Commissioned Game 1 — Richard Garfield
Sibling Rivalry A game for 2 or more players
Players are siblings trying to bother one another. If they go too overboard, a parent will step in and punish them. As players score points, they advance on the score track. The object of the game is to be the first player to cross the finish line on the score track.
Rules
Equipment, and Starting the Game
Sibling Rivalry has a playboard, with two parts: the challenge board and the score track. The challenge board is made up of a grid of five challenge tracks numbered with dice, 2–6. The score track is the track with a start and finish, marked with little devils and little angels in some of the squares. Each player has two matching pawns (for example, two dimes.) One pawn progresses from start to finish on the score track, as a player successfully torments their siblings; the other pawn makes challenges on the challenge board. The first pawn will be the challenge pawn; the second the scoring pawn.You also need five dice to play. Select a player to go first. On Your Turn
At the start of your turn, if your challenge pawn is on the challenge track, remove it and score the number of points in that square by advancing your scoring pawn. Example: If your challenge pawn was 4 squares along the number two challenge track, on the square labeled "steady stare," you score 3 points. Of course, on the first turn you won't have any pawns on any track. During your turn, you roll the five dice and advance your challenge pawn along one of the tracks, one square for each of the track's number you roll. Example: you roll 2,2,3,5,6—if you are advancing along the number two track you can advance your challenge pawn 2 squares. If you are advancing on the number three track, you can advance your pawn one square. If you are advancing on the number four track, you cannot advance your pawn at all. All the 1s you roll are set aside and you may choose to roll again or stop. If you roll again, roll all the dice but your 1s. Continue the process of re-rolling, advancing your scoring pawn, setting the 1s aside until either you choose to stop or you accumulate three (or more) 1s. You are restricted on which tracks you can advance. When the challenge board is clear you must advance on the number two track. If the board has challenge pawns on it, you can advance in any track with a pawn in it, in an attempt to outdo your sibling, or escalate one track higher. Example: There is a pawn on the number three track, and a pawn on the number four track. You can advance your challenge pawn in tracks number three, four, or escalate to track number five.
You may change the track you are advancing during the course of your turn. After advancing along a track you may remove your pawn after a roll and begin advancing along another track. Example: The board has a challenge pawn in the number four track in the third square, marked "chin." You can only choose to advance your pawn on the number four track, challenging your sibling's tickle, or escalate to the number five track. You roll 1, 2, 4, 6, 6, and advance your challenge pawn one square along the number four track. You then re-roll four dice (you are not allowed to re-roll the dice that rolled the 1), and you roll 1, 5, 5, 5. You may choose to remove your challenge pawn from the number four track and advance 3 along the number five track.
Ending Your Turn
If you accumulated three (or more) 1s, Mom or Dad has caught you in the act and you move backwards on the score track one square for each 1 you ended your turn with. You also remove your challenge pawn. If you choose to end your turn and have the only pawn on your challenge track, you leave it there and hope that it is still there at the start of your next turn, so you can score the points for that square. If you choose to end your turn and are the most advanced pawn along the track you were challenging, remove the other pawn and leave yours there. You may score your pawn if you are still there at the start of your next turn. If you choose to end your turn and you were tied with or behind another pawn in the track you chose, remove your challenge pawn, because you have not outdone your sibling. If you manage to advance a challenge pawn to the last square on a track, remove all pawns in that track, score the square, and take another turn.