Roll-and-Write-and-Write Again with NSV's Twenty One and Qwinto: Das Kartenspiel

Each player in Twenty One receives a different score sheet at the start of the game; each sheet has five horizontal rows with six colored dice pictured in each row, and while the numbers are identical in each of the rows on each sheet, the arrangement of colors differs.

To score points, a player needs to fill these dice with numbers, but they have to fill (or mark off) all six dice in a row before they can move to the next row on their score sheet — and to write numbers on their sheet, they'll have to depend (at least somewhat) on the luck of the dice.

On a turn, the active player rolls six colored dice that match the colors depicted on each score sheet. They must keep all 1s that they roll, but they can choose to reroll all non-1 dice twice. After the second roll, all players can use the rolled dice to fill one or more of the dice on their sheet — but only if the die of the matching color shows a value equal to or less than what's on the score sheet.

For example, if your row shows a yellow 6, blue 5, white 4, etc., and you or the active player rolls yellow 3, blue 6, white 4, etc., you can choose to write "3" in the yellow space (earning yourself 3 points at the end of the game), but you may choose not to since you could score up to 6 points for that space. You can't write anything in blue since the die is higher than the number shown. You definitely want to write 4 in the white space since 4 is the most points you can score there. What's more, since you had an exact hit, you "x" the box as well, and you score bonus points in a row for the number of "x"s that you have.

If you can't or don't want to fill in a number, you must cross out the leftmost space in your current row, earning no points for this space. As soon as all spaces in a row are filled or crossed off, you start the next row with the next roll of the dice. The game ends the turn that someone completes the fifth row, after which everyone tallies their points to see who wins.

Players each have an individual score sheet, and they're trying to use numbers (1-18) to fill in the empty spaces in three rows, which are colored orange, yellow and purple. Within a row, lower numbers must be placed to the left of higher numbers, and no number can be repeated. In the two- and three-space columns formed by the rows, no number can be repeated, but numbers can be in any order.

Aside from the score sheet, the game includes 32 cards, with the cards numbered 0-6 and -2 in four colors (yellow, orange, purple, gray). Each player starts with a random hand of three cards, then four cards are laid in a 2x2 square. On a turn, a player lays a card from their and onto one of the cards in the square, then sums that card and the two adjacent cards, stating this number and the color of all non-grey cards out loud, e.g., "13 in purple and yellow". Each player can then write a 13 in either the purple or yellow row on their score sheet. If the number is less than 1 or all the cards are grey, then no one can write anything; if the active player can't write anything on their score sheet, then they must mark a penalty box instead.

If a player has two cards with the same number, they can lay down one of them, then the matching number in an adjacent space, thus possibly changing the sum drastically. A player refills their hand to three cards to end their turn.

When a player has completely filled two rows with numbers or all four penalty spaces on their score sheet, the game ends. Each player tallies the points for each of their rows: 1 point per number if spaces are empty, or as many points as the rightmost number if the row is full. For each three-space column, if all spaces are filled, then the player scores points equal to the number in the pentagon. For each penalty point, the player loses 5 points. Whoever has the highest sum wins!

It is one of the Earth's most breathtaking natural spectacles! Every year millions of gnus, zebras and antelopes pass the Mara River in Africa. Water means life — but it also holds danger as crocodiles and lions lie in wait. What luck that there are tembos (elephants) who will help the animals to get safely to the other shore.

Tembo is an awesome game, as exciting and wonderful as Africa itself!