Dice Dominion

What Dice Dominion is

It is a one-player strategy board game fought with dice as the pieces. Roll a die one square and its top face changes, and the top face is the strength of the die. You read which face each direction will bring up while you take enemy dice and push for the far end of their ground. Your dice are ivory, the CPU plays the ebony ones with gold edges.

Rules

The board and the dice

• The board is 5×5, 25 squares.
• Each side has four dice. Yours stand on the near rank and the CPU dice on the far rank, two to each side (the center file is empty).
• Every die starts with a 1 on top.

Rolling

• On your turn, pick one die and roll it one square up, down, left or right. Diagonal moves are not allowed.
• When a die rolls, the face on the side opposite the travel comes up. Roll it up the board, for example, and the face that was nearest you becomes the top face.
• You cannot roll off the board, or into a square held by one of your own dice. When no die can move, the turn is passed.

Fighting

• Rolling into a square held by an enemy die starts a fight, and your top face after the roll is compared with theirs.
• Higher: a capture. Their die is taken and yours enters the square.
• Equal: a trade. Both dice leave the board.
• Lower: you cannot enter that square.

How to play, step by step

1. Choose the settings: press "Start a game", choose the CPU level (Easy, Normal or Hard), whether you move first or second, and a die type for each of your four pieces, then press "Sit down".
2. Pick a die: tap one of your ivory dice and the squares it can roll to appear, each marked with the top face it would land on.
3. Roll one square: tap the target square (or a direction button at the bottom of the screen) and the die rolls one square up, down, left or right, changing its top face.
4. Fight their dice: roll into a square held by an enemy die. A higher top face captures it, an equal face trades, and a lower face cannot enter.
5. Win the game: take every enemy die, or get one of your own dice to their home row (the far rank), and you win.

On the target squares a circle means a move, a diamond a capture and a double circle a trade. Selecting a die also brings up its net at the bottom of the screen, where you can check all six faces. The die the CPU moved last is marked by a dotted outline on the square it left and a brass arrow.

How to win

• Taking every enemy die wins the game (dice lost in a trade count as well).
• Getting one of your dice to their home row (the far rank for you, the near rank for the CPU) wins the moment it lands.
• When neither side has a die that can move, the side with more dice wins.
• When the last two dice trade, the game is a draw.
• When the same position (dice, facing and turn) appears three times, the game is drawn by repetition.
• When the two sides reach 160 moves in total, the game is a draw.

Die types

In the game setup you can choose the die for each of your four pieces. Every CPU die is Standard.

Tips for winning

1. Think one roll further: as well as what comes up if you roll up now, look at what the next roll up would bring (the face on the bottom right now). That is how a capture gets set up, and the net makes it easy to see.
2. Watch the open files: a file with no die in front of it is a clear run to your home row. The center file is empty from the start, so keep an eye on it.
3. Do not park a small face next to them: if their next roll brings up a bigger face, your die is gone.
4. A trade is a numbers game: trading helps you while you have more dice and hurts you when you have fewer.

About the daily dice puzzle

It is a three-move problem that changes at midnight and is the same for everyone. The ebony dice never move, and you play three moves in a row to clear every ebony die from the board. Every solution holds at least one capture, and the problems are picked so that exactly one first move is correct. Reaching the home row does not win this problem. Solve it and your solve streak is recorded; you can share the date, your move count and your time on X (the solution itself is never shared).

Controls and extras

• Undo: in CPU games, takes back your move and the CPU reply together.
• Restart: solves the daily puzzle again from the opening position.
• View board: from the result screen, look over the final position.
• Sound: turns the sound of the dice on and off. The setting is saved in your browser.
• On a computer: keys 1 to 4 pick a die and the arrow keys roll it.

Watch the tutorial again

FAQ

What kind of game is Dice Dominion?

It is a one-player strategy board game played with dice on a 5×5 board. Roll a die one square and its top face changes, and that face is the strength of the die. Take every enemy die, or reach their home row with one of yours, and you win.

How do I capture an enemy die?

Roll into the square it stands on. If your top face after the roll is higher than theirs, you capture it. Equal faces trade and both dice leave the board, and a lower face cannot enter the square.

Are there draws?

Yes. If the same position (dice, facing and turn) appears three times, the game is drawn by repetition. It is also a draw when the two sides reach 160 moves in total, and when the last two dice trade.

Can I take a move back?

In CPU games, "Undo" takes back your last move together with the CPU reply. There is no limit, and the number you used is shown on the result screen. The daily puzzle has no undo; "Restart" puts it back to the opening position.

What is the daily dice puzzle?

It is a three-move problem that changes at midnight and is the same for everyone. The ebony dice never move, and you play three moves in a row to take them all. Every solution holds at least one capture, and exactly one first move is correct. Solve it and your streak is recorded; you can share your move count and time on X.

How much stronger are the higher CPU levels?

Easy reads one move ahead and sometimes plays a mistake. Normal reads three moves ahead and Hard seven. You can also choose to move first or second.

Does it work on a phone? Is it free?

It runs in any iPhone or Android browser. It is completely free, with no account and nothing to install. Your records and settings are saved in your own browser.

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