How to play CROSSDICE
Set up
Number of players
You can play Crossdice with 2 to 10 players, ages 7 and up. Got more than 5 players? Pair up for extra fun!
What you need to play
You need a pack of letter dice with scores, a stopwatch to control the duration of each turn and something to write down the points obtained in each turn.
👉🏻 Don’t have letter dice? You’ll find a buying guide further down.
Set the time limit for each round
You should agree on how much time each player will have to create their words. We recommend 1 minute.
Deciding the number of rounds
Crossdice is played in several rounds. We recommend starting with a 4 round game.
Who’s first?
Let the youngest player kick things off!
Goal of the game
What do you need to do to win?
Your goal? Make the most words, score the most points — and have the most fun doing it!
Development of a Crossdice game
This is how a shift is played
The player whose turn it is throws all the dice and, within the established time, tries to create as many words as possible horizontally or vertically with the letters that have come out, linking these words together by means of a letter.
Update score
At the end of your time, add up the points of the letters used, taking into account the following:
- The letters joining two words add up to two times.
- The score of the unused letters is subtracted.
Rule 1 – About vowels
If a single vowel or no vowel is rolled, the dice can be rolled again to change the letters.
Rule 2 – About valid words
No names, no weird verb forms, no foreign words, no abbreviations — and absolutely no made-up nonsense!
Rule 3 – About a possible wildcard
Some packs of letter dice have a die with a joker on one side. The joker can be used as any letter but does not add points. If it has been used to join two words in both words, it must symbolize the same letter.
Rule 4 – No external aids
During a turn it is not possible to consult anywhere whether a word is valid or not.
Next turns
Once the points have been scored, it is the turn of the player on the left.
Game over – who takes the crown??
End of game
The game ends when the rounds agreed upon before the start of the game have been played.
And the winner is…
At that time, the points obtained in each round are added up. The player with the most points is the winner.
Tips for playing Crossdice
Dictionary
You can use a dictionary as a judge: only words that are in that dictionary are valid. And that’s all.
Variants
In pairs
If you play in pairs, both components can speak and actively participate in the creation of the words during their turn.
Final by time
Instead of playing 4 rounds you can set a time limit, for example one hour, always ending the current round when the time expires.
Final by number of points
In this variant the game ends when a player reaches a certain number of points, for example 100 points, always ending the current round.
Buying guide
You’ll find letter dice in specialist board game stores, although the best price and the best deals are usually on Amazon.
Games similar to Crossdice
With the letter dice, you can play other games like Longest Word, which is more engaging because everyone plays at the same time, and Fastest Word, which we find the most fun and fast-paced of all.
