Kismet (dice game)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kismet is the trademarked name of a commercial dice game introduced in 1964. E.William DeLaittre holds the trademark on the game, originally published by Lakeside Games, and currently produced by Endless Games. Marketed as "The Modern Game of Yacht", the game is played similarly to Yahtzee, with a few variations; the most notable difference is that in Kismet, the sides of the dice have different colored pips.
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[edit] Game contents
A standard Kismet game set comes in a predominantly green box marked with the Kismet logo; a black elongated rectangle containing six white diamonds, each containing the letters of the word "KISMET". The box logo also contains the words "IT IS FATE" inside the bottom of the logo.
The box itself contains a set of five dice. The dice are white, with colored pips; 1 and 6 are colored black, 2 and 5 red, 3 and 4 green. The box also contains a dice-throwing cup, a pencil, and a pad of official scorecards. Additional scorecards are available for purchase from the manufacturer.
[edit] Overview of the rules
As in similar dice games, players take turns rolling five dice. Each player can take up to three rolls per turn, in order to create a scoring combination. On the second and third rolls, the player may hold dice from the previous rolls in order to create better scoring combinations. At the end of the third roll, the player must enter a score into an open field on his scorecard. If the player cannot make a score, he or she must enter a zero into an open field.
[edit] The scorecard
Each player keeps a running tally of their rolls on a scorecard. The scorecard is laid out in two sections, the Basic Section and the Kismet Section.
[edit] Basic section
The Basic Section of the scorecard plays similarly to Yahtzee's Upper Section, in that you score points for each number on the dice. There are six categories: Aces (ones), Deuces (twos), Treys (threes), Fours, Fives, and Sixes. You score for each category by adding the sum total of dice that match the category. For example, if you roll a 3, 4, 4, 6, and 4, you may score a total of 12 in the Fours section (the value, 4, multiplied by the number of dice, 3), a 3 in the Treys section (3x1), or a 6 in the Sixes section (6x1), if those categories are still open.
Like Yahtzee, you can earn a bonus of 35 points if you reach or exceed a total of 63 in the Basic Section. However, Kismet provides a scalable bonus; if you score at least 71 but no more than 77, you earn a bonus of 55 points; if you score 78 or more, you earn a bonus of 75 points. If you score 62 or fewer points in the Basic section, you earn no bonus points.
[edit] Kismet section
The Kismet Section is scored based on creating dice combinations similar to poker hands. It is in this section that the colored dice come into play, as they determine scoring criteria below:
2 Pair - Same Color - The following combinations allow you to score this category; 1,1,6,6; 2,2,5,5; 3,3,4,4. The fifth die can be in any position. You score the sum total of all dice for this category; since the pair combinations invariably add up to 14, the lowest common score (besides taking a zero) is 15, and the highest common score is 20. Technically, any 4 of a kind or Kismet is also 2 pair same color, so the highest theoretically possible score is 30, and the lowest is 5.
3 of a Kind - If three or more dice are of the same number, you can score the sum total of all dice for this category.
Straight - If your roll combination is 1,2,3,4,5, or 2,3,4,5,6, you can score 30 in this category. There is no "Small Straight" category in Kismet.
Flush - If all of your dice are of the same color, you can score 35 in this category.
Full House - If you roll three of a kind and a pair together (i.e. 2,2,4,4,4), you can score the sum total of the dice, plus 15 points.
Full House - Same Color - The same as a Full House, except that both numbers must be of the same color. You score the sum total of the dice, plus 20 points.
4 of a Kind - If four or more dice are of the same number, you can score the sum total of all dice, plus 25 points, for this category.
Yarborough - The "Chance" category of Kismet; if your dice do not fit any other open scoring combination, you can score the sum total of your dice in this category.
Kismet - Five of a Kind. Similar to the "Yahtzee" score, except that in Kismet, you take the sum total of the dice, plus 50 points.
[edit] Rolling subsequent Kismets
Kismet does not provide for bonus points if you roll five-of-a-kind more than once. If you have successfully scored a Kismet and roll five-of-a-kind again, your roll can be used as a "joker", and you may score in any open category in the Kismet Section, or the appropriate number category in the Basic Section if it has not already been scored. Scoring occurs as the category specifies.
The twist of rolling a second Kismet comes in games where two or more people are playing; in multi-player games, if one player rolls a second Kismet, all other players must take a zero in the first open category in either the Basic or Kismet Sections. The penalized players also lose a turn, and the player who rolled the second Kismet gets to roll again. This applies to subsequent Kismets as well. This is where the name of the game comes into play; if you're capable of rolling multiple Kismets, then "it is fate" that you should win.
