Farkel

Recently, my brother introduced me to Farkel, a dice game we've all been enjoying. I'd seen it before, but I dismissed it as yet another Yahtzee with the additional sixth die looking a little too much like Spinal Tap's one louder. In retrospect, I feel I misjudged the game.

Vis-a-vis Yahtzee, three differences seem to change the dynamic enough to make Farkel its own game:

1. Score accumulates roll-by-roll, but, unlike Yahtzee, combinations cannot be accumulated over the course of multiple rolls. You've either got a scoring combination in each roll or you don't.

2. There's no three roll limit. As long as you roll something that can add to your score, you can keep rolling. If you use up all six dice, you recycle them starting with a fresh roll of six.

3. If you roll nada (Farkel), you lose all of the score you've accumulated during your current turn. This adds an interesting "guts factor" to the game, and when you're way behind, it offers an opportunity to catch up.