Shut the box is a game that has been played in England for over 250 years. The goal of the game is to score points by stopping each number on a die with one throw of the dice. This blog post will teach you how to play and review this fun old-school board game!
Shut the box game Review
Shut the Box (also known as “sevens”) is a game that has been around for years. It’s popular because it can be played quickly and easily by adults or children alike! This means whether you’re looking to pass some time with friends or playing solo, this game offers something fun no matter what your skill level may be like.
The premise of shutting the box involves moving along each row starting from left to right while trying to accumulate points until there are none left in any given row. If players manage to do so then they’ll earn double their current score multiplied by two which helps make things interesting when scoring comes into play at the end of gameplay!
However, if players fail to abide by these rules then they automatically lose the game so there is a lot of strategy involved in playing this classic boardgame.
What do you need to play Shut the box?
You will need a single die (most people use a standard six-sided one), some kind of playing board, and something like pennies or tokens that can be used for scoring. You’ll also want somewhere to keep track of your scores so each player has their own sheet of paper with their current total written on it.
Additionally, if using cards: ten small index cards per person should suffice! These are not necessary but they help make things more convenient when keeping score. If no such card deck exists then just create an extra scratch paper for each player tally marks during gameplay!
How many people can play?
Shut the Box has been traditionally played in pairs but it’s also possible for up four players at once so grab some more buddies if you have them around!
How to play Shut the Box?
Shut the box is great for beginners but it can get challenging especially when playing with people who have more than 200+ points. However, I think this game would be good to play because it makes players think ahead so they know what moves might benefit them or hurt their chances of winning depending on how many points are left in the bank before stopping again. It also requires some math skills which isn’t something that comes up often when playing board games with friends or family members.
Step one
Decide who will go first by rolling both dice with the highest number becoming the first player.
Step two
The game continues clockwise as players alternate turns until someone reaches 100+ points before their opponent.
Step three
When it’s your turn, roll all six-sided die and whatever numbers you get are added together (e.g., if you rolled a four then that would equal four). You can choose to either stop at any point during this step or continue on depending on what works best for your group! After stopping or going past 12 total points, proceed to Step Four.
Step four
If you stopped at one of each number from each die then move onto Step Five because those pairs count towards your score. Otherwise, move onto Step Six.
Step five
If you stopped at one number from each die then you must first take away the small pair (e.g., if you landed on a four and six then those numbers would be subtracted first). Once that’s done, subtract any other pairs or individual numbers starting with the highest total until there are no more points left to play with! This is why it’s important to keep track of your score because players who have over 200+ can easily lose once they roll all high point values instead of being able to stop before reaching 12 again.
Step six
For this step, simply repeat what was said in Step Four except remember that using doubles doesn’t automatically mean an automatic win so you could potentially lose if you stop at a double and that’s not one of your numbers!
What are rules of Shut the box?
There are different ways that people play this game, but there are three main rules:
- The player must stop at least two numbers per turn (one from each die).
- If you roll doubles, then your total point value for those numbers goes up. For example, if you roll double sixes, then 12 would be added to your score. If you rolled any other double besides ones or twos then it’s considered an automatic loss instead of gaining points. The idea behind this rule is because in order to make it easier for players who don’t have a lot of points to catch up.
- The player must stop at least one number from each die per turn. Otherwise, you lose all your points and the game starts over again. This rule is for players who have more than 200+ points so it’s hard to get ahead with this restriction in place.
However, if you do not follow these rules then you automatically lose the game without gaining any point value for that particular throw.
How do we score points?
The object of this game is to accumulate as many points as possible by moving along each row from left to right. This is done by adding up the highest number that appears in each row. For example, a shut of four and six would have you add together eight points since four plus six equals ten! After playing your turn if there are no cards left on any given column then all progress made towards earning points has been stopped for this round so these numbers cannot be added to anything anymore.
This means even though players may not know exactly how many points they’re going toward during gameplay it’s still possible to have a sense of what they’re potentially working towards.
What are some strategies for playing Shut the box?
There are only two main rules that players must abide by in order to play this game: stop at least two numbers per turn (one from each die) and stopping one number from each die as well. However, there is still a lot of strategy behind these simple instructions because it all depends on what direction you want your score to go!
For example, if someone rolls double sixes then their total point value would be 12+ but with four twos rolled instead, those same points would become subtracted which means they’d lose even though most people would automatically assume that having doubles gives them an automatic win. The only way to catch up though is by rolling other high point values because low ones wouldn’t do anything for them.
What are variants of Shut the box?
There are many different ways that people play this game.
