Rolling Japan

About this board game

Rolling Japan is a light multiplayer-solitaire dice game for 1–99 players that takes about 15 minutes. Each player maps numbers across Japan’s 47 prefectures, aiming to finish with fewer Xs than everyone else.

Each map is divided into six differently colored areas. At the start of a round, seven dice sit in a bag: one die matching each area color and a wild purple die. Players draw and roll two dice, then everyone places the rolled numbers on prefectures matching the appropriate colors.

The purple die provides flexibility, allowing its number to go in a prefecture of any color. Each player can also use a non-purple die as any color up to three times per game, creating valuable opportunities when the available colors do not fit the map.

• Place each number in a prefecture of the matching color whenever possible.
• Keep neighboring prefectures within a difference of 1, including regions connected by blue lines.
• If a number cannot be placed legally, mark an X in a prefecture of the appropriate color.

If every prefecture in an area is already filled, its die can be ignored, or a color change can be used to place the number elsewhere. After six dice have been rolled, the round ends and the dice return to the bag.

Rolling Japan lasts eight rounds. When the final round is complete, the player with the fewest Xs on their map wins, making every placement a careful balance between available colors, neighboring values, and limited flexibility.