YahtzeeHello, my name is the Irredeemable Shag and I’m a closet Yahtzee addict.  That’s step one, right?

I can’t speak authoritatively on this, but I don’t believe many people my age play Yahtzee.  I think there is a perception that it’s an old person’s game.  Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s always been my belief.  According to the official Yahtzee history on Hasbro’s web site, about 100 million people play it on a regular basis.  Apparently I don’t really know any of these people.

I started playing Yahtzee whenever I would visit my dad.  He’s originally from Michigan, where all they do is play card and board games during the winter (my apologies to any Yankees in the audience).  One night he busted out the dice and announced I was going to learn how to play Yahtzee.   It didn’t take long to grasp the game as it’s really just a form of poker, but with dice. 

I rapidly found myself addicted to the game.  Perhaps it has something to do with my background in RPGs.  There is something satisfying about the tactile sensation of rolling a handful of dice on a table.  The clink of the dice in your hand; the sound as they hit the hard table and bounce a bit.  It’s like crack to gamers.

It’s a fun game if you have at least two people.  You can also buy a handheld electronic game version to play solo (yes, I have one), or find online versions of the game to play solo.

If you haven’t played Yahtzee, give it a try.  All you really need is two people and 5d6 (that’s five regular six-sided dice to you non-gamers, like the kind you get in Monopoly).  You can find a PDF of the official rules on the Hasbro web site (click here), and you can find a lots of different free score sheets online (click here).

Enjoy! I’ll see you at the twelve-step meetings!