How to Play Close

Overview

This is a roll-and-write dice game for 1–4 players. Each player has a score sheet with 5 colored areas. On your turn you roll 6 dice and choose which to use — but every die you don't pick becomes available to your opponents. The goal is to fill in your sheet strategically to maximize your total score across all areas plus fox bonuses.

This app generates randomized sheets from a seed, so the layout and scoring change every game, but the core rules stay the same.

Round Structure

A full game lasts 4–6 rounds (agree before starting, or use the standard 4 rounds for 2–4 players, 6 rounds solo). In each round, every player takes one turn as the active player.

1. The active player rolls all 6 dice and takes their turn (up to 3 rolls).
2. After the active player finishes, all other players use the silver platter (see below).
3. Pass the dice to the next player clockwise.

Active Player's Turn

Your turn has up to 3 rolls:

1. Roll all 6 dice.
2. Choose exactly 1 die and use its value to fill in a cell on your sheet. Place the chosen die on your sheet.
3. Set aside all dice showing a lower value than your chosen die — these dice are removed from play for the rest of your turn. They go onto the silver platter.
4. Roll the remaining dice (those not chosen and not set aside).
5. Again choose 1 die, set aside lower dice, and so on.
6. After your 3rd choice (or if you run out of dice), your turn ends.

Key rule: You may always choose to not use a die (skip it) if you can't or don't want to place it. But you still set aside lower dice and continue rolling. You always make exactly 3 rolls per turn (unless you run out of dice).

Passive Players — The Silver Platter

After the active player finishes all 3 rolls, look at the silver platter — all the dice that were set aside during the turn (because they were lower than a chosen die).

1. Each passive player picks exactly 1 die from the silver platter.
2. Use that die's value to fill in a cell on your own sheet, following the normal area rules.
3. You may choose not to use the die if none of the values are helpful.

The silver platter keeps the game engaging even when it's not your turn — you're always watching what dice get set aside.

Choosing & Using Dice

When you pick a die, its value must be entered into one of the 5 areas on your sheet. Each area has its own color and rules for what values it accepts:

• Check areas (marked with ✓): You don't write the die value — you just check off a cell if your die meets the requirement.
• Write areas (numbered cells): You write the actual die value into the next available cell.

The die you pick doesn't have to match the area's color. Any die can be used in any area, as long as the value satisfies that area's constraints.

Two-Dice Areas (Target Grid)

Some areas (like the Red target grid) require two dice whose values add up to a target number.

How two-dice cells work

1. Each cell shows a target number (e.g. 7, 10, 4).
2. To check off that cell, you need two dice from your current roll whose values sum to exactly that target.
3. You use both dice at once — this counts as one of your 3 picks for the turn (you pick the pair together).
4. You can check off any cell in the grid — there's no left-to-right or row order. Pick whichever target you can hit.

Two-dice on the silver platter

As a passive player, you still only get one pick from the platter. But if the platter has enough dice, you may pick two dice that sum to a target to check off a cell in a two-dice area. This is one of the reasons you watch the platter carefully — sometimes two low dice that nobody wanted combine perfectly for you.

Pre-marked cells

Some cells in the grid are pre-marked with ✗ — these are already filled for you at the start of the game. They count toward column/row completion and scoring without you needing to do anything.

Area Types

Each color on your sheet follows one of these rule sets. The color tells you which recipe it uses — same color always means same rules.

Yellow — Threshold (Check)

Cells show a minimum value. Check cells left-to-right; your die must show ≥ the threshold. You can only check the next unchecked cell.

Blue — Odd/Even (Write)

Cells alternate between needing an odd or even value. Write values left-to-right. Each cell shows whether it needs odd or even.

Green — Column Grid (Write)

A grid where you write die values row by row (left-to-right within each row). You score points for each fully completed column — point values are shown below each column.

Orange — Weighted (Write)

Write values left-to-right. Each cell has a multiplier (×1, ×2, ×3). Your score = sum of (value × multiplier). Some cells are negative and subtract from your score.

Purple — Ascending (Write)

Write values left-to-right. Each value must be higher than the previous one. Writing a 6 resets the sequence — the next cell can be anything.

Red — Target Grid (Check)

A grid of target numbers. Check any cell in any order by using two dice that sum to the target. See the "Two-Dice Areas" section above for full details.

Teal — Simple Sum (Write)

Write any die value left-to-right. Your score is the simple sum of all entered values. Higher dice = more points, no tricks.

Pink — Descending (Write)

Write values left-to-right. Each value must be lower than the previous one. Writing a 1 resets the sequence — the next cell can be anything.

Rerolls & +1s

At the top of your sheet you'll see two resource tracks:

🔄 Rerolls

Spend a reroll to re-roll all your remaining dice (those not already chosen or set aside). You can reroll at any point during your turn before making a pick. Each reroll token can only be used once — cross it off when used. Some bonuses restore spent rerolls.

+1 Tokens

Spend a +1 to increase or decrease any one die by exactly 1 (e.g. turn a 3 into a 4, or a 5 into a 4). A 6 can become a 5 (but not a 7), and a 1 can become a 2 (but not a 0). Use these to hit tricky thresholds or keep an ascending/descending sequence alive.

Bonuses & Cascades

Many cells have a bonus icon attached. When you fill that cell, the bonus triggers immediately:

• 🔄 Reroll — Recover one spent reroll token.
• +1 — Recover one spent +1 token.
• 🦊 Fox — Gain a fox (see scoring below).
• Free [Color] — Immediately fill one cell in the named area for free, ignoring all constraints. You pick the die value (1–6). This is very powerful.
• Extra Turn — Take an additional action on your turn.

Cascading: A bonus can trigger another bonus! If a free entry fills a cell that also has a bonus, that bonus fires too. Chains of 2–3 bonuses are common and very satisfying. The app shows pending bonuses in a bar at the bottom of the screen.

Foxes 🦊

Foxes are a catch-up / balancing mechanic. At the end of the game:

This rewards balanced play — there's no point having one amazing area and one terrible one, because foxes multiply your worst score. Try to keep all areas roughly even.

Final Scoring

1. Score each of the 5 areas individually (rules vary by area type — see the lookup table, sum, weighted sum, or column completion scoring described in each area's rules).
2. Add the fox bonus: foxes × lowest area score.
3. Sum everything for your final total.

A typical good score is around 200–250 points. Over 300 is excellent.

Using This App

• Tap a cell to fill it in. The app enforces the area's rules automatically.
• Undo reverses your last action (up to 50 steps).
• Rules / Hide rules toggles the per-area rule hints inline on the sheet.
• New generates a fresh random sheet.
• Share copies a seed link — anyone with the link gets the exact same sheet.
• Reset clears all your entries but keeps the same sheet layout.
• Enter a seed in the text box and press New to generate a specific sheet.
• The reroll/+1 circles at the top are clickable — tap to mark them as used or restore them.

Inspired by popular roll-and-write dice games.
Source on GitHub