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Dice Throne is a card-and-dice game self-described as "Yahtzee meet Magic." This quick-paced tabletop game can be played in various ways to engage players with different gaming preferences. Although the game may seem complex at first due to the number of pieces each player needs, Dice Throne rules are pretty straightforward. Once you've seen the game in action a few times, you'll be ready to jump in yourself. Here are eight rules for how to play Dice Throne that you'll want to know before getting started.

1. Follow Dice Throne Rules for All Modes of Play

Dice Throne is a game for two to six players. You can play Dice Throne one-on-one, as a free-for-all, on teams, or cooperatively depending on the version of Dice Thrones you own. Set up remains mostly the same for all modes of play. Players choose their characters, collect Combat Points, protect their life points, and roll dice for each turn. However, a few minor changes are explained in the rule book for how to play Dice Throne on teams or for playing with an odd number of participants, such as how many life points you start with and how you can work together. Additionally, once you become a more advanced Dice Throne player, there are some additional steps that you can take to increase the degree of challenge or to play a tournament.

2. Choose Your Favorite Character

There are 16 characters to choose from when you play Dice Throne. Each character has different abilities and personalities that influence play. As you play, you'll learn the distinct benefits of each character, and you'll be able to learn how to leverage their skills each time you play them. Each character receives a complexity rating of one to six. The higher the character's complexity, the more challenging they are to play. A beginner will enjoy playing more by choosing a less complex character while an advanced player may enjoy the challenge of a highly complex choice. Once you've chosen your favorite character, you want to consider a set of card sleeves to protect your cards. Heavy play can ruin your game pieces, and card sleeves protect them from regular wear and tear to help you enjoy the game longer.

3. Discover How to Play Dice Throne in the Rule Book

As with any new game, it's important to look in the rule book to learn everything you can about the game before you begin to play. When you have a general understanding of the rules before play begins, you can prevent long pauses and debates during the game to move play along more quickly. Keep the rule book handy so that you have a quick reference for when questions do pop up.

4. Set Up Each Player's Character Board

Each player has their own character board. The board shows which offensive abilities your character has and how you can activate each of those abilities. It also shows your defensive abilities so that you know how you can protect your life points when another character attacks you. Each character also has a Hero Leaflet that explains each hero's Status Effects, their Complexity, and any special set-up instructions for that specific character.

5. Determine Who Goes First by Rolling the Dice

As with many dice-based games, Dice Throne rules state that all players roll their dice to determine who goes first, with the highest number winning. There are pros and cons to going first. Whoever goes first has to skip the Income Phase of their first turn so that everyone begins with the same number of Life and Combat points.

6. Proceed Through Each Phase According to Dice Throne Rules

You'll learn how to play Dice Throne by trying it out yourself. Each player moves through the phases of the game during their turn. The first phase is the Upkeep Phase. Some characters have Status Effects to activate or upgrade during this phase, while some do not. The second phase is the Income Phase. Each player earns an additional Combat Point during this phase and draws a card for their hand. During the Main Phase, players can take several actions in any order and as many times as they would like as long as they have enough points. See the Dice Throne rules for specific details. Next is the Offensive Phase, where players roll their dice to activate Offensive Abilities when possible. If you play with more than two players, you'll have to proceed through the Targeting Phase to determine your target. Then, the Defensive Phase includes two players, one who attacks and one who defends. Once all the actions have been completed, both players adjust damages accordingly. Finally, the Active player ends their turn in the Discard Phase.

7. Collect Combat Points and Protect Life Points

To successfully understand how to play Dice Throne, you need to be aware of the roles of Combat Points and Life Points. Combat Points allow you to complete specific actions and pay for cards. Actions require different numbers of CPs to complete, so it's an essential part of the game's strategy to keep track of your points and know which actions you can complete at any moment. Selling cards during the Discard Phase allows you to collect more CPs each round. Life Points will enable you to continue playing. You lose life points when you are attacked and can't defend yourself. Specific Defensive Actions allow you to heal yourself or minimize the number of Life Points you lose to stay in the game longer.

8. Win It All by Being the Last Man Standing

Play ends when all but one player have lost all of their Life Points. Occasionally, a game will end in a draw when all players simultaneously arrive at zero Life Points. In that case, the game ends in a draw.

Dice Throne is a fast-paced and engaging game of strategy that can be learned quickly and enjoyed by many people with varied game-playing experiences. Check out the card sleeves at Sleeve Kings for sleeves and sleeve bundles to protect your favorite games to keep your Dice Throne game pieces in tip-top shape.