Tally Up
Tally Up Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Objective
Be the first player to reach 2,500 points at the end of a round.
Contents
- 6 Tally Dice
- 1 Up Die
- 10 IN / OUT Tokens
- 5 Dice Roll Cards
Setup
Each player takes an IN / OUT token and flips it to IN. Place the Dice Roll Cards within reach of all players. Choose a player to roll first. This player becomes the first active player. Make a score sheet or scan the code on the rules sheet for the Tally Up scoring app.
The Tally Dice
Each die has its own mix of stars, circles, and points. Use the chart below and the Dice Roll Cards during the game to plan your strategy.
| Color | Risk | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Red | High | 200 |
| Orange | High | 200 |
| Yellow | Medium | 150 |
| Green | Medium | 150 |
| Blue | Low | 100 |
| Purple | Low | 100 |
In or Out
Each round can have multiple rolls. Before each Main Roll and Up Die Roll, every player secretly chooses to stay IN and try to gain more points, or go OUT and bank points. Once you are OUT, you are OUT for the rest of that round.
Running Total
Points from all the rolls in a round are added up. These points are called the Running Total. The Running Total starts at zero at the beginning of each round. After each roll, the dice points are added to the Running Total.
Bank or Bust
When a player chooses to go OUT in a round, they bank points by adding the current running total to their score. All players still IN when two stars are rolled bust and score no points for the round.
Playing a Round
- The active player chooses three Tally Dice to roll. These dice cannot be swapped out for other Tally Dice during the round.
- Roll your chosen dice. This roll is called the Main Roll.
- Resolve the roll (see Resolve the Roll).
- Say "1... 2... 3...!" to signal everyone to reveal their IN / OUT token at the same time!
- All players who go OUT add the current running total to their score.
- Repeat steps 2-5 until:
- A. Everyone has gone OUT, or...
- B. Two stars cause a bust!
- C. Note: The active player continues to roll even if they have gone OUT for the round.
- Once there is a bust or everyone has gone OUT, reset the Running Total to zero, flip all IN / OUT tokens back to IN, and pass the dice to the next player clockwise. This player will become the new active player. The new active player chooses any three Tally Dice to roll (go back to Step 1).
Resolve the Roll
0 or 1 star:
- Add the numbers shown on the dice to the Running Total for this round.
- If one or more circled numbers appear on the Main Roll, the Up Die will be rolled (see The Up Die).
2 stars = Bust!
- The round ends immediately.
- The Running Total resets to zero.
- Everyone still IN scores no points.
- The Tally Dice passes to the next player clockwise.
3 stars = Tally Up!
- Anytime the original three dice in a Main Roll show three stars, a Tally Up! occurs.
- The first player to shout "Tally Up!" scores a 200-point bonus, even if they have gone OUT for the round. This bonus is added to their score.
- All other players still IN get 100 points added to their score.
- You cannot score a Tally Up! Bonus from an Up Die Bonus Roll.
The Up Die
If one or more circled numbers appear on the Main Roll, the Up Die will be rolled. Before the Up Die is rolled, all IN players decide whether to stay IN or go OUT. The active player says "1... 2... 3..." and all players reveal their tokens at the same time! Then the active player rolls the Up Die! Resolve the roll using the chart below. Note: The Up Die is only rolled once, even if multiple numbers are circled.
| Face | Effect | Description |
|---|---|---|
| +1 | Bonus Roll | Roll one extra Tally Die |
| +2 | Bonus Roll | Roll two extra Tally Dice |
| +3 | Bonus Roll | Roll all three remaining Tally Dice |
| -100 | Penalty | Subtract 100 points from the Running Total |
| +100 | Bonus | Add 100 points to the Running Total |
| x2 | Bonus | Double the Running Total |
Bonus Roll (+1, +2, +3)
- The active player rolls that many extra Tally Dice from the dice not rolled in the Main Roll.
- After the Bonus Roll, if two or more stars are showing across all the dice (from both the Main Roll and the Bonus Roll), everyone still IN busts and scores no points for the round.
- Otherwise, add the points from the Bonus Roll to the Running Total.
- You do not roll the Up Die again if a circle appears on a Bonus Roll.
- After a Bonus Roll, the extra dice used for the Bonus Roll are set aside.
- Return to Step 4 in Playing a Round.
End of Game
The game ends when a player reaches 2,500 points or more at the end of a round. If multiple players pass 2,500, the highest score wins. In case of a tie, play another round to decide the winner.
Want to Mix It Up?
- Change the target score if 2,500 points feels too long or short.
- Instead of playing to a point total, end the game after every player has been the active player at least once.
- Keep the tension high with a high stakes variant. Before each Main Roll, all players choose IN or OUT. If you are IN, you also stay IN for the Up Die roll if there is one.