the concept of the game (even if they may figure to be in play for more than one turn/s in rotation between the players).
JOKER: Only the Joker card may be taken out of the original sequence (if there is more than just one card) and played to another card or card sequence to change one's score in a round. See SCORING for more on a Joker's play.
LAST HAND IN A ROUND: The last sequence or card set dealt for the last player to play in the card and domino beginning gameround part of a game (whether or not the full complement of cards may be dealt with the number of dots on the tile bought for play of the turn) may have the card set deal either:
- Allowed to stand for score in his or the other player's favor;
- OR -
- Have it folded for no extra score within the gameround;
By the other player if he has a lower score for the gameround in comparison with his chips. If both players have the same number of chips in comparison, then the last sequence dealt to any player must stand for a score.
The card deck is all played through as deals to each player in the game holding the tiles for the sets of cards put into play in the game for them until it is exhausted. Then the card part of the round is over.
CARDS AND DOMINOES: Cards and dominoes are played with together by the players in the first part of any given gameround. If the tiles in its set become all played through in the course of playing through the card deck one time for a round, simply put all of them back into a face down mixing set as at the beginning of the round and start the set over for buys again. (Do this as many times as necessary for finishing the card round).
DICE: The endround begins when dice are used for players after all the chip tokens have been accumulated for scoring with the cards in the beginning of the gameround. The chips are then awarded to the individual players with scores between the cards dealt to their play stations and later in the endround for whatever chips a player may have. That same number may be used for individual rolls of 2 dice (or more if allowed).
If a player in a gameround accumulates no chips, at least one token roll of one die is allowed for that player that may be challenged by his partner's roll(s).
The first player to roll his dice for the playing chips held in his play station will always be the player with the least number of chips held. If both players happen to be somehow tied with the same number of chips at the start of the dice rolling part of the gameround, the player who rolls the highest number on one die will be the first to roll for his number of chips held.
If on a first or subsequent roll of the 2 dice for a player with chips if doubles are rolled just once on the next roll and subsequently of the said player (and if affordable with number of chips held) 3 dice may be rolled from then on for dice score.
The player with the most rolls possible must beat his opponent's high dice score for the chips scored on the CRIBBAGE track.
If both players have the same numbers of chips, rolls, and are tied with the same dice score, a subsequent roll(s) is permitted to break the tie and get a winner.
A player may stop his dice throws when he reaches his objective.
The object of the endround is to roll the high score and thereby win all the chip points for a gameround score on the CRIBBAGE board pegged.
SCORING:
CARDS AND CHIPS: An individual card or sequence set of cards dealt by the dealer to a player's station according with the dot/s on the players bought tile determine the chips played (and to be taken) in part of a beginning gameround.
A typical example would be one player's first sequence of cards dealt with a tile that mismatches the skeleton's 2 open ends subsequently in relation to the playing partner's second sequence of cards dealt to him with such a similar tile. In such an example of both, there is a crossing play in relation with the first and second card sequences as they compare in the immediate contest between them of which has the highest ranking card/s (and their next highest ranking card or cards and so on down to the last card and beyond if necessary with any ties and highest ranking cards). The side that has the high-ranking play is awarded a token chip that counts as score with the rest of the game. Sometimes an individual card or sequence set held by a player will score him a chip more than once as his opponent is dealt a few sets of cards, for example, and the player waits to buy his next mismatch tile for a turn.
EXAMPLE I: Player A is dealt 5 cards for his 3:2 mismatch tile: a K, J, 8, 6, and 2 of any suits. Player B then buys a 5:4 tile and is dealt a 5, 8, 4, 2, 6, 7, 6, 2 and 9 cards of any suits for his turn. Player A gets a chip for scoring a King and Jack better than player B scores.
EXAMPLE II: Player A has an A, J, Q and 8 cards for his hand. Player B takes his turn by buying a 1:0 tile from the boneyard and he is dealt an Ace for the one card. Player B hasn't beat his opponent's Ace with a better card since Player A is better with a Queen card held in his hand so he scores again.
