Qwixx is a popular dice game where players aim to cross out numbers on their score sheets. The game involves a mix of luck and strategy, and players must also be careful to avoid penalties. The game is designed for 2 to 5 players and is suitable for anyone who can count and add.
What is Qwixx?
Qwixx is a dice game that was designed by Steffen Benndorf and Reinhard Staupe and published by Gamewright in 2013. It was nominated for a major award in 2013 and has won many other awards and honours since its release. The game has also spawned several spin-offs and variants, such as Qwixx Deluxe, Qwixx Mixx, and Qwixx with Significant Points. You can buy Quixx from Amazon.com.
Qwixx Rules
Qwixx is a dice game where you roll six dice, two white and four coloured. You cross out numbers on a score sheet that match the dice results. The game is for playing with friends or family and is portable and small, so you can play it anywhere with a flat surface and pens or pencils.
Components
- A rulebook that explains the basic rules of the game and provides some variations.
- A set of six dice comprising two white dice and four coloured dice (red, yellow, green, and blue). Each dice has numbers from 1 to 6 on its faces.
- A scorepad with four rows of numbers in different colours, matching the dice colours. The rows have numbers from 2 to 12 for the red and yellow rows and from 12 to 2 for the green and blue rows. The score sheets also have four boxes for penalties and a table for scoring.
Set Up
- Each player takes a score sheet and a pen or a pencil.
- The score sheets have four rows of numbers in different colours, matching the dice colours. The rows have numbers from 2 to 12 for the red and yellow rows and from 12 to 2 for the green and blue rows. The score sheets also have four boxes for penalties and a table for scoring.
- The basic rule of Qwixx is that numbers must be crossed out from left to right in each row, and once a number is skipped, it cannot be crossed out later.
- The player who rolls a six first is the active player, who will start the game and roll the dice. The other players are the passive players, who will also use the dice results to cross out numbers on their score sheets.
How to Play Qwixx Dice Game
- The active player rolls all six dice and announces the sum of the two white dice. For example, if the white dice show a three and a 4, the active player announces “seven”.
- Players can choose to cross out the number that equals the sum of the white dice in one row. The active player also has this option. For example, if the white dice show a three and a 4, all players may cross out the 7 in any of the rows, but only in one row.
- The player can choose to cross out a number in a row by using a white dice and a coloured dice. They can only do this if they are the active player. The player can cross out the number 8 in the red row by adding 3 and 5. This can happen if the white dice show 3 and 4, and the red dice show 5.
- The player in charge must remove at least one number during their turn. During their turn, the player in charge must remove at least one number. They have two options to do this. They can either add the numbers on the white dice or combine one white dice with one coloured dice.
- If the active player cannot or does not cross out any number, they must mark one of the penalty boxes on their score sheet. Each penalty box is worth -5 points at the end of the game.
- Passive players don’t need to cross out numbers or face penalties for not doing so during their turn. They can only use the sum of the white dice to cross out a number, and they cannot use the coloured dice.
- The active player’s turn ends after they cross out one or two numbers or after they mark a penalty box. The players draw a line under the last crossed-out number in each row to show game progress. The player to the left of the active player becomes the new active player and rolls the dice again. The game continues clockwise.
How do you Lock a Row and Remove a Die?
A player locks a row by crossing out the last number on the right end of the row and marking the lock symbol next to it. When a player crosses out the 12 and marks the lock symbol, the red and yellow rows are locked. Similarly, when a player crosses out the two and marks the lock symbol, the green and blue rows are locked.
When a row is locked, the player who locked it receives a bonus of one extra cross. Additionally, they also remove the corresponding coloured die. For example, if a player locks the red row, they get to cross out one more number in the red row and also remove the red die from the game.
A row can only be locked by the active player, and only if they have crossed out at least five numbers in that row. The passive players cannot lock a row, even if they have crossed out more than five numbers in that row.
When a row is locked, no more numbers can be crossed out in that row by any player. The game becomes more difficult as more dice are removed from the game, and fewer options are available for the players.
How to End and Score the Game?
The game immediately ends when either one of the following conditions is meet:
- One player has marked all four penalty boxes on their score sheet.
- Two rows have been locked in the game as two dice have been removed.
Players score points by counting crosses in each row and using the score sheet’s table to find corresponding points. For example, if a player has six crosses in the red row, they score 21 points for that row. The players also subtract 5 points for each penalty box they have marked. For example, if a player has two penalty boxes marked, they lose 10 points.
The player with the highest total score is the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the fewest penalty boxes is the winner. If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory.
