OBJECTIVE OF CHICKEN!: The first player to earn 25 points wins the game
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 – 8 players
MATERIALS: 1 tube, 1 rulebook, 12 dice, 1 cloth board, 8 wood player tokens
TYPE OF GAME: Push Your Luck Dice Game
AUDIENCE: Ages 8+
OVERVIEW OF CHICKEN
Chicken! is a push your luck dice game in which players are trying to be the first to move their token around the board. The more chickens you roll, the more points you earn. Every egg that is rolled causes more dice to be added to the lot. Don’t push your luck too far because rolling three foxes ends your turn.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
The cloth board is the centerpiece of the game. Players move their pieces around the perimeter of the board to keep score. There are a total of twelve dice: four white, four yellow, and four orange. White dice are included in the roll for every turn. As eggs are rolled, yellow and orange dice are added to the lot. Yellow and orange dice increase the potential for points, but they also include more foxes which can cause you to bust. Eight farm themed tokens are used to track a player’s score on the board.
SETUP
Put the cloth board in the center of the table. Give each person a player token. Player tokens begin on the starting space. Unused tokens are put back in the box. Arrange the dice so the yellow dice are in the yellow squares and the orange dice are in the orange squares on the board. The four white dice are given to the player going first.
THE PLAY
On your turn, you may roll or chicken out.
ROLL
The player starting the game will roll the four white dice. From that point on, a player rolls any dice they are given. After rolling, set chickens off to the right and foxes off to the left. Chickens earn points, and foxes cause you to bust. Rolling three foxes means you bust. Your turn ends immediately. Return any orange and yellow dice to the board and pass the four white dice to the next player.
Assuming you did not bust, blank dice and eggs are kept for a second roll. Add a yellow die for each egg symbol rolled. If there are no yellow dice, add an orange die for each egg rolled.
Now that the new dice are added in, you may take your second roll. You may choose to end your turn and count your chickens rather than roll for a second time. If you choose to roll again, place foxes on the left, chickens on the right, leave blank dice and eggs in the center, and add yellow/orange dice from the center for each egg. Remember, rolling three foxes ends your turn with zero points.
Once your turn ends (without busting), count your chickens. Each chicken is worth one point. The double chicken orange die is worth two points. Move your token a number of spaces equal to the points you earned. Collect all of the dice (chickens, foxes, blanks, eggs, and new dice added) and pass them to the next player.
CHICKEN OUT
At the beginning of your turn, you may choose to chicken out instead of rolling all of the dice given to you. If you choose to do so, deduct one point from your score. Return all yellow and orange dice to the board. You will begin your turn with only the four white dice. A player does not lose a point if they chicken out while on the starting space.
WINNING CHICKEN!
Play continues until one person earns 25 points or more. The first to do so immediately wins the game.
Looking for other dice games to play? Check out Left Center Right!
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021