Generala
Five dice and a table of combinations where anything that arrives on the first roll is worth more — and five of a kind ends the game outright.
The nearest relative of Yahtzee, and the kinship shows at once: five dice, three rolls a turn, keeping what is wanted between them, and at the end an entry must be written into one line of the table — even when there is nothing to write.
Generala differs in two things. The first is the bonus for combinations: one that arrived by itself, on the first roll, is worth more than the same one assembled over three. The second is a on the first roll, which by the common agreement simply ends the game in victory; a good part of why the game is played is that this can happen.
Six-sided dice
Under these rules: Five dice.
Ordinary gaming dice, pipped from one to six.
The most widespread randomiser people have invented. Opposite faces add up to seven — not a rule of any game but a convention of manufacture, and the thing by which a die is recognised.
Rules of Generala
What you need
Five dice and a table sheet for each player.
A turn
The player rolls all five dice. They may then twice set some aside and reroll the rest — up to three rolls.
After that they must enter a result in one of the lines not yet filled. If nothing fits, a zero goes into the line chosen, and it counts as used.
The lines
Numbers. Ones through sixes: the sum of the dice showing that number.
Combinations.
| Combination | What it is | Points | Served |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight | five consecutive values | 20 | 25 |
| Full | three and a pair | 30 | 35 |
| Poker | four of a kind | 40 | 45 |
| Generala | five of a kind | 50 | 60 |
Served
A combination counts as served if it arrived on the first roll, with no rerolls. It then scores the higher figure in the last column.
By the common agreement a served generala is not written down at all: it ends the game, and whoever rolled it has won.
End of the game
The game ends when every line of the table is filled. The highest total wins.
Worth knowing
The table differs between households and countries: some count only 1–2–3–4–5 and 2–3–4–5–6 as a straight, others allow a "wrapped" one with the ace after the six. Whether a served generala ends the game at once or merely scores is the commonest thing to agree beforehand. The number of lines is not everywhere the same either.
Glossary of terms
- Generala
- Five of a kind — the name of the game and its highest combination.
- Served
- A combination that arrived on the first roll, with no reroll at all. It is worth more than the same one assembled.