How to Play the Chicken Pox Dice Game

Today we have a very exciting game: Chicken Pox! This is a push your luck dice game and it’s our latest original game!

We don’t just share other people’s game around here, we create them too! Some of our best games are Dice Sticks, Whacky Putt, Grumpy Dice and Risk It. Really there are more and it’s like asking a mom to pick her favorite child….

But Chicken Pox I think is our absolute best one yet!

In this post we’ll cover how to play, the rules and how to win.

What Do I Need for Chicken Pox Dice Game

You will need the Chicken Pox cards (you can get your copy in the Family Game Shelf Shop) and 10 dice for each player. Every player needs their dice to be a different colour. We like to use our dice from out Tenzi game but if you need more dice you you can shop dice here. Canadians here. You will also need a score sheet.

What is the Object of Chicken Pox?

The goal of the game is to be the first player to reach 50 points. You ear points by collecting egg cards that are wroth different point values.

How Do I Play Chicken Pox?

To start, each player gets their ten dice and one Lucky Duck card. Next, shuffle the chicken cards and place five of them face up in the middle of the playing area.

On your turn, you will roll five of your dice. You must choose at least one dice to place on the cards in play. You can choose to place as many of your dice as you’d like. Now you can choose to roll again or stop. If you choose to roll again, you will have to place at least one dice on the cards. Again, you can choose to roll again or stop. You can choose to roll again until all of your dice are on cards.

If you have a roll where there are no numbers that fit on the cards, then your turn is over. Any unused dice are kept in your store.

On your next turn, you will roll five more dice and repeat the process.

Egg Spots

ON some of the card there are blank eggs. These are wild spots. You can place any dice number you would like there on your turn. Once a card has one dice on it, the rest of the spots need to be filled with dice of the same number. For example, if you have a 5 on an egg spot then all remaining eggs on that card need to be filled with 5s.

Colleting Cards

If on your turn, you cover the last number on a card, you earn that card. Pick up the card and place it to the side. Return any dice that were on the card to the correct players. Once you pick up a card your turn is over.

Once all the cards have been collected, you move to score for that round.

Scoring

Each card has a points value in the bottom right-hand corner. Not all cards are worth positive points. Some cards have Chicken Pox and will cost you points! These are the cards that have red number instead of black numbers.

After you tally your positive points and subtract your minus points. This is your score for the round. Add this round’s score to any score you already have.

Round Two

To start the next round of Chicken Pox, take the top five cards from the pile and place them in the middle of the playing area. The player to the left of the player who collected the last card in the pervious round starts. The round is played the same as before. As are all following rounds.

What If I Run Out of Dice?

If on your turn, you find yourself with less than five dice in your store, you will roll whatever dice you have left. Don’t worry, a card will soon be collected, and you will get your dice back.

Lucky Duck Card

Each player get one Lucky Duck card. You can use this card at any point in your turn to get a free reroll. Once, you have used it, you will need to hand it in. You can earn more Lucky Dick cards when you roll four of a kind in one roll. When this happens, collect a duck card and keep it handy for when you need a reroll.

How Do I Win Chicken Pox?

The first player to reach 50 points is the winner!

Hen House Fun

At first, Chicken Pox might seem like a simple game. Although it is an easy to learn game that players of any age will love, there is a strategy behind when and where to place your dice. Will you be aggressive and place all of your dice on a turn? Or will you hang back and take a more cautious approached of ending your turns early in the round? With just the right amount of luck thrown in there is something to be said for each way.

Either approach you take; there is nothing like rolling just the right number to earn a high scoring card. On the other hand, the feeling of upset you get when you have to take a Chicken Pox card… But you’ll get them with the next card.

We have played for hours, and we haven’t tired of it yet!

Where Do I get my Copy of Chicken Pox?

You can get your copy of Chicken Pox here. Be the first to get into the hen house before I send this gem of a game to a publisher!