The game is very simple: players want to make crosses on their score pad. Crosses bring points. But beware: will you be too greedy and shoot past the finish?

Then your valuable points melt away. Pick the best die rolls and make your crosses in the right place. Only then can you win the game.


Components

  • 6 Dice
  • 1 tablet of score pads
  • Instructions

Setup

Everyone gets a score sheet and puts it in front of them. Take a pencil and get the dice ready.


Game Play

The youngest player starts, then you play in a clockwise direction. Are you the youngest player? Then roll all six dice. You can re-roll them up to two more times.



After each roll you can decide which dice you want to put aside and which ones you want to roll again. You may also roll dice already set aside. After the third roll, you have to keep the dice rolled.

Look at the dice, here are the options:

  • Color

    Decide on a single color. For each die showing this color, place a cross in the appropriate color row on your score sheet.

    You must use all dice of a color.

    Example: Sami's dice result shows after the third roll are: 3x orange, 2x green and 1x pink. He chooses the color orange.

    For each of the three orange dice, make a cross in a box in the orange color row on the score sheet.

  • Joker

    Did you roll one or more Joker? Then you can use them as the color of your choice.

    You may choose a color that already appears in your roll, but you cannot combine the jokers with a color that already appears on your dice. You have to decide whether to use either all rolled jokers or all dice of an already rolled color.

    Example: Ina's dice result shows 3 jokers, 2x orange and 1x pink after the third roll. She decides to take the 3 jokers and chooses the color orange.

    For each of the three Jokers, she makes a cross in the orange color row on her score sheet. The two orange dice must not be used by Ina.

    Did you make crosses on your score sheet? Then your turn is over and your left neighbor is given the dice.



However, sometimes the luck of the players is in your hands! And that's when you roll La Calavera - the skull :

Skull

Did you roll at least one skull? Then you have to put aside every die that shows the skull when you roll it. You can not roll them again on your turn. They must remain in the middle of the table until the end of your turn.

But that's not all: The skull has effects on your opponents. They now have to make crosses on their score sheet - whether they like it or not. However, you are the first to choose the color (or joker) from the remaining dice and enter a corresponding number of crosses in the appropriate color row.

Now it's their turn: They must choose one of the remaining colors (or remaining Jokers) and enter the corresponding crosses. Do several players want to use the same color? No problem - they are allowed to do that. They just can not use the dice you have already entered.


The Curse of the Dead Skull:

Did you roll three or more skulls? Ay, Dios mio! You are unlucky and you are not allowed to enter anything on your score sheet.

The other players must use your dice result. Select a color (or Joker) and make a cross for each die on the score sheet. Several players are allowed to enter the same color again. Then your left neighbor will roll dice.

Exception: If you have already filled in or "frozen" a color row and can not enter any other color, you do not have to do anything.

his also applies to the rare case that you - despite the skulls - get nothing.

Example: Sami rolls 2x skulls and 4x orange. He enters 4 crosses in the orange color series. The other players are blank because they are not allowed to enter Sami's color.



The Bonus Hunt is open

Look at your score sheet: After every third box you will see a vertical bonus line. There are a total of three of them. They each lead to bonus points. You must fill all four color rows to the bonus line to get bonus points.

It does not matter if you have already made crosses in one or more color rows past the bonus line. Were you first to fill all four color rows up to the bonus line? Then you get - depending on the bonus line - the following bonus points:

  • 1st Bonus line: 4 points
  • 2nd Bonus line: 5 points
  • 3rd Bonus line: 6 points

Circle the corresponding bonus points. The other players cancel this bonus line. However, there is a consolation for your opponents:

Once they have filled all four color rows to the bonus line, they still receive - depending on the bonus line - the "small" bonus points:

  • 1st Bonus line: 2 points
  • 2nd Bonus line: 3 points
  • 3rd Bonus line: 4 points


Save Your Points - Freeze and Secure Points

Look at the gray shaded area (below the guitar player) on your score sheet. This is the death zone. Here you only get a few points or even negative points. Therefore, you should not enter a cross in the death zone. You avoid this by "freezing" a row of colors in time and securing your points. And that goes like this:

In front of the death zone is the score area (yellow hatched area). Therefor each color, you get between 4 and 10 points. If you choose to freeze, you are not allowed to make additional crosses on your score sheet.

Now it depends on your rolling skills. If you want to freeze the points in a color series, then you have to roll a certain number of Jokers in your turn, depending on points:



Did you roll that number of Jokers? Then you can immediately freeze the points in a color row. Take all the Jokers and circle the last cross in this color series.

Enter the corresponding points in the points field at the end of the color row. From now on, you can not make another cross in this color row.

Note: This color row only you have frozen. Your opponents may continue to enter crosses in this color row - unless they have already frozen the color row themselves.

Special case: Sometimes it happens that you roll 3 skulls and at least two jokers. Since you rolled 3 skulls, the jokers cannot be used and you can not freeze anything.


Oh, are you in the Death Zone

You entered your crosses in a color row and landed in the death zone? Then you freeze it now.

Circle the last cross in this color series. See if you get pluses, minuses, or no points. Enter it in the points field at the end of the color row.


End of the Game

The game ends as soon as one of the players has frozen points in all four color rows. Anyone who has their last cross in the points zone in a color row is allowed to score the points shown in the column.

Enter it into the points field of the respective color row. Now total all your points in the points rows. Add the bonus points and write the overall result in the lower right corner, into the field "Total".

The player with the most points wins.

In case of a tie, it is a shared victory.




Did You Know?

Calavera is Spanish and means skull. In Mexico, the Dfa de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated on 2 November.

It is one of the most important holidays and there is a big, colorful festival in honor of all the dead.

People believe that on that special day, the souls of the dead return to their families to visit them.

The streets and houses are decorated with flowers, skeletons and colorful skulls. There are many sweets for the children.


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