the rules (text summary version)
Overview:
Welcome to digit, the ingenious new board game that will literally flip upside-down how you think about numbers.
… roll-it, flip-it, solve-it, bank-it, place-it, stack-it, steal-it, win-it….digit!
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Just 60 frantic seconds to roll dice…flip blocks…solve ‘the digit’…and collect your digit cards.
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Build up your card bank and collect rewards as you go.
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Logically place your cards to make clever digit formations to score.
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A combination of chance, tactics and smart moves are needed to puzzle out your points.
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Number sequences, pairs and ‘3 or 4 of a kind’ earns bonus points to help you win digit.
Introducing the Components and Set-up:
Digit includes:
1 board, 1 sand timer, 6 dice, 2 card banks, 1 score pad, 2 sets of 30 digit cards and 1 set of 39 reward cards …and of course the digit!
The board has a matrix of digit segments this is where the cards are laid. Either end of the board has 6 square spaces with the colour diagonal stripes and dice icons. These indicate where the matching digit cards are to be laid out.
Placing the board in the middle of the table, you will sit on the same side as your opponent in the 2 player game or next to your team mate in the 4 player team. (The 2 player game only uses the 6 card spaces on the nearest side of the board)
The Card Banks.
As you collect cards these are neatly slotted into the card bank. This can hold a maximum of 7 cards in each row, 14 in total.
The Dice.
There are 6 dice - 2 blue, 2 yellow and 2 red. These are used at the beginning of each turn for you to select the colour of the digit card you are trying to collect. Drafting and rolling the correct numbers quickly helps and rolling matching dice accelerate this!
The 1 minute sand timer.
Used at the start of each turn for you to be timed solving the numbers on the selected digit cards.
Play-it (The 2 player game)
Digit is played in turn order with a range of actions that allow you to solve numbers, collect cards and then score points through the making of digit number formations on the board. After your first turn, all subsequent turns will involve 4 key steps:
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The Digit.
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Banking of Digit Cards
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Card Placement & Scoring*
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Banking of Reward Cards.
*On your first turn, you play ‘The Digit’ and bank any digit cards, you then collect your reward cards but do not place cards on the board. This is the only point in the game where this can happen, all other turns should include ‘card placement and scoring’.
After a number of rounds, the digit cards will be exhausted and the game will enter an 'end phase' Step 5. Win-it where the remaining cards will be played and the final scoring can take place.
Step 1. Solving 'The Digit' :
This step involves dice rolling, card collection and timed number deduction using The Digit. You both need to co-operate and use The Digit to rapidly solve and collect the digit cards in 1 minute
Using The Digit to solve and guess a digit card:
A key part of the game involves flipping over the double-sided blocks in the digit to help you guess which one of the 10 digit numbers are on the card being held by your opponent. The process of solving the digit on the card is based on you simply touching a chosen block and getting a response of either “leave it” or “flip it”.
The instruction from your opponent is based on the number and position of the segments in number on the digit card held by them and hidden from you. This process needs to be done at speed, without mistakes, so you can collect the most cards in your one minute turn.
This timed action allows the you to solve and collect the digit cards and following this, to allocate reward cards.
The reward cards are issued based on how many cards were solved during The digit round.
Both players get reward cards in the 2 player game and are incentivised to co-operate in this action. (see the digit reference sheet for scoring, rewards and bonus values.)
Step 2. The banking of digit cards:
Your card bank has 2 slots that each hold up to seven cards (14 in total). Following the timed ‘digit’ round you will collect all the solved digit cards and place these in your card bank.
The card bank can not hold more than 14 cards. Surplus cards can not be picked up if you don't have space. If your card bank is totally full you can not play the digit (timed action).
You should try to keep hidden the numbers on your card, although the colour on the back of the card will be on show. It might help you to organise your cards by colour type or number sequence as this can help when trying to make combined scores later.
Any reward cards earned while playing the digit can only be added to your bank after you’ve placed and scored your cards on the board in Step 3.
