Card CommonsCard Commons

Goal

Make the last capture of the round. In First to 50 and Nine rounds the round winner scores the sides of the final pair.

Cards

Each player has six dice: a d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20. A die shows 1 up to its number of sides, so a d10 reads 1 to 10.

Each player also has a draw deck of 27 cards. Red is the Ace to King of hearts and diamonds plus a Joker. Black is the Ace to King of spades and clubs plus the other Joker. Suits do nothing.

• 2 to 10: set any die to that number. The die must be able to show it, so a 10 can’t go on a d4, d6, or d8.
• Jack (Min): set any die to 1.
• Queen (2 Rerolls): reroll a die, then reroll a die again. You pick the second after seeing the first, and it can be the same die.
• King (Max): set any die to its highest face.
• Ace (Min/Max): set one of your dice to its highest face, or one of your opponent’s to 1. The printed rules let you pick either end on any die.
• Joker (Reroll All): every die in play is rerolled.

Setup

A roll-off decides who goes first in round 1. On Play again, the other player goes first in round 1 instead, with no roll-off. After that the first player alternates every round.

Each round both players roll all six dice and draw 3 cards. Cards still in a hand at the end of a round are shown, then go face up onto that player’s discard pile. A draw deck is reshuffled from its own discards only when it’s empty, which first happens in round 10 of First to 50.

Play

1. On your turn take exactly one action. You can’t pass.
2. Capture: pick one of your dice and one of your opponent’s showing the same number or less. Both dice leave play. The two dice can be different types.
3. Reroll: roll any one die again, yours or your opponent’s.
4. Play a card from your hand (see Cards).
5. Neither player may capture on their first turn of a round.
6. The sixth capture removes the last pair and ends the round. The player who made it wins the round.

Scoring

The round winner scores the sides of the two dice in the final capture: a d20 taking a d4 scores 24.

• Single round: one round, and its winner wins. No points are kept.
• First to 50: the first player whose total reaches 50 or more wins at once.
• Nine rounds: exactly 9 rounds, and the higher total wins. Equal totals are a draw.

How this version differs

• The Ace. It sets your own die to its highest face or your opponent’s to 1, as in the designer’s online version. The printed rules let you pick either end on any die.
• Dice colors. Each player keeps one dice color for the whole match, and a 1st marker shows who goes first in the round.
• Cards that change nothing. You may play a card that leaves a die as it was, such as a Jack on a 1. It still uses your turn.
• Leftover cards. Cards still held at the end of a round are shown face up.
• A Nine-rounds tie is a draw. The printed rules give no tiebreak.