How Bonn Die is played

Play 1–3 innings. Each inning has two halves. Top: Away hits, Home fields. A half stays open until the defense records an Out (3 strikes). Then sides flip. If the score is tied after regulation, you play an extra inning.

Each player has six dice and four bases: Initial, Second, Primary, Final. The Bonn Die board in the middle tracks score, guards, the count (rolls and strikes), and the inning.

• InitialCenter 3 · Corner 0
• SecondCenter 2 · Corner 1
• PrimaryCenter 1 · Corner 2
• FinalCenter 0 · Corner 3

Every half starts with both players rolling all six dice onto Initial. Then defense chooses Control (defense acts first) or Roll (offense acts first). Turns alternate after that.

One reroll per turn. Select dice on the same base. Those dice are thrown again and move one base forward. Final dice stay put.

After a reroll, if you have no combination the turn ends automatically — offense and defense. If you have a combination you may lock or pass. Offense with a guarded combination also gets an extra action: another reroll, or Take a Strike.

Lock on your turn. A locked board cannot change this round. The round ends when both lock. Offense calls first, then defense. Combinations are never spent.

The half scores max(0, offense − defense). Only offense banks those points.

Rolls on the count are balls. One Roll is given when at least one team called a combination and no strike option exists. Three blue lights. A 4th Roll awards the offense 3 Free-Rolls and the label switches to Free-Roll.

Strikes use two yellow lights. An Out is 3 strikes. Extra strikes beyond 3 become Free-Rolls for defense when they next hit.

Defense can award a strike for each of these that is true:

1. Defense matched the combination (including Fours covered by House / Fives / Sixes, and Fives covered by Sixes), matched the score, or called Sixes.
2. Both teams called, neither call has a Guard or Halt, and defense has a combination.
3. Offense called nothing and defense called something.

Those stack. When strikes are available, defense may take a Guard Take instead. If offense was blank, the choice is Strike + Guard Take, or just Guard Take.

A Guard Take always happens when a Roll is awarded and defense called something — unless offense called Sixes. Offense removes one Guard from the combinations just called. If neither call has a Guard, defense may take any remaining Offense Guard.

Offense starts each half with a Guard on every combination. Defense starts with 8 Halts, one on each combination. Halts fuel Checks, Swishes, and Tags.

After both lock, defense restores Halts: 2 if they scored equal or more, 1 if they scored less, 0 if they had no combination or never locked. An Initial Roll restores 2 spent Halts. A Free-Roll restores all of them.

Check: defense has a combination and spends that Halt. Controls turn order for 2 turns if the combo is guarded, 3 if unguarded. Lead-off does not count. Either lock ends it. Offense cannot take extra actions on check-given turns. Checks extend a Tag period.

Swish: defense matches offense, spends that Halt, neither board locked. Reroll one offense die. Same turn-order control as a Check. Remaining Swishes with all offense dice on Final become an automatic Tag.

Tag: defense matches and spends the Halt. If offense locked first, defense has a 1-turn Tag period (Checks extend it). If defense locked first, play pauses when offense matches so defense may Tag. A Tag ends the round. If defense scored less, offense points are wiped. If defense scored equal or more, they may take a Guard Take plus any strike option.

A Free-Roll is a special round with no Guards or Halts. No points or Guard Takes are given when it starts. Defense restores every Halt. Scoring is still the point difference unless defense copies the combination or calls Sixes.

The Free-Roll stays on if defense called nothing; otherwise one is spent. Offense may take an Out during a Free-Roll or right after it. The game cannot end while Free-Rolls remain unless offense skips them.

Free-Rolls come from:

1. 4th Roll — offense gets 3.
2. Point negation — defense may give 3 to wipe the round score, if none are already active.
3. Excess strikes beyond 3 — one each, for defense next half.
4. Overtime — played as Free-Rolls.

Position values on each base feed the score. Center-heavy hands want to stay near Initial. Corner-heavy hands want to walk toward Final. Sixes and Fives may add the face number once — it is not multiplied by the number of dice. Single-based calls pick one base.

• SixesAll-based · center or corner · face oncee.g. 5,5,5,5,5,5
• FivesSingle-based · center or corner · face oncee.g. 1,1,1,1,1,?
• FoursFour of a kind · one base · cornere.g. 1,1,1,1,?,?
• HouseFour + a pair · all bases · cornere.g. 2,2,2,2,4,4
• TriadThree, next pair, next single · one base · center or cornere.g. 3,3,3,4,4,5
• TriplesThree pairs · one base · cornere.g. 1,1,3,3,5,5
• DoublesTwo triples · all bases · centere.g. 1,1,1,3,3,3
• Straight1–2–3–4–5–6 · one base · centere.g. 1,2,3,4,5,6

Offense finishes every choice first. Defense answers after. A call is built in order:

1. Name the combination.
2. All-based hands (Sixes, House, Doubles) pick All-Base or Single-Base. Single-based hands pick one of the four bases.
3. Center or Corner, unless the combination only has one of those.
4. Sixes and Fives then pick Face Points or No Face Points.

Face is the number showing, added once. Fives and Fours only count dice that belong to the combination.