SWAP



OBJECTIVE OF SWAP:  The first player to double their stock of each chip color wins the game

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 – 4

MATERIALS: Four 6 sided dice, 4 sets of 12 chips – each set a different color

TYPE OF GAME: Dice game

AUDIENCE: Family, Adults


INTRODUCTION OF SWAP

Before beginning the game, establish the value of each chip from highest to lowest.  A number is not assigned to the chip, but an order of value is still established.  For these instructions, the grey chips are considered the highest valued, followed by yellow, then blue, and finally red as the lowest valued chips.  Create the market in the middle of the table by placing twice as many chips as there are players per color.  For example, if there are 4 players, place 8 chips of each color in the market.  Make each color a column, and place a die above of each column.  For the initial setup, die order placement does not matter.  

Give each player one chip of each color.  Players should arrange their chips in order from low value to high.  Determine who will go first, grab one of the dice from the market and have each player roll it.  Highest roll goes first.  Now put the die back in the market and start the game.

THE PLAY

Begin the game with the first player rolling all four dice.  The dice are assigned to the columns according to value.  The highest die is placed above the highest valued chips and so on.  

The player to the left of the roller gets to trade chips first.  The player who rolled the dice will be the last to trade.  When a player trades chips, they choose one chip to exchange with the market.  When a chip is exchanged with the market, the player may take one chip of as many colors as they can without exceeding the value of the chip they contributed to the market.

For example, the player could contribute one grey chip (worth 6), and from the market take one red and one blue chip (total of 5).  

A player may not trade more than one chip of the same color during a turn.  If a player is unable to trade or does not want to, they pass their turn.  Once all of the players have completed their turns, the dice pass to the player left of the previous roller.  They roll the dice and assign them to the chips according to value.

Play like this continues until one player has doubled their starting amount of chips.  This means the player has 2 of each color.       

WINNING

The first player to possess two chips of each color wins the game.

Mark Ball
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