Stack (1988)

Stack is a simple dice rolling and collecting game. Players stack dice on top of their opponents dice to "capture" stacks. Once a stack of dice reaches 4 high, it is frozen and points awarded to the owning player. Players have the option of re-rolling a die before stacking it.

The equipment consists of 14 six-sided dice in multiple colors. The version I have is the "4-player" version. The rules allow from 2-8 players. This would be a good tavern or drinking game.

Stack is an enjoyable strategy dice game for 2-8 players. Each player throws his 14 dice (a different colour for each player) onto the table and, on your turn, you can stack any one die on top of any matching number on any opponent's die, where it remains for the rest of the round. (Two or three high stacks don't move. ) During your turn, you may elect to throw one of your dice in the hope of rolling a higher number. Whether you do or not, you must then stack that die, if possible. If you place a fourth die on a stack, it becomes your stack and is added to your points total. A round ends when a player stacks his last die; the other players then have one more turn. If you stack an opponent's last die, both players are deemed to have finished and the remaining players have a last turn. Only the value of the top die in a stack counts for points and each player calculates his score, with the one counting as ten and the remainder at face value. The first player to reach 200 wins.
Strategy in Stack isn't complex but you have to vary your attacks on each player. It's good policy to build first-level stacks with as high a number as possible; most times, opponents will think twice about a risky third-level stack because someone may place a fourth, removing the stack and scoring. Near the end of the round, when players are low in unstacked dice, there's less risk.