Doubles Wild
Doubles Wild Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
The object of the game is to score points by placing your marbles in three pockets in a row, across, up and down, or diagonally.
Starting the Game
- Players select marble colors. Each player rolls 3 dice. Highest total plays first. (Re-roll to break ties.) Play proceeds clockwise.
- Distribute marbles as follows: 2 player game: 24 marbles each. 3 player game: 16 marbles each. 4 player game: 12 marbles each.
- Each player also takes one scoring peg to be used in keeping score. Place this peg on the Scoring Strip at '0'.
Your Turn
- At your turn, roll two red dice and two blue dice. Total the blue dice, and find that number along the blue edge of the board. Total the red dice, and locate that number along the red edge of the board. Your roll has selected the pocket where the row and the column meet.
- A double on either red or blue is WILD, you may select any pocket that you do not already own from that row or column. (Example: if you roll blue 4-4 and red 2-3, you may select any pocket along the red 5 row.) If both pairs are WILD you may select any pocket that you do not already own from anywhere on the board.
- If you don't like your first roll, you may re-roll both blue dice, both red dice, or all four dice. You may not re-roll only one red die or only one blue die.
Diagram "No double": this roll selects row 4, column 10.
Diagram "Double": you choose any pocket in row 5.
The Play
Once your rolling is complete, play the pocket in which you have landed as follows:
- If the pocket is vacant, you now own it. Place one of your marbles in the pocket.
- If the pocket is already yours, take no action. Do not play a marble on this turn.
- If the pocket is owned by your opponent, and it is part of a 3-in-a-row, take no action. Do not play a marble on this turn.
- If the pocket is already owned by your opponent, and it is not part of a 3-in-a-row, place the battle ring around your opponent's marble and battle for the pocket with your opponent. The marble of the player losing the battle is removed from the board and is NOT returned to its owner.
Battles
The player who already owns the pocket is the DEFENDER. The player trying to gain control of the pocket is the ATTACKER. Because the attacker rolls first in each round, battle rules favor the defender.
- Each player takes 3 dice of one color. The battle consists of three rounds.
- Round 1: First the attacker, then the defender, rolls all three dice.
- Round 2: First the attacker, then the defender, re-rolls any or all of their dice. (A player may choose not to roll any dice.)
- Round 3: First the attacker, then the defender, again re-rolls any or all of their dice. (A player may again choose not to roll any dice.)
- Highest total after round 3 wins the Battle. Note that the defender rolls last and can simply choose not to roll any dice if he/she already has the higher total.
- In case of a tie, an additional round is played. In this round, each player must roll at least one die.
Scoring
- A player scores 1 point for every 3-in-a-row made with their marbles, be it across, up-and-down, or diagonally.
- A marble may be part of more than one scoring row. For example, a line of 4 marbles of one color contains two 3-in-a-rows and so scores 2 points, while a line of 5 scores 3 points, and so on.
- Remember not to score the same 3-in-a-row more than once. When adding a marble to an existing 3-in-a-row, score only the newly created 3-in-a-rows. (See the bottom diagram.)
- Use your scoring peg on the Scoring Strip to keep track of your score.
Scoring diagrams: a single 3-in-a-row is worth 1 point; a line of four is worth 2 points; a line of five is worth 3 points; a cross shape (a 3-in-a-row across and a 3-in-a-row up-and-down sharing a marble) is worth 2 points; and the bottom diagram, where a marble is added to a 3-in-a-row to form a new one, is worth 3 points (1 point earlier + 2 points now).
Winning the Game
- The game ends when the turn passes to a player who has run out of marbles. In other words, when one player runs out of marbles, every other player gets one more turn.
- High score wins.
- To break a tie, clear the board and begin again. First 3-in-a-row wins.
Team Play
- Four players may play as two teams.
- Teammates sit across from each other. Each player takes 12 marbles of a different color.
- Points are scored only for 3-in-a-row of the same color. Only two scoring pegs are used, one for each team.
- When a player lands in a pocket occupied by their teammate, they may:
- treat it as if it were occupied by themselves or,
- if the marble is not part of a 3-in-a-row, replace the teammate's marble with their own, in which case the teammate's marble is removed from play and is not returned to the teammate.