Overview

Daruma is a push-your-luck dice game for 2-6 players, inspired by the Japanese Daruma dolls. Players roll 8 dice and use results showing “1” to fill in the eyes of Daruma cards available on the game board. Completing a Daruma’s second eye lets the player claim that card for end-game scoring. Players must balance greed against the risk of rolling four “4