YAHTZEE is the international version of one of the most popular dice games in the world. In this app it can be played by 1 – 12 players (3 in the free edition). 5 dice are involved, and each player should try to score as many points as possible in 15 different categories (combinations). During the game, the iPad will wander from one player to another – similar to a game with physical dice, which are handed over from one player to the next one.
Before the game begins, all players must roll the dice once (by tapping ROLL). The player with the highest score can begin the game. If two or more players have the highest score, then all players roll the dice again, until only one player remains with the highest score.
Now the players take turns to roll the dice up to 3 times (by tapping ROLL). After the first roll the player can decide to keep one or more dice and only roll the remaining ones (tap on the dice to keep it). Same procedure after the second roll. If a dice should not be kept anymore, but should be rolled again, then tap on the dice once more. There is a visual difference between the dice being kept, and the other dice.
If the player after first or second roll is content with the combination of dice and don’t want to roll them again, then the procedure is to tap on FINISH. Alternatively all dice can be kept, followed by a tap on ROLL.
When the player has completed the rolls, one of the 13 different combinations must be selected (by tapping on the preferred combination). A certain combination can only be selected once by a certain player. Selecting a combination can’t be undone. Thereafter, the next player takes over.
Please note that a certain combination of dice often can be used to score points in more than one category. In some cases there are no such categories (especially towards the end of the game). Even though one or more categories can be used to score points, it may sometimes be an advantage to select a “zero point” category.
In the lower part of the screen is shown the total score, which all players have obtained so far. The player name is shown, followed by the score in round brackets. A plus sign after the score indicates that the player has scored the upper section bonus of 35 points. A minus sign indicates that the player has lost the chance of scoring that bonus.
The player score is color coded as follows:
BLUE: The player has the highest score so far.
RED: The player has the lowest score so far.
BLACK: The player so far has neither the lowest nor highest score.
The player score is shown in BOLD style, when it is his/her turn to roll the dice. By the end of the game, the WINNING SCORE is shown in bold.
When the game is completed, the winner is announced (CONGRATULATIONS 🙂), and the first player may start a new game by tapping ROLL. Another option is returning to the start page by tapping RETURN. Here parameters and player names can be modified and a new game initiated.
Please note that when the winner is announced, FINISH will change to BROWSE. By tapping on this button, one can browse through the end results of all players.