How to Play Qwixx: Complete Game & Strategy Guide

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Learn how to play this popular dice game in just a few minutes
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If you’re looking for a fast and exciting game that’s great for family and friends, Qwixx is the perfect addition to your collection. During the game, you’ll roll dice and cross numbers off your score sheet in hopes to earn the highest score. We’ll cover the objective of Qwixx along with all the rules to start playing right away. Once you master the original game, we even have fun variations for you to try after!

How to Play Qwixx: Basic Instructions

Give everyone a score sheet and roll the dice. All players can cross off a number from any row using the total of the white dice. The active player can also add 1 white to 1 colored die and cross off a number in the matching row. Earn points over multiple rounds based on how many numbers you crossed out, and whoever has the highest score at the end of the game wins!

Section 1 of 6:

Qwixx Objective

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  1. Earn the highest score by crossing off numbers left to right in the scoring rows. In a game of Qwixx, players have a score sheet with 4 colored rows filled with number spaces. During a turn, someone rolls a set of dice and every player crosses off a number in one of the rows. The twist is, you can only cross off spaces from left to right, and you can’t go back to any spaces you skipped over. The more spaces you cross off, the more points you’ll earn at the end of the game. [1]
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Section 2 of 6:

Playing a Game of Qwixx

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  1. 1
    Hand out score sheets and choose a starting player. Give each person playing a score sheet that came with the game and a pencil. Take turns rolling a die, and whoever gets a 6 first becomes the first active player.
  2. 2
    Roll all the dice. Give the active player the 2 white dice and the 4 colored dice. Roll the dice onto the table so everyone can see them. After the roll, the next two steps always happen in order. [2]
  3. 3
    All players may cross off the white dice’s total from any row. Add the values of the 2 white dice and say them out loud to everyone. Every player, including the active player who rolled the dice, has the option to cross off the matching number in any row from their score sheet. [3]
    • Remember, you can only cross off numbers from left to right. If you skipped over a number earlier, you can’t go back and cross it off later.
    • If you skip over any numbers, mark them with a horizontal line as a reminder that you can’t use them again.
    • If you don’t want (or aren’t able) to cross off any numbers, there’s no penalty if you’re not the active player.
  4. 4
    The active player may add 1 white die and 1 colored die and mark the matching row. In addition to using the 2 white dice, the active player can choose 1 white die and 1 of the colored dice to mark an additional space. Add the numbers up, find the row of the matching color, and mark the matching number space. [4]
    • Example: You could use a white 2 and a blue 4 to cross out the 6 space in the blue row.
    • The active player always has the opportunity to cross off 2 squares during their turn.
  5. 5
    Mark a penalty space if you don’t cross off a number as the active player. When you’re the active player, you have to mark a space on your score sheet, either using the white dice or 1 white die and 1 colored die. If you can’t cross off an available space, then make an X in one of the penalty spaces instead. [5]
    • Each penalty space you mark subtracts 5 points from your score at the end of the game.
  6. 6
    Pass the dice to the next player to start a new round. Give all of the dice to the next player to the left so they can roll them for the next round. Keep taking turns going around the table until you reach the end of the game . [6]
  7. 7
    Lock a row and remove the matching die when the rightmost number is marked. You can only cross off the rightmost space if you have already marked 5 other numbers in that row. Once you mark the space, cross off the lock symbol to the right of the row as well. Set the die of that color to the side for the rest of the game. [7]
    • For the remainder of the game, no one else can cross out spaces in a locked row.
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Section 3 of 6:

How to Win Qwixx

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  1. 1
    End the game after 2 rows are locked or when someone marks all penalty spaces. After a second row is locked and the dice are removed from the game, finish the current round and end the game. If any player marks their fourth penalty space, the game also ends immediately. [8]
    • The third row can be locked at the same time as the second row.
  2. 2
    Earn points for the number of spaces you crossed out in each row. Count the number of spaces in each row that you marked with an X. Check the table on the score sheet or the chart below to see how many points you earn, and write the number down in the colored spaces at the bottom of the sheet. [9]
    • 1 space: 1 point
    • 2 spaces: 3 points
    • 3 spaces: 6 points
    • 4 spaces: 10 points
    • 5 spaces: 15 points
    • 6 spaces: 21 points
    • 7 spaces: 28 points
    • 8 spaces: 36 points
    • 9 spaces: 45 points
    • 10 spaces: 55 points
    • 11 spaces: 66 points
    • 12 spaces: 78 points
  3. 3
    Total the points and win if you have the highest score. Add the point totals from each of your rows together and subtract any points that you lost from penalties. Compare your score with the other players, and whoever earned the most points, wins! [10]
    • If there’s a tie for the most points, then all the tied players share the win.
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Section 4 of 6:

