Game Rules for Encore! (Noch Mal!)

Hello there! Are you ready to have a blast with the Encore! game? Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I’ll walk you through the rules and everything you need to know to get started. So, let’s dive right in!

Setup

Here’s what you need to do to set up the game:

1. Before I begin, I ensure that each player has a pen or pencil and a piece of paper. Trust me, they’ll need it!
2. Next, we put all the dice together. You should have 16 colorful dice at this point, magnificent!
3. Now, let’s shuffle the category cards really well. This will keep things interesting and fair for everyone.
4. Finally, we place the category cards facedown in the middle of the play area. Ready? Let’s move on!

Gameplay

Once we have finished setting up, it’s time to play. Are you excited? I know I am! Here’s how it works:

1. Oh, I forgot to mention, did you see the word “Encore!” on the dice? Well, that’s the magical word! Pay attention to it.
2. On each turn, one player will roll all 16 dice. Wow, that’s a lot of dice!
3. Look closely at the dice and try to find a word that matches the category shown on the top card. Can you do it?
4. If you spot a matching word, shout it out and use one of the dice with that word to mark it on your sheet. Genius!
5. Now, here comes the exciting part. The player to your left will start a timer for 30 seconds, and you’ll have to find another word that matches the category. No pressure!
6. Keep rolling and filling in words until the timer runs out. Remember, at least five words in a row are required to earn points. The longer the word sequence, the more points you earn. Jackpot!
7. Play continues like this until each player has had three turns. Exciting, right?

Scoring

Scoring is simple. After all players have taken their three turns, it’s time to add up the points:

• For every word sequence of five or more words, you get one point. That’s a good start!
• If a player has the longest word sequence or ties for it, they earn a bonus point. Awesome!
• Finally, let’s keep track of the points throughout the game. The player with the highest score wins. Congrats!

And that’s it! Now you’re ready to play Encore! (Noch Mal!). Remember, it’s all about finding those words and earning points. So, grab your friends or family, and let the fun begin. Good luck and have a blast!

Hey there! So here’s how the game works: I earn points by being the first to check off all the boxes in a column, as well as all the boxes of the same color. The trick is, I can only check boxes that are connected to other boxes.

Now, here’s the secret: I need to complete the columns before other players do! If I’m the first to finish a column, I earn more points than those who finish later. So speed is key!

But wait, there’s more! Not only do I get points for completing columns, but I can also receive a bonus if I manage to check off all the boxes of the same color. That’s like hitting the jackpot!

Now, the game ends when one player has checked off all the boxes of two different colors. That’s when you know you’re the ultimate winner!

Alright, let’s get set up!

Each player gets their own player sheet. Make sure everyone has one!

This is Your Player Sheet!

Game Play: Let’s Get Started!

I’ll tell you how to play this awesome game!

First, we need to choose a player who goes first. This player is called the “starting player.” They get to throw all six dice once, which is super exciting!

Next, the starting player gets to pick one color dice and one number dice. They put these dice in front of them and mark off the corresponding boxes on their sheet.

Now, it’s the other players’ turn. They can choose any combination of one color die and one number die from the remaining four dice. They mark off the boxes on their own sheets.

Here’s the fun part: all the players, except for the starting player, can freely choose a pair of dice from the remaining four. The only dice that are “removed” are the ones the starting player chose.

Exception: Pay Attention!

When it’s my turn, I get to choose a number and a color die from the six dice that have been rolled. I pick one of each, and mark off the corresponding box on my sheet. This goes on for the first three turns, with all players having the same opportunity.

We can even choose the same combinations if we want.

Passing

But here’s the thing – I don’t have to choose any combination if I don’t want to. I can decide to check off nothing. And guess what? The other players can still choose from all six dice, even if I decide not to take any.

Choosing and Checking Boxes

To be able to check boxes, you have to pick one color die and one number die. Then, you need to mark the corresponding boxes.

For example, let’s say you choose “blue” and “2”. Now, you have to mark two adjacent blue boxes.

Here are the rules you need to follow:

– At the start of the game, the first box you check must be in Column H. After that, you can spread your checks into other columns as long as they connect and are all of the same color.

– Your checks must be next to or above/below at least one already checked box, or they can start in the Start Column (H). Boxes that are only touching diagonally don’t count as adjacent.

– You have to check the exact number of boxes shown on the die.

– All the checks you make in one turn must be connected to each other, forming a “clump.”

A color block can be filled partially in one turn.

