Julian Game Trip #7: Shut the Box and Disk Dash

In the cavernous back room downstairs at the Warm Hearth, they had a big display of games, including a giant Connect-4, a stack of 1-player Shut the Box games, a game called Disk Dash, and a public table where players can test those out.


We have covered Shut the Box before where our local boba shop has a 4-player version people like to diddle around with, and we have a 2-player one at home that we don't remember where we got it.  This time, it was a one-player version on display, and a copy set up with rules where you can sit and play it.  The rules were the same as we remembered: roll the dice, get a number, and flip down the any combination of numbers that add up to your total.  So if you roll a 3+4, any combination that equals seven can be flipped down.  Play until you can't flip another number, then your score for the round is the total of all your unflipped numbers.  Low score wins.

Of course, the Wikipedia page for Shut the Box has name variations, over a dozen scoring methods, pub gambling stories, and a history that's full of fanciful tales.
 

The other one we had never seen before.  Disk Dash looked like a little carom game to me, but you actually use the elastic band to bounce the disks through the tiny gap in the middle.  We shot a few, and I could see how the game would get pretty rowdy.  It wasn't clear whether you were supposed to take turns, or if everyone just shoots the disks as quickly as they can.  Judging by all the wear on the demo copy, I'd say it has seen a lot of game time.




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