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At the start of a game, players select a fighter and collect the necessary dice (see “The Dice”, below). Players keep the same fighter throughout the game.

Each player starts each round with several Dice of various sizes (maximum values), each represented by one or more physical dice, as specified by the numbers and letters on his fighter's button.

• Basic Dice: When a Die is specified by a number, the player must use a die of that size.
• Swing Dice: When a Die is specified by a letter (a Turbo, Turbo Swing, or Mood Swing Die), the player, must select a die with an integral size from the upper through the lower limits indicated:

If a fighter has more than one Swing Die of a given letter, each of those dice must be the same.

• Option Dice: When a Die is specified by two values separated by a line, the player must select one die of either size.
• Twin Dice: When a Die is specified by two numbers in an oblong frame, the player must use two dice of those sizes. These are played for all purposes (rolled, targeted, scored, etc.) as a single Die.

Additional symbols specify special Dice, with special abilities defined below. Though (with the exception of Auxiliary, Reserve, and Winslow Dice) these abilities do not require selection of dice beyond those listed above, players may find it convenient to use different colored dice to distinguish them from other dice. Players may make new selections (e.g. for Swing and Option Dice, a Reserve Die, or any other special dice with variable powers or sizes) at the start of each round. However, in tournament play, the winner of the previous round must always reset to the dice he started that round with. Any sizes (e.g., Turbo Swing, Mood Swing, Mighty, etc.) or abilities (e.g., Rage, Thief, etc.) that changed during the previous round are reset, and all dice are returned to their original owners.

Take all of your fighter's dice and roll them. Whoever rolled the single lowest number will go first. If the lowest Dice are tied, compare the next lowest dice, and so on until a leader is determined. (Note that certain special Dice are not used in determining who goes first.)

Starting with the player who gained initiative, players take turns during which the current player must take one of the following actions, if possible.

Normal Attacks (unless otherwise stated, all Dice may make these attacks):

• Power Attack: Use one Die (except a Shadow Die) to capture one target Die of equal or lower value. Then re-roll the capturing Die.
• Skill Attack: Use several Dice to capture one target Die of value exactly equal to the sum of their values. Then re-roll the capturing Dice.

Special Attacks (only specified Dice may make these attacks):

• Shadow Attack: Use one Shadow Die to capture one target Die, where the target Die's value is between the attacking Shadow Die's value and size, inclusive. Then re-roll the capturing Die.
• Speed Attack: Use one Speed Die to capture any number of target Dice whose values add up exactly to its value. Then re-roll the capturing Die.
• Trip Attack: Roll one Trip Die and one target Die. Then, if the Trip Die is now of equal or greater value than the target, the target is captured. (Can only be made if there is a non-zero chance of capture.)
• Thief Attack: Use a Thief Die to take control of a target Die of equal or lower value. The Thief Die can no longer be used or attacked.
• Berserk Attack: Use a Berserker Die to perform a Speed Attack, then, before re-rolling, replace the attacking Die with a non-Berserker Die half its size (rounded up).
• Sleep Attack: Roll one Sleep Die and one target Die of greater value. The target die may not be used on its owner's next turn.
• Teleport (only Teleport Dice take this action): Swap one Teleport Die with a target Die, which now becomes a Teleport Die. Then re-roll the new Die.

Scoring: When both players pass, the round is over. For each Die a player captured, he scores its size in points. For each Die under his control (not in reserve), he scores half its size. The highest score wins the round, and the first player to win three rounds wins the game. (Poison, Deception, and Value Dice are scored differently.)

Ties: If any round is a draw, re-play it.

Special Dice, with abilities that modify the rules above, are indicated in a variety of ways, usually with a combination of symbol and changed field color (which varies from one set to another).

In brief these abilities are:

• Armor: Value is added to non-Armor Dice in defense.
• Auxiliary: An additional optional Die the players may agree to use before a game.
• Berserker: No Skill Attack, Berserk Attack
• Chance: If player will not be going first: May re-roll one Chance. Opponent may follow suit.
• Constant: Only rolled at start of round. No Power Attack; in Skill Attacks, may be subtracted from attack total (which may never be <1)
• Deception: Worth 4 for scoring.
• Evil: Can make simultaneous Power Attacks, No Skill Attack.
• Fire: No Power Attack. May increase values of attacking Dice (up to their size) in Power or Skill Attack adjusting own value downward accordingly.
• Focus: If player will not be going first, and doing so would acquire it: May reduce values of any Focus Dice. Opponent my follow suit. Reduced Dice may not be used in first attack.
• Game: Once per game: may re-roll Game Dice at any time.
• Insult: Cannot be captured by Skill attacks.
• Loaded/Maximum: Value always equals size. This ability was named differently in two separate sets.
• Mighty: Whenever re-rolled for any reason: replace with the next largest regular die.
• Mood Swing: Size must be changed randomly, with equal likelihood, to a regular size in the specified range, before each re-roll.
• Morphing: After Morphing Dice are used in an attack, they become the same size as the Die that was captured.
• Null: Null Dice are worth no points and any Dice they capture are worth no points.
• Ornery: Ornery Dice re-roll after every turn, whether they took part in an attack or not
• Plasma: At the start of a game, and after each lost round (or after more than three tied rounds), a player can select which set of skills are active for the next round.
• Poison: Captured Poison Dice are worth minus ½ their face value; controlled Poison dice are worth minus their face value.
• Queer: Queer Dice behave like Shadow Dice when they show an odd number.
• Rage: Do not count towards going first. Becomes a normal Die once used in an attack. If captured, is replaced by a normal Die of the same size.
• Rebound: Re-roll when captured; If the die roll is higher than its value before re-roll it captures the largest attacking die.
• Reserve: Reserve Dice are set aside at the start of the game. After losing a round, one Reserve may be added to the Dice under the player's control for the remainder of the game.
• Shadow: No Power Attack; Shadow Attack.
• Sleep: Do not count towards going first. Sleep Attack.
• Slow: Do not count towards going first.
• Specialty: Can be one type of Dice from the following: Insult, Loaded, Poison, Shadow, Speed or Trip.
• Speed: Speed Attack.
• Stealth: No Power Attack. May only be captured by Skill Attacks.
• Stinger: Do not count towards going first. In a Skill Attack, may be used as any number between 1 and their value.
• Teleport: Teleport.
• Thief: No Power Attack; Thief Attack.
• Time & Space: After any re-roll results in an odd value on a Time & Space Die, owner takes another turn.
• Trip: Do not count towards going first. Trip Attack.
• Turbo Swing: Size may be changed before each re-roll.
• Value: Scored as if its size where its current value. Dice captured by Value Dice become Value Dice.
• Weak: Whenever re-rolled for any reason: replace with the next smallest regular die.
• Winslow: An additional optional Die the players may agree to use before a game to replace one Swing Die. Value is always 1; size is 30. Capturing player takes control.