Qwixx Strategies

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  1. 1
    Focus on locking a single row quickly. If you’re able to, try to speed through one of the colored rows as fast as you can. Once you cross off 5 numbers in a row, you have the opportunity to lock it early in the game and prevent other players from scoring it. [11]
    • Locking a row early can also cause other players to take penalties a few turns into the game if they don’t have any other available spaces.
  2. 2
    Prioritize rows where you’ve already crossed out a lot of spaces. Your score increases a lot when you have more spaces crossed out in a row. If you have the option between a couple of rows during one of the dice rolls, then choose the row where you’ve crossed out more so you net more points at the end of the game.
  3. 3
    Avoid creating large gaps between numbers. Try to cross off numbers one at a time so you can earn the most points from a row. If you skip over numbers, you won’t be able to cross them out later on, so it limits how many points you can earn and could force you to lose points from penalties.
  4. 4
    Keep dice probabilities in mind. When you roll 2 dice, the most common totals are 6, 7, and 8, and numbers that are higher and lower are less likely. Make sure you always have one of the middle numbers available to cross out in a row so you don’t get stuck during a round or take a penalty. [12]
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Section 5 of 6:

Qwixx Variations

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  1. 1
    Play multiple rounds for a high score challenge. Rather than stopping after you finish 1 game, save your scores and start another game on a new score sheet. After 3 or 4 games, total up the points you earned between games to crown the Qwixx champion.
  2. 2
    Try out new score sheets with Qwixx Mixx . Qwixx Mixx introduces different score sheets to add a little more variety to each of your games. On one set of score pads, the numbers in each row are jumbled up instead of in numerical order. On the other set, each row has a mix of colors. Give each person one of the new score sheets and play the game like usual. [13]
  3. 3
    Have more options per row with Qwixx Longo . Instead of 6-sided dice, Qwixx Longo has a set of 8-sided dice and score sheets that go up to 16. With a higher variety of dice rolls, the game can be a little more challenging and take a little longer than the standard version. [14]
    • To lock a row, cross of either of the 2 rightmost numbers after already crossing off 6 other spaces in the same row.
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Section 6 of 6:

Other Fun Games to Try Out

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  1. Try these exciting options to keep the fun going during game night. Just like its name suggests, a game of Qwixx goes by pretty quick! If you’re still in the mood for a little competition, any of these games are perfect and easy to learn for friends and family.
    • Yahtzee : Roll a set of dice in specific combos to earn points on your score sheet.
    • Liar's Dice : Bid and bluff about what dice were rolled without getting caught.
    • Farkle : Roll and bank dice for points, but lose everything you earned if you have no scoring dice in your next roll.
    • Flip 7 : Press your luck by flipping number cards and banking points, but bust if you ever flip a duplicate.
    • Qwirkle : Place tiles next to matching symbols and colors to earn the highest score.

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      • Laminate a set of Qwixx score sheets so they’re reusable. Use some dry-erase markers to mark your score sheet and just erase the marks when you finish a game.
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      References

      1. ↑ http://middys.nsv.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/qwixx-classic-english.pdf
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/6xjx71vYM-Y?t=85
      3. ↑ http://middys.nsv.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/qwixx-classic-english.pdf
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/8GJwwGsUMeQ?t=141
      5. ↑ http://middys.nsv.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/qwixx-classic-english.pdf
      6. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/QwixxTM-RULES.pdf
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/iOHv75q-kP4?t=186
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/iOHv75q-kP4?t=178
      9. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/QwixxTM-RULES.pdf
      1. ↑ http://middys.nsv.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/qwixx-classic-english.pdf
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/RCD5BxxI1-E?t=18
      3. ↑ https://www.pdx.edu/student-academic-support-services/sites/learningcenter.web.wdt.pdx.edu/files/2020-07/Probability_Dice.pdf
      4. ↑ http://middys.nsv.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/QwixxGX_GB.pdf
      5. ↑ https://cdn.1j1ju.com/medias/75/ac/1f-qwixx-longo-rulebook.pdf

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