Kivi (board game)

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Kivi
A three-player game of Kivi in the middle of play.
DesignersMaureen Hiron and Sheyla Bonnick
PublishersPeliko / Martinex
Publication2016
Genresabstract strategy
Players2–4
Setup timeunder 1 minute
Playing time10–15 minutes
Random chancehigh
Skills requiredluck, probability, strategy

Kivi (Finnish for "stone" or "rock") is a 2016 abstract strategy board game for two to four players, invented by British Maureen Hiron and Jamaican-born British Sheyla Bonnick.

Rules[]

Kivi draws inspiration from the classic dice game Yachtzee. Kivi combines Yachtzee's dice with a board spanning 7×7 squares, for a total of 49. Each player has ten stone counters made of glass (hence the name Kivi). Unlike Yachtzee which uses five dice, Kivi uses six dice.

On their turn, a player throws all six dice and decides what combination will be used. As in Yachtzee, the player can use up to two full or partial rethrows if unsatisfied with the combination. Upon finishing a turn, the player places one of their stones on the board.

Each of the 49 squares is marked with a particular combination, and a stone can only be placed on a square if the dice satisfy the combination. Squares are marked in different colours: pink squares score three points, black squares score two points and white squares score one point.

Combinations[]

The possible combinations available in Kivi are:

Two pairs
Two dice show the same value and another two dice also show the same value. Worth 1 point.
Three of a kind
Three dice show the same value. Worth 1 point.
Little straight
Four dice show consecutive values. Worth 1 point.
Full house
Three dice show the same value and another two dice also show the same value. Worth 1 point.
Four of a kind
Four dice show the same value. Worth 2 points.
Large straight
Five dice show consecutive values. Worth 2 points.
All even
Each of the six dice shows an even value. Worth 2 points.
All odd
Each of the six dice shows an odd value. Worth 2 points.
12 or fewer
The sum of the values is 12 or fewer. Worth 2 points.
30 or more
The sum of the values is 30 or more. Worth 2 points.
Three pairs
Two dice show the same value, another two dice also show the same value, and the final two dice also show the same value. Worth 3 points.
Two times three of a kind
Three dice show the same value, and the final three dice also show the same value. Worth 3 points.
Four of a kind and a pair
Four dice show the same value, and the final two dice also show the same value. Worth 3 points.

There are also three special combinations: Upon rolling a five of a kind or a straight of six consecutive numbers from 1 to 6, a player can place his/her stone on any free square. Upon rolling a six of a kind (all six dice show the same value), a player can place their stone on any square; if the square is already occupied, the stone occupying it is moved to some other square of the player's choosing.

If a player cannot place a stone anywhere, they place their stone back in the box.

Scoring[]

The game lasts exactly ten rounds, one for each of the ten stones available for the players. After ten rounds, the stones on the board are scored.

The stones are scored by contiguous rows (horizontal or vertical but not diagonal). Each row is scored as the sum of the points its squares awards, times the length of the row. Thus longer rows score increasingly more points. An isolated stone counts as a row of one stone.

After all stones have been scored, the player with the most points wins.

Awards[]

  • ("Game of the Year") 2016, category: Party games: Winner[1]

References[]

  1. ^ Vuoden Peli 2016 -kilpailun voittajat 22 August 2016. Accessed on 18 October 2020.

External links[]

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