You can only check off up to five boxes in a single turn. A Joker cannot be a “6”.

You cannot split the value of a die between two color blocks of the same color in one turn.

The “?” number on the dice and the black “X” on the color cube are Jokers.

Example:

On my first turn, I rolled i1.jpg. One option I have is to choose and mark off five yellow boxes. I can do this because at least one of the checked boxes is in the “H” column. Alternatively, I could choose , but that would be a strange choice.

Another option could have been to choose . I would have marked off the entire 2-orange color block, since it is partially in Column “H”. I couldn’t choose because there is no space along the H column to mark off 5 orange boxes.

Yet another choice would be to pick and mark off two blue boxes in the 4-blue color block. I can do this because one of the boxes is in the “H” column, and the marks I made are connected. It wouldn’t have been possible to mark off all 4 blue boxes if I had chosen , because I have to use the entire value.

Since this is one of the first three rolls, I won’t set aside the dice for my pair. After the beginning of the fourth roll, I will take out those chosen dice and the other players will only have four dice to choose from.

Note: If I choose Option C to complete the 4-blue color block, I will later need to choose again, or choose in two separate turns.

The Joker

The number and color dice are what we call jokers. When you pick the black joker, you can choose any color you want. And if you choose the “?” joker, you get to choose any number between 1 and 5.

Pay attention: Even if you have a block of 6 boxes to fill in, you cannot choose “6”. It always takes at least two turns to fill a block of 6 boxes.

Remember: Every time you use a joker, you need to cross out an exclamation mark on your sheet. Once you run out of exclamation marks, you can no longer use any jokers.

If you want, you can use two jokers. But if you do, you have to cross out two exclamation marks. Keep in mind that any remaining “I”s count as points at the end of the game!

Claiming Columns

When you manage to fill a column with crosses, you earn points based on the value listed below that column. If you happen to be the first player to do so, you mark the top number (which has a higher value) beneath that column.

Make sure to inform the other players that they need to cross out that particular value. Even though other players can still earn points for filling the column, they should circle the bottom number (which has a lower value).

From that point on, the bottom number is open to all subsequent players; no one can claim it as their own, since the first player to complete the column already claimed the higher value.

After a few turns, I noticed that I had checked off the 3 blue boxes and filled up a whole column. I excitedly announced to my fellow players, “Hey, Column E is complete!” and circled the 2 points. They marked off just 1 point since they hadn’t filled up the column yet.

Here are some important things to know about completing columns in this game:

• When you complete a column, only the higher value is erased. Everyone else still has a chance to reach the lower value.
• You can complete multiple columns in a single turn and earn points for each one.
• If multiple players complete a column on the same turn, they all receive the higher points.

Once everyone has had a turn to choose a pair of dice, the dice are passed to the next player in clockwise order, and the game continues.

Now, let’s talk about Color Bonus Points!

When I cross off all the boxes of a color, I have to circle the bonus box on the top right of my player sheet.

If I am the first one to do it, I circle the one with the higher value. I make sure to let the other players know so they can cross out the lower-value box, because only the first player to complete each color gets the higher points.

Just like with columns, all the other players who complete that color get the lower value. It remains uncrossed.

Stars

When you play the game, any stars that haven’t been crossed off on your player sheet by the end will cost you 2 points each, up to a maximum of 30 points lost.

The Game’s End

The game comes to a close as soon as a player successfully circles their second Color Bonus, regardless of its value being high or low.

If you happen to be the one who triggers the end of the game, don’t worry! All other players will still have a chance for one more turn. After that, it’s time to tally up the points. Keep in mind that no player can have more than 2 Color Bonuses, although it’s possible for some to have none at all.

Let’s talk about the points in the game. They’re pretty important! Here are a few things you need to know:

First, we have the Color Bonus points. These are the points you get for using all the colors. If you manage to use every color, you’ll earn a total of Color Bonus points.

Next, we have the Column Bonus points. These points come from using all the columns. Just like the Color Bonus points, you’ll earn a total of Column Bonus points if you manage to use every column.

Now, let’s talk about jokers. Each unused joker is actually worth a point. So don’t forget to keep track of those!

But be careful! Each unchecked star will actually take away 2 points. So try your best to check all those stars!

Lastly, let’s talk about winning. Whoever has the most points wins the game! But what happens if there’s a tie? Well, in that case, we look at who has the most exclamation points. If there’s still a tie after that, victory will be shared.