Pass the Pandas
Pass the Pandas Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Try to be the first player to get rid of all of your dice.
Contents
- 20 six-sided dice
- this rulebook
Set Up
Each player starts with four to six dice, depending on the number of players:
| Players | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Dice | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
Place unused dice back in the box.
About the Dice
Each of the dice in the game contains six sides. Of these six sides, three show images (one Panda, one Bamboo, and one Water Drop), and the other three are blank. Each image on the die corresponds to an action taken by the player who rolled it. See Game Play for details on each of these actions.
Game Play
Players take turns rolling the dice. Each turn should follow the order of operations listed below, in sequential order:
- Roll all of your dice.
- Remove any Water Drops you rolled from the game. Since water evaporates, all Water Drops rolled are immediately removed from the game and placed off to the side or in the box.
- Pass any Pandas you rolled to other players. Players who roll a Panda give that die to any other player of their choice. If multiple Pandas are rolled, those dice can all be given to the same player, or split amongst multiple players in any manner.
- Set aside Bamboo for the Bamboo Challenge. Compare the number of Bamboo you rolled with the previous player. If they have more bamboo than you, they must pass you the difference (see Bamboo Challenge, below).
- Keep all Blank dice. When a player rolls a blank, no action is taken for that die.
Note: Remember that on every turn, players re-roll all of their dice. Play continues until one player no longer has dice at the end of their turn or the end of another player's turn.
Ending the Game
The game is over if any player has no dice left at either the end of their own turn, or at the end of another player's turn (because they have given the last of their bamboo away on another player's turn). Players may choose to play for second, third, and fourth places.
Bamboo Challenge
Each player must roll at least the same number of Bamboo as the previous player. If a player does not meet this challenge, then the previous player will give that player the difference. A turn is not over until the Bamboo Challenge is settled.
Bamboo Challenge Example 1: On John's turn he rolls all of his dice and rolls one Bamboo on one of his dice. Next on Susan's turn she also rolls one Bamboo on one of her dice, then on Bill's turn he rolls one Bamboo on one of his dice. On Allison's turn she rolls no Bamboo. She takes Bill's one Bamboo since she did not meet or exceed the number of Bamboo rolled by Bill, the previous player, and must take the difference (1-0=1). It is John's turn again and he rolls one Bamboo on one of his dice. Play continues.
Bamboo Challenge Example 2: On her turn, Susan rolls one Bamboo on one of her dice. Next Bill rolls three Bamboo on his turn. Then Allison rolls only two Bamboo on her turn. Since she did not meet the challenge of three Bamboo and only rolled two, she must take one of Bill's Bamboo (3-2=1). Next John also rolls two Bamboo. He does not need to take any additional Bamboo since he met the challenge set by the previous player, Allison, who rolled two Bamboo.
Examples of Game Play
Example 1: John, Susan, Bill and Allison all start with five dice. John begins and rolls the dice (shown in the printed rulebook).
John discards his water from the game, passes the Panda to Bill. He leaves his Bamboo for the Bamboo Challenge and keeps his blank die. His turn is over. Susan goes next and rolls.
Susan passes one Panda to John and one Panda to Allison. Because Susan did not roll enough Bamboo to match John, John gives Susan one of his Bamboo (because the difference between John and Susan's Bamboo was one: 2-1=1). If Susan had not rolled any Bamboo, John would have given her two Bamboo. Susan's turn is now over. Bill rolls six dice (his starting dice plus the die given to him by John).
Bill discards his three Water. Susan, the previous player, only rolled one Bamboo (her other Bamboo was given to her by John), so Susan gives one of her Bamboo to Bill (because Bill failed to roll any Bamboo and didn't meet the Bamboo Challenge). Bill's turn is over, and Allison now rolls 6 dice.
Allison discards her water and passes her Panda to Susan. Bill rolled no Bamboo, so Allison does not need to collect any Bamboo. Her turn is over, and play will continue with John.
Example 2: In the next game, again John, Susan, Bill and Allison all start with five dice. John rolls the dice.
John discards his Water from the game, and passes the Panda to Allison. His turn is over, Susan goes next and rolls.
Susan discards her Water and passes her one Panda to Bill. Because Susan did not roll enough Bamboo to match John, John gives Susan two of his Bamboo (because the difference between John and Susan's Bamboo was two this time: 3-1=2). Susan's turn is now over. Bill rolls 6 dice (his starting dice plus the die given to him by Susan).
Bill discards his two Water and passes his Panda to John. Susan only rolled one Bamboo (her other two Bamboo were given to her by John), so Susan gives one of her Bamboo to Bill (because Bill failed to roll any Bamboo). Bill's turn is over, and Allison now rolls six dice.
Allison discards her Water and passes her Panda to Susan. Bill rolled no Bamboo, so Allison does not collect any Bamboo. Her turn is over, and play will continue with John.
Example 3: Later on in the game, John and Susan only have one die each. John rolls a Bamboo. Next Susan rolls a Panda. Susan passes her Panda to John, leaving her without any dice momentarily. However, her turn is not over and she has not won the game yet - since she did not roll any Bamboo, and did not meet the Bamboo Challenge set by John, she must take John's Bamboo (1-0=1).
End of the Game Example: John and Susan only have one die each. John rolls a Bamboo. Next Susan rolls a Water. Susan discards her Water but since she did not meet the Bamboo Challenge set by John she must take John's Bamboo (1-0=1). John has no dice left and he is the winner!
Variants for Advanced Players
Players may play one of these variants if they would like a more advanced game. We do not recommend these options, however, until you are comfortable with the basic rules.
Bamboozled: If you have four or more dice and you roll all blanks, you may exchange all of your dice with any other player.
Panda-monium: Play to a certain number of points. When you win, you get a point for each other die that is in play. Second, third and fourth places score in the same way.
Quick Reference
- Water evaporates: All water rolled is removed from the game.
- Pass the Pandas: Give pandas to other players.
- Grow Bamboo: Roll the same amount or more bamboo than the previous player. If not, take the difference.
- Blank: Nothing happens; keep those dice.