Bones and Pips is a unique game that uses both dice and dominos for 2 to 8 players of all ages. A great Halloween game.
Bones and Pips is an easy to learn game that is great for the whole family to play this Halloween or on any other game night. It is similar to the commercial game Cobra Paw. You need keen observation and fast but careful action for this game.
This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link.
A Little Bit of History…
It is believed that the earliest dominions were carved out of bones. A pile of dominions is a boneyard. Some believe that earliest dominos date back as far as the year 200. Others think that they came about in the 1120s. Most believe that they came from the people in China. The rightful name of dominos is bones although they many now be called tiles.
Dice are even older with reports from just about every ancient cavitation having some form of the cubes with numbers on them. They have been found in Egyptian tombs, excavated from China and dated to be 600 B.C., and claimed to be of Greek origins in the Troy era. Dice have been created out of just about everything that can be made into a cube—wood, stone, metal, plastic. Some were flat and two-sided (see Lu-Lu Dice here for a traditional Hawaiian game). The spots on a dice are called pips.
What you Need for Bones and Pips
For this Halloween game you need a set of bones (dominos) that goes up to 6-6. A set of dice is also need. If you need some new dominos or dice, shop here. Canadians can shop for game supplies here.
Set up
To start, take all the bones that have a blank space out and set them to the side. Next, place all the bones face up in the middle of the playing area—the bone yard.
Playing Bones and Pips
On a player’s turn, she will roll both dice. Next, all the players race to find the bone that has the matching pips. Once she has found it, she places one finger on the bone and pulls it from the boneyard to sit on the table, face up, in front of her.
This, however, does not guarantee that she will keep it.
If that same dice roll happens again, another player may spot it and steal it. To keep her bone, she must spot it and be the first to place her finger on it. Next, she claims, “Bone’s mine.” Play then continues on.
By chance, if the combination is rolled again, she must again be the first player to spot it and lay a finger on it declaring it hers.
After someone has claimed the bone that matches the pips on the dice, the next player rolls the dice and players again race to find and claim that bone.
Winning Bones and Pips
To win, a player needs to be the first person to collect 6 bones—and have them in front of him.
A Creaky Good Time
Bones and Pips is a unique game that uses both dice and dominos. Using the historic names, this makes for a spooky Halloween game that will have your kids shaking with fun. Although it’s a perfect Halloween game, you can have fun with at any time of the year.
For more Halloween fun check out our Halloween dice game list, Pumpkin Minute to Win it games, and Halloween section of Family Game Shelf shop for fun with 5 Seconds, trivia, movie Bingo and so much more!
If you love observation games check out Spoons, Tiki Totem Pole, and Spot It. For more Pip games, be sure to check our dice games out. You can read the review of Cobra Paw here.
Be the first to reply