Tenzi Game
I’m always on the lookout for fun games to play with the kids and also with the grown ups. Wandering around the Mohegan Sun Casio in CT, my wife and I spotted a great dice game called Tenzi in a game store. They had a table set up with Tenzi dice in the front of the store to bring in customers and that’s exactly what happened. Having little or no immunity to the power of marketing, we walked right in to check out this game. And I’m glad we did because it’s a lot of fun.
How To Play Tenzi with Dice
40 Tenzi dice come in the package and there’s 10 of each color. Each player gets 10 dice. Ready go, roll the dice at the same time and decide which number you’re going for. Keep picking up the dice that don’t match that goal number and keep rolling until you get them. The first roll is at the same time but the rest can be rolled as fast as you can do it. First person to match all 10 dice with the same number and yells out “Tenzi” is the winner. Very simple game that you can play with young children or older grandparents.
Tenzi Variations
The real fun of Tenzi is making up variations of these simple rules. How about using only your left hand to roll? Taking turns deciding which variations you’ll play will keep the game interesting. The person who wins can decide or you can go around the table.
- Roll one die and hand it to the person to your right. They must now match their remaining dice to that number
- Steal one die from the person next to you. Now match all of your dice with the stolen one
- Left hands (or right) only
- Stack your dice as you match them. If a stack of 10 is too high (it’s tough), then try two stacks of 5
- Match two numbers with 5 dice each
- Roll a straight (1,2,3,4,5,6) and a 4 of a kind
- After you match 10 dice to the same number, you have to run to the basement and do a cartwheel, then run back and yell Tenzi (this was a very popular variation last time I played with my daughter)
- Make up your own variations!
How about Tenzi Drinking Games for the adults
- Losers have to drink the number from the Winner’s dice
- Roll one off the table, automatic shot
- Assign everyone a number (1-6), when someone wins using that number, that person must drink. Keep playing for 2nd, 3rd & 4th place and target a player
What is Slapzi?
Slapzi is memory based card game that’s made by the makers of Tenzi. Gameplay is nothing at all like Tenzi but it’s also a fun game. There’s 2-sided picture cards that are dealt out to players and there are also clue cards that are turned over. The idea to match your picture cards with the clue card and slap it on top of the pile. For example if the clue card says “Animal with 2 Legs”, then you can slap the frog picture card on it. The quickest thinker and fastest slapper will win.
Where can you buy Tenzi
You know that store where I first saw the Tenzi Game
. It was $20 there and I didn’t buy it. A quick search on Amazon showed it for under $15 at the time so I bought it through them. Here’s a link to buy your own set. Does that make me a bad person for not supporting the local businessman? Yes, probably but you know what? Times are tough and you have to go for the bargains now a days.
Bargain Versions
And if you want to be even cheaper than I am and you don’t care about matching dice colors, then check out these options for buying Assorted Dice
in bulk. The colors are useful in some variations but certainly not required. These dice are great for when you want to play Tenzi in groups of more than 4 people. And having a big pile of dice is pretty cool.