Risky Climb

How to play Risky Climb

Risky Climb is a push-your-luck dice game. You roll four dice, split them into two pairs and climb the columns that match the sums. Every roll can bring you higher, but one bad roll wipes out the whole turn. You play against one, two or three computer players.

Goal

Be the first player to claim three columns. You claim a column when you reach its summit and then stop.

The board

There are 11 columns, one for each sum from 2 to 12. Sums that come up often are taller: column 7 has 13 steps, columns 6 and 8 have 11, and columns 2 and 12 only have 3. Your markers show how high you have climbed in each column.

Turn by turn

1. Press Roll (or R) to throw the four dice.
2. Pick one of the ways to split the dice into two pairs. Each choice shows both sums, for example 5 + 9. Tap it, or press its number key.
3. For each sum, a white climber moves one step up that column. A new climber starts just above your marker.
4. You have only three climbers per turn. Once all three are on the board, you can only use sums for those three columns. If just one sum of a pair fits, you climb with that one only.
5. Now choose: Roll again to climb higher, or Stop (S) to lock in your progress. Your markers move up to where the climbers are.
6. If no pair of the roll can be used, you bust. The climbers fall back and all progress from this turn is lost.

Claiming columns

When a climber reaches the summit, that column is closed for the rest of the turn. Stop now and the column is yours. Nobody can climb it again, and the markers of the other players in that column are removed.

End of the game

The first player to own three columns wins at once. The game is saved after every roll, so you can close the page and come back later. There is no undo, because every roll counts.

Strategy tips

• Favour the middle. Sums 6, 7 and 8 come up most often. Climbers there rarely get stuck, even if those columns are tall.
• Count your risk. With climbers on 6, 7 and 8 you bust only about 1 roll in 12. With 2, 3 and 12 you bust more than half the time, so stop quickly.
• Re-use climbers. When you can, pick the pairing that moves climbers you already placed instead of starting a third one.
• Stop on a summit. Reaching the top of a column is worth a lot. Do not risk it for one more step somewhere else.
• Mix odd and even. Climbers spread over both sides of 7 and over odd and even sums are easier to keep moving.
• Race when a rival is close. If a computer player is about to claim its third column, careful play will not save you. Take bigger risks.