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Pipfold

Shut the Box with two, three or four players

Taking turns at the same table, the way a wooden box goes round. The base rules are on rules; this page is only about how several people play together.

Up front, so nobody downloads for nothing: there is no network mode. No server, no friends list, no invitation. The device lies between you, and whoever is up is named at the bottom of the screen.

How the turn order works

Four players on a phone: the box sits in the upper half of the screen, below it says player 1 and the number to hit.
The bottom line says who is up — nothing else.
  1. The first person plays their whole round — not one roll, but until no move is left.
  2. Their score is noted: the sum of the flaps left standing.
  3. Every flap goes back up, the next person takes over. And so on.
  4. Once everyone has played, whoever left the least standing wins.

That is the difference from most other dice games: there is no reacting to each other. Every round stands on its own, and what somebody else rolled does not change your position — only the number you have to beat.

A round in progress can be resumed, even mid-handover. The game remembers whose turn it was.

How scores compare

PlayersHow it runs
SoloOne round for yourself. Statistics are kept in separate pots per variant: rounds played, times shut, best round, average.
TwoTwo rounds, two numbers, the lower one wins. The shortest form and the most common.
Three and fourThe same, only longer. Each person plays their round to the end; the device moves on.

Tournament and tie-break

A single round is decided quickly and hangs noticeably on the dice. Hence the tournament: best of 3 or best of 5. Whoever takes the most rounds wins the tournament — not whoever has the lowest total.

On a tie there is a tie-break: the tied players play one more round against each other while everyone else sits out. It runs by itself; there is nothing to work out.

Same dice for everyone

The option that turns a game of chance into a comparison: everyone gets the same sequence of rolls. Player 1 rolls 6 and 5, player 2 rolls 6 and 5 — and then only the better choice of flap decides.

Anyone who wants to know whether Shut the Box is skill or luck should play an evening like this. The answer comes out a little differently every time.

Common questions

How do you play Shut the Box with two players?Taking turns: the first person plays their round to the end, until no move is left, and notes the sum of the flaps still standing. Then the second goes, with every flap open again. Fewer points left wins.
How many players can Shut the Box have?On a wooden board, as many as fit around the table — play happens one after another anyway. Pipfold carries up to four people on one device, optionally as a tournament over best of 3 or best of 5.
What happens on a tie?There is a tie-break: the tied players play one more round against each other while everyone else sits out. Pipfold does this by itself in a tournament.
Can you play Shut the Box online against other people?Not in Pipfold. Play happens on the one device lying between you on the table. There is no server, no friends list and no invitation — that is a decision, not a missing feature.

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