Convolution is a two-player dice game played over 18 turns. Each player takes 9 turns. The object is to win more scoring categories than your opponent.
Equipment
- 8 dice total
- 2 red dice
- 2 blue dice
- 2 green dice
- 2 yellow dice
- A Convolution scoresheet
Basic Turn Structure
Decide who goes first. The first player rolls all 8 dice and arranges them by color, from highest color total to lowest color total.
The first player then takes Turn 1 using that roll. The second player then takes Turn 2 using the same roll.
After that, the player who just went second rolls the dice for Turn 3, takes Turn 3, and then the other player uses that same roll for Turn 4.
This pattern continues throughout the game:
- One player rolls all 8 dice.
- That player takes a turn using the roll.
- The opponent then takes a turn using the same roll.
- The opponent then rolls the dice for the next pair of turns.
The game ends after 18 turns have been taken: 9 turns by each player.
The Active Categories
On each turn, the player taking the turn chooses one open category in that player's column on the scoresheet.
There are 9 active categories:
- Red
- Blue
- Green
- Yellow
- 1st Highest
- 2nd Highest
- 3rd Highest
- 4th Highest
- Bluggard
The four color categories use the totals of the two dice of that color. For example, if the two red dice total 8, a player may choose to score 8 in Red, if Red is still open.
The rank categories are based on the color totals after the dice are arranged from highest color total to lowest color total. The highest color total is the 1st Highest. The next highest is the 2nd Highest, and so on.
The Bluggard is the total of all 8 dice.
The Calculated Categories
There are also 3 calculated categories:
- Colors Total
- Ranks Total
- Grand Total
The Colors Total is the sum of the four color categories:
- Red
- Blue
- Green
- Yellow
The Ranks Total is the sum of the four rank categories:
- 1st Highest
- 2nd Highest
- 3rd Highest
- 4th Highest
The Grand Total is the sum of:
- Colors Total
- Ranks Total
- Bluggard
On the scoresheet, the Colors section is the top four categories, the Ranks section is the middle four categories, and the bottom section contains the Bluggard and the three calculated totals.
Scoring a Turn
To take a turn, a player fills in one open active category in that player's column.
For example, if Red is open and the two red dice total 8, the player may choose to score 8 in Red.
The first player to play a category circles that score. This matters because if both players eventually score the same number in that category, the player who got there first wins that category.
The First-to-12 Rule
There is one important twist: if a player is the first to play a category and the value for that category is 12, the player scores 1 instead of 12.
The 12 still counts as the high roll for purposes of arranging the dice and determining ranks, but if it is played as the first score in that category, it is written as 1.
Example: if nobody has played Red yet, and the red dice total 12, the first player to play Red would score 1 in Red.
A 12 counts as a 12 for the second player to play a given category.
The Bluggard Exception
The Bluggard is the total of all 8 dice.
If a player is the first to play the Bluggard and the roll totals 48, that player scores 7 for the Bluggard instead of 48.
This is extremely unlikely, but it is part of the rules.
Completing the Totals
As a player's Colors section is completed, that player's Colors Total is written on the scoresheet.
As a player's Ranks section is completed, that player's Ranks Total is written on the scoresheet.
Once the Bluggard, Colors Total, and Ranks Total are known, the player's Grand Total is written on the scoresheet.
Winning Categories
The goal is to win as many of the 12 categories as possible.
The 12 categories are:
- 9 active categories
- 3 calculated categories
In each category, the higher score wins. If both players have the same score in a category, the player who played that category first wins it. That is why the first score in a category is circled.
Winning the Game
After all 18 turns have been played and all totals have been calculated, count how many of the 12 categories each player won.
The player who won more categories wins the game.
For example, a player who wins 7 categories beats a player who wins 5 categories.
Tiebreakers
If both players win the same number of categories, use these tiebreakers in order:
- The player who won more calculated categories wins.
- If still tied, the player with the higher Grand Total wins.
- If still tied, the player who was last to play the Bluggard wins.
The calculated categories are Colors Total, Ranks Total, and Grand Total.
In Short
Convolution is a game about timing, category selection, shared dice rolls, and deciding when a number is good enough. Since both players use the same roll before the dice are rolled again, every roll creates a small tactical contest over which categories matter most.