Games related to Yahtzee

A number of related games under the Yahtzee brand have been produced. They all commonly use dice as the primary tool for game play, but all differ generally. As Yahtzee itself has been sold since 1954, the variants released over the years are more recent in comparison, with the oldest one, Triple Yahtzee, developed in 1972, eighteen years after the introduction of the parent game.

This article outlines each of Yahtzee's known variants, as well as brief descriptions of how they are played. Except for the last variant, all are ordered according to when each variant first appeared under the Yahtzee name. Some of these variants may currently be out of production as they have used older logos.

The parent game is sometimes referred to in this article as "standard Yahtzee" to differentiate it from the variant games that almost use the same mechanics and rules.

Triple Yahtzee, produced since 1972, is basically like playing three games of standard Yahtzee at the same time. Players score each of the thirteen Yahtzee categories three times, one for each of the scoresheet's columns marked "One," "Two," and "Three." However, players have the discretion of not only choosing the category at which to classify the current combination but also choosing which column the score would go. Combinations don't even have to appear three times in succession.

All scores entered in the three columns are entered as is. However, when the total scores for all three columns are obtained, the scores in the second and third columns are doubled and tripled respectively, and then added to the subtotal in the first column to form the grand total for the entire game.

Like in standard Yahtzee, there are differently colored chips for Bonus Yahtzees. They are awarded when all three Yahtzee boxes have scores in them and have been used either in the Upper and Lower Sections. The color of the chip, which may be colored white, blue, or red, depends on which column the Yahtzee has entered. These chips are worth 100, 200, and 300 points respectively. Since rolling Yahtzees are rare and rolling a fourth one is even rarer, bonuses are not indicated in the scoresheets and are only added to the grand total at the end of the game.

Because of the scoring process, it is possible to score 2,250 points in a single game, which is the maximum 375 points in each of the three columns and excluding Yahtzee bonuses, which are added at the end.

Triple Yahtzee is no longer sold as a game set. However, score cards for the game are still being sold (using the current logo) for owners of standard Yahtzee sets. The game is also included in GameHouse's Yahtzee game for Windows.

Selling since 1974, Challenge Yahtzee was marketed as a "fast paced" variant of the parent game. It is played like the parent game, but its difference lies on the fact the players make decisions on the common rolls at the same time.

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Wikipedia