Dice plus Shuffleboard = Tumblin’ Dice Jr.

And Tumblin’ Dice Jr. is the subject of this week’s game review. I say “this week’s” as if I do one every week, when the truth is I haven’t posted a game review since sometime in November. But I’ve continued to play games, so I thought it was only right that I sit myself down and tell you about one of them today.

Tumblin’ Dice Jr. is all about a little dexterity and a lot of fun. It’s a dice-flicking, dice-rolling, dice-pushing game for two players. The box says it’s for ages 8 and up, but younger kids can certainly play, or at least have fun playing with the parts.

Here’s what you get in the box:

One multi-level board, eight dice (4 white and 4 black) in a nice little bag, a dry erase marker, and the rules.

The idea in Tumblin’ Dice Jr. is to push, slide, flick, or roll your dice onto the scoring board in such a way as to score the most points. Each level of the board has a different multiplier on it (1 x dice, 2 x dice, 3 x dice, and 4 x dice). If one of your dice lands on the 4x level, that die will score its face value multiplied by 4; if one lands on the 2x level, it will score its face value multiplied by 2; and so on. BUT…only if those dice stay there for the remainder of the round.

Here’s how the gameplay works. First, players each roll one die to determine who will go first. That player will flick, roll, etc. his first die onto the board. The only rule is that the die must first touch the landing disk (shown in the picture below). For example, the player might put one of his dice on the landing disk, take careful aim, and flick it down the board. Or, he might roll it onto the board from above — making sure that the die hits the landing disk before moving on to another part of the board.

The other player then shoots one of his dice. Play alternates until the players have used all their dice (4 turns each). Round 1 is now done and the players take score. If, in the process of the round, a die rolls, falls, or gets shoved off the board by another die, it’s out of play for that round — you’re out of luck. Scores are recorded on the mini white-board score pads, and the players begin Round 2.

The rules suggest that you play four rounds, but C. and I like to play to 100.

Let’s look at a round that’s almost done, to see what the scoring process will look like.

1. The nifty little built-in score pads that work with the dry erase marker.
2. The landing disk. The black die on it will be the last die flicked for this round, since it’s obvious the other ones have already been played.
3. This die didn’t make it past that line onto the scoring portion of the board — it’s on the “0 x dice” section, and will be removed from play with no score.
4. Scoring dice. The die showing 4 on the 2x level will score 8 points for Black, while the two dice on the 3x level (a 6 and a 1) will score 18 and 3 points, respectively, for White. The die showing a 2 that’s down on the 4x level will score 8 points for White.
5. This black die on the table looks like it was knocked off the 4x scoring level due to an aggressive move by White. It scores nothing.
6. This black die is hanging over the edge of the board, but still scores 12 points (3 x 4) for Black.

I’ve learned that C. enjoys fun little dexterity games more than the heavier strategy games sometimes, so I pulled Tumblin’ Dice Jr. out this morning. We played two games, and each won one. Kids can easily do as well as adults at this game, once they learn to reign in their enthusiasm (we’ve had more than a couple dice go flying across the room). And adults can play ruthlessly against each other, while playing a bit more gently against kids.

There’s also a full-size version of Tumblin’ Dice, which plays up to four people or teams, but it is considerably more expensive and seems to be less widely available. The Jr. version is perfect for us; we can play in teams or just go 1-on-1, and it fits nicely on our dining room table, with room left over for when the dice go sliding off the board.

In summary:

Tumblin’ Dice Jr.

Number of Players: 2 (or 2 teams)
Time required: 15 minutes
Ages: 8 and up, though I think younger kids can easily join in
Where to buy: Highlights was the best price I could find.

Callapidder recommends it: For any time you’re in the mood for a game that has a little more action and fun, and a little less pondering and strategy. Or if flicking some dice around your living room would relieve a little stress.

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