JOKER: A Joker changes the score rendered to a card or sequenced set of them by increasing the multiple to double the award or 2 token chips if it contains the high ranking card (or cards) in comparison with his partner's cards apart from the influencing Joker itself. If the high ranking play is not in the card or set by itself held by the player using the Joker with it, it is played then as a trump (the only one allowed in the game since no one suit may be considered as trump) and only one chip token may be awarded to him as so provided. (His opponent accumulates no chip for score since the Joker then scores highest). A player using a Joker must decide what his strategy of play will be for the round in relation to it. After the Joker has been used for its chosen card set, the player must put it face down in his discard pile for no further confusion about its status of play. If it never comes into play in a round where it is always held back by its unfortunate player, it is wasted and scores nothing.
DICE AND CHIPS: Explained above in TAKING A TURN: DICE... Dice determine whom wins all the chips in a gameround and how it scores on the CRIBBAGE board track in points awarded for chips.
CRIBBAGE BOARD: At the end of a gameround, the dice thrown determines whose side wins all the chips for score on the CRIBBAGE board. The side that wins all the chips in a gameround is awarded the same amount of peg holes pegged on the CRIBBAGE board track. The other side invariably loses any opportunity in such an instance for any score with the CRIBBAGE board. After each gameround is played in the game, a score is taken for the CRIBBAGE board and the game progresses to the goal of points decided on at the beginning of the game.
WINNING:
The overall winner of all the gamerounds played to reach the goal of points will be the player who first pegs the required amount on the CRIBBAGE board, regardless of whether or not he has won the majority of the rounds in it.
TEAM ROUNDARY
DIFFERENT AND THE SAME AS ROUNDARY:
# OF PLAYERS: 3 or more
Players break up into teams at the start of the game. One or more players control card play on a side at the beginning of a round, and one or more players control the dice throws in the endrounds.
POKER ROUNDARY
INTRODUCTION:
Here is the Poker variation of the game ROUNDARY. Perhaps POKER ROUNDARY is the superior version of the game. I prefer it myself.
DIFFERENT AND THE SAME AS ROUNDARY:
MATERIALS: You will need to add these items to your ROUNDARY gamesets:
- 5 Poker dice
- A sheet of paper and writing instrument for scoring Poker dice as a record for its results
Also choose a recorder of the Poker dice results in rounds as a scorekeeper.
TAKING A TURN:
DICE: Use the set of 3 regular dice only for game rounds in which one side makes no score with the token chips and may only roll one regular die for dice score with his opponent's dice rolls.
POKER DICE: For every gameround played in which both sides are accumulating token chips for dice rolls, use the set of 5 Poker dice for each roll with a chip turned into the bank for that player as usual.
If both sides tie with Poker dice roll(s), another roll(s) of the dice for both sides is allowed to break a tie in a gameround.
As usual with the first game and in addition to POKER ROUNDARY, with the Poker dice the player with the most rolls possible must beat his opponent's high dice score(s).
SCORING POKER DICE: RANKING OF HANDS
- 5 of a kind (highest rank);
- 4 of a kind;
- Straight (an unbroken sequence such as A, K, Q, J, 10 or K, Q, J, 10,9);
- Full House (3 of a kind and one pair);
- 3 of a kind;
- 2 pairs;
- 1 pair;
- No pair (lowest rank - 5 unmatching values not in a sequence).
NOTE: If hands are of the same rank, they need not tie. The following compare with any of them.
- 5 of a kind: 5 Aces rank higher than 5 Kings, and so on.
- 4 of a kind: same as for 5 of a kind.
- Straight: A, K, Q, J, 10 rank higher than K, Q, J, 10, 9.
- Full House: 3 of the dice decide, with A, A, A, J, J ranking higher than K, K, K, Q, Q and so on.
- 3 of a kind: 3 Aces rank higher than 3 Kings and so on.
- 2 pairs: the highest pair wins.
- 1 pair: the highest die wins.
- No pair: the highest die wins.
Record Poker dice rolls on the score sheet for them.
WINNING:
The player with the highest ranking dice rolls wins a gameround. The chips in it go for score on the CRIBBAGE board track. In POKER ROUNDARY, the winner is found as in ROUNDARY by completing the agreed number of points on the CRIBBAGE board track.
TEAM POKER ROUNDARY
DIFFERENT AND THE SAME AS POKER ROUNDARY:
See TEAM ROUNDARY above for the same rules that also applies here for playing TEAM POKER ROUNDARY with the POKER ROUNDARY rules.
© Copyright Bill Perkins 1999, 2000, 2001