by Jonathan Leistiko
Object
Be the last player in the game. You’ll accomplish this through a combination of good sense for odds, luck, and risk-taking.
You Need
a d20
Setup
- Have everyone sit in a circle. Put the d20 in the middle of the circle where everyone can reach it.
- Pick someone to go first. If you’re first, roll the die, announce (and remember) the number (It’s your number now), and pass it to your left.
Play
On your turn:
- Call out “over” or “under,” roll the die, and call out the number you rolled.
- If you called “over” and your roll was less than the previous player’s roll or
- If you called “under” and your roll was greater than than the previous player’s roll.
…you’re out of the game.
If you’re still in the game, the previous player is out of the game. You may pass the die to the next player or you may take another turn (call over/under, roll the die, and call our your number), comparing your roll to the next player on your right who’s still in the game. If you win, you may pass or try again. If you lose, you’re out.
Ending The Game and Winning
If there’s only one person in the game, that person wins. Woot!
Origin and Credits
On February 27th, Marcelo Figueroa asked his Facebook friends to make a game for him to share with a class of third-graders (ages 8-9) that uses just a d20 and with rules that would fit on 1/2 of a sheet of paper. An hour later, I’d thought of two games. Below/Above is one of those games.