Step 3. Card placement and scoring:
The third step in a players turn involves ‘card placement and scoring’ and this enables an arrangement of cards into digit formations that converts into your points.
You first decide from the cards in your bank which to place on the board and make best ‘digit formation’ scoring the highest number of points. Cards must be placed in a valid number formation and this allows you to score the value on card.
As a general rule the single colour reward cards (in yellow, blue & red) are more desirable, as they have double the value of the digit cards (displaying the pale grey digit).
You can also create multiple digits of different colours and sequences and accumulate a combined point score for your number formations and groups of digit numbers.
The process of ‘set collection’ can be very strategic. If you are able to play a colour sequence (3 different colour digits) or a consecutive number sequence in the same turn you can multiple the score values and this can have a huge influence on your position and the game. (see the digit reference sheet for info on the scoring, rewards and bonus values.)
You are only allowed to place digit formations on the board that can be claimed and scored. You are however, permitted to create a digit number as a bi-product of making another digit formation, as long as that digit number is added to your score.
As players claim and score points with cards, these cards must be removed from their card bank and placed adjacent to the board. All of the scored cards must remain on view as your opponent may at some stage wish to Steal one of your reward cards. (see the digit reference sheet for scoring, rewards and bonus values.)
Scoring is recorded on a separate pad as the game progresses.
Step 4. Banking the Reward Cards:
The reward cards are set up in their 3 separately coloured decks to the side of the board. Each deck of cards will contain the 10 cards displaying digits 0-9 and 3 blank reward cards.
The reward cards earned while playing ‘the digit’ can be put in the bank only after you’ve placed and scored your cards in Step 3. (You should refer to the digit reference sheet for details on the rewards values)
The reward cards can be issued first to you and then to your opponent. You are permitted to claim up to 3 reward cards of the same colour maximum.
Blank reward cards:
The blank reward cards are versatile and because they can be placed double-sided and this allow you to use them in the most flexible and strategic way if played at the right time in the right place. The blank reward cards are randomly shuffled within these 3 decks. The blank reward card carries no scoring value, but enables you to easily transform previously placed cards into a new number.
Once the reward cards have been issued your turn will be over and another players 60 second turn with the digit can begin.
Step 5. Win-it:
The game continues on a turn order basis until the decks of digit cards are exhausted and all the deck spaces are empty.
Once this happens this signals the end of the timed digit phase as there are no more opportunities for any player to use the digit and collect either digit cards or reward cards.
At this stage you will both be trying to place any cards left, empty your card bank and win as many points as possible. You can keep playing until you have no more cards, but you must place at least one digit formation on the board each turn. If you empty your bank first, your opponent has one final turn and a last chance to place any remaining cards on the board and score points.
Any cards left in your card bank or your opponents card bank are counted up (points value) and deducted from your final score total. The player with the highest score wins.
The 4 Player Team Game: This game is essentially the same …but has a couple of notable changes:
Set-up: Players sit in pairs (a team) on the same side of the board, and share a single card bank.
Both decks of digit cards (30 x 2) are laid out on both ends of the board. The teams collect from their own decks of cards. Therefore both ends of the board are in active use.
Changes to Play:
The reward card action is different: Your team mate co-operates with you to solve the digit during the timed action and therefore the reward cards only get issued to your own team and not your opponents.
The digit cards are the same …but with additional decks:
Both teams have 30 digit cards in there 6 decks (of 5 cards each).
Both teams have identical decks but they now have double the number of digit cards than in the 2 player version.
On each turn after you have claimed your reward cards you should discard an equivalent number of digit cards from the unplayed decks in front of you. E.g. If you claim 3 reward cards of your choice, you must discard 3 digit cards of your choice.
Everything else is totally unchanged…and remains totally flipping fun!!
… roll-it, flip-it, solve-it, bank-it, place-it, stack-it, steal-it, win-it….digit!