Stop on numbers
Only allowing players to stop on numbers they can add up together until it’s possible for them to win then only stopping at double digits which would give you an automatic win unless there were no cards left in any column but this is very unlikely with how far along the board gets when played properly. This rule forces luck into gameplay because while some may have a lot higher point value than others, they’d be unable to get anywhere even though their number was rolled!
Roll first
Allowing players who had more points roll first so if someone had 200+ and another player had 100+, both rolls could go towards whoever went second instead of just one person who would be at a disadvantage compared to the other player.
Stop on double digits
Some players might only allow you to stop on double digits in order for it to count towards your score instead of any number that was rolled which could make things more difficult because there are certain times when an eleven or twelve is rolled and having no way around these numbers can definitely slow down progress toward points! This variation also forces luck into this game because while some may have high point values, they wouldn’t be able to get ahead by stopping anywhere else even though their lucky roll helped them out tremendously.
On the flip side, if someone had low point value then they’d barely move forward but with so many different options available during gameplay there’s bound to be something that helps you out along the way! There’s also another variation of this rule where if someone is able to get a double digit score on their turn they must skip over any single digits and only stop at numbers that add up together in order for it to count toward your point total like when playing by all of the rules.
Place bets
Some players place bets before starting play but these could be quite risky especially since there are many different variations including: betting based off who will win, how long people can go without rolling doubles, etc.
Pros and Cons of playing Shut the Box
There are a lot of benefits associated with this game because it has been said that Shut the Box is an excellent tool for helping kids improve their number sense.
It’s also one of those games where anyone at any age level should be able to pick up quickly without needing to spend too much time learning rules or anything like that beforehand.
However, there are some cons even though they’re not necessarily regarding the gameplay itself but rather in regards to buying your own set which might cost more than you realize initially since most versions come with either steel dice (which aren’t very fun) or plastic ones instead (that sometimes break). There isn’t really improved quality when it comes to the actual boards either which is a bummer but it’s still possible to buy individual pieces instead of having to purchase everything in one package.
Who would most likely enjoy playing Shut the Box?
Anyone who enjoys games that have simple rules with a lot of strategy involved should be interested in this title because it really does require quite a bit out of players when they’re forced into deciding what numbers are best for them (and their score) on each turn. If someone likes math then this game might provide an excellent opportunity to practice while also challenging themselves at the same time!
This can even help children improve their overall logical thinking skills as well which means people wouldn’t necessarily need some sort of gaming beforehand. It can be played by anyone from ages six and up which means adults can enjoy it just as much as kids!
Shut the box strategy
If you get stuck between a rock and hard place with not many points to work with then it’s best to keep rolling numbers that add up rather than subtracting them. This may seem like common sense but some people might lose their cool if they’ve been playing for awhile and still haven’t caught on having more low point values instead of doubles would help increase their score exponentially which can be frustrating when trying to figure out why there is such a huge gap in the number of points earned.
Another way to gain an advantage over other players is by knowing what kind of strategy works well depending on how experienced they are at this game! For example, someone who has never played before will have no idea how important high value dice rolls are so giving them an extra die might help them catch up in score since they’ll go through several rounds before someone who’s played many times.
On the other hand, people with lots of experience will know how to handle themselves when it comes down to adding together their points so giving them an empty cup instead is a good way for beginners to mix things up and give everyone equal chances at winning!
My experience using Shut the Box
I have played Shut the Box many times with my family and friends when I was younger so it brings back a lot of good memories from when we were all together. I always felt bad for whoever had to keep track of everyone’s scores because they would confide in me asking how much time their turn had been especially if they wanted to take a break!
Even though there are no rules against this, being the scorekeeper was definitely not an easy job but after awhile you get used to keeping up with who is still playing or already finished due-diligence (see what I did there?)? Scorekeeping aside; Shut the Box has always been one of my favorites since it requires minimal materials unlike other board games which makes it perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time to spend on your friends or family.
We recommend Shut the Box for anyone looking for a good board game that is easy and fun enough to play with their kids! We’re sure they’ll love it just as much as we did when we were growing up together which makes this an excellent way for families, friends, co-workers etc.. to bond over some friendly competition!
This classic board game has been around since at least 13th century France but its still going strong even though people tend to think about games like Yahtzee whenever they hear dice rolls because this one requires more strategy than luck keeping players on the edge of their seats each round until someone wins!
Conclusion
This is an excellent family-friendly tabletop board game that can be played indoors or outdoors depending on what season it is and whether anyone wants to get wet playing outside during rainy weather etc. It’s great for getting together with friends because there isn’t much you need in order to play and it’s easy enough for everyone who wants to learn how all the rules work! If you’re looking for a fun board game that will keep your group entertained then Shut The Box is definitely worth playing with friends or family members during gatherings, parties, and more.
