Kivi (board game)

Kivi

Designers	Maureen Hiron and Sheyla Bonnick
Publishers	Peliko / Martinex
Publication	2016
Genres	abstract strategy
Players	2–4
Setup time	under 1 minute
Playing time	10–15 minutes
Random chance	high
Skills required	luck, 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[]

External links[]

• Kivi at BoardGameGeek