Stack Rules

Stack is a fast and easy dice game that lets all the players roll big handfuls of dice at once and then take turns strategically stacking them up!

Object of the Game

Over a series of rounds, all players roll their 14 dice simultaneously and then take turns stacking their dice on top of their opponent's dice. Stacks that reach a height of 4 dice are removed from the round, and all stacked dice score points at the end of a round. The first player to reach 200 points wins the game.

Equipment

• One set of fourteen 6-sided dice for each player. All the dice in each set should be the same color, and the dice in each set should be different enough from each other set that it's easy to tell them apart at a glance.
• A table or other playing surface that's big enough for all the players to roll a lot of dice.

Number of Players

2 to 8

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How to Play Stack

Each player rolls two dice to begin the game. Reroll any ties. The player who rolls highest is the First Player and will take the first turn. Play will then proceed in a clockwise manner around the table.

Rounds

To begin a round, all players should simultaneously pick up their dice, give them a good shake, and then drop them on to the middle of the table. You'll want to drop them carefully so that the dice don't just go flying everywhere, but you will also want to try and get the various colors of dice to mix together.

If several dice of the same color do end up clumped together, spread them out a bit. Try to ensure that no two dice are touching each other, but otherwise don't sort or organize the dice. Leave them as much of a random mix as possible. Pull in any dice that have rolled too far away from the playing area, being careful not to change the number rolled. If any dice fall on the floor, bring them back to the playing area and reroll them.

Turns

Beginning with the First Player and proceeding clockwise, each player takes a turn.

On your turn, you may use one of your dice to make a play. Choose any die of your color and stack it on top of any opponent's die that has the same number. For example, if one of your dice rolls a 3, you can place that die on top of any opponent's dice that also shows a 3. You cannot stack a die on top of a die of your own color! You may only stack on your opponents' dice. However, you are allowed to have more than one of your dice in a stack as long as they are not stacked directly on top of each other.

Once you pick up a die it must be played. Similarly, once a die is placed and your hand is removed from the die, then your turn is over and the play cannot be changed.

Stacks

Stacks can be between 2 and 4 dice in height. When a player places the fourth die on a stack, that player removes the stack from the table and will add the points for that stack to their score at the end of the round. (See Scoring below.)

Rerolls

Alternatively, instead of stacking a die on your turn, you may choose to reroll a die instead. Pick one of your dice from the play area and roll it. Whatever number comes up must be played immediately (stacked on another player's die). If there are no dice on the table for you to stack this die on, simply place the die into the playing area without changing its number. Your turn is now over.

Penalties

There are three ways that a player might earn a penalty:

1. If a player's roll knocks over a stack of dice.
   When this occurs, the player who rolled the die loses the remainder of their turn and they must rebuild the fallen stack. They must also subtract the number of dice in the stack from their score. For example, if they knock over a stack consisting of 3 dice, they lose 3 points.
2. If a player picks up an opponent's die.
   When this occurs, the player who picked up the incorrect die places the die back into the play area without changing its number and they lose the remainder of their turn.
   If the player has already accidentally rolled their opponent's die, the opponent has the option of either keeping the number rolled or returning it to its original number.
3. If a player goes out of turn.
   When this occurs, the player loses their next turn.

End of a Round

A round ends in one of two ways:

1. When a player places their last unstacked die.
   Before placing their final die, the player should verbally state that they are about to end the round. Then, once they have placed their die, each remaining opponent gets one more turn regardless of how many dice are left to stack. The round is then over and it is time to calculate scores.
2. When a player places their die on top of an opponent's last unstacked die.
   When this occurs, the opponent and the player who stacked the die are out of the round. Each remaining opponent receives one last turn as above.

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Scoring

Each player scores points for the stacks of dice that have their color of dice on the top. This includes the 4-dice stacks that they removed from play earlier as well as all the 2- and 3-dice stacks that remain in the play area. Single, unstacked dice that remain in the play area have no value and do not add to a player's score.

To determine a player's score, combine the total points from each of their stacks. Only the top number on each stack counts as points.

1 = 10 points
2 = 2 points
3 = 3 points
4 = 4 points
5 = 5 points
6 = 6 points

After scoring, if no player has won the game (see Winning below) then continue with another round.

Scoring example

Pip has 5 stacks of dice that he claimed during the round. Each of the stacks has his color of dice on the top, so that's how he knows they're his stacks and his points. The numbers on the top of each stack are as follows: 6, 4, 3, 3, 1.

Pip scores 6 points for the 6, 4 points for the 4, 3 points each for the 3s, and 10 points for the 1, for a grand total of 26 points.

Winning

Track player's scores individually on a piece of paper or through some other means. Continue playing rounds until one player scores 200 or more points. That player is the winner! If two players tie, either play one more round to determine a final winner, or declare a joint victory.

Variations

There are a couple of rules variations for Stack.

Teammates

Two players use differently colored dice, as normal, but they play as a team to try and have the highest combined score. At least one opposing player must sit between the teammates so that they can't take their turns in sequential order.

Additional Penalties

Use one or both of these additional penalties in your game.

• If a player's dice fall off the table when rolling, subtract 1 point from that player's score for each die that hits the floor.
• If a player captures a 4-dice stack, all other players lose 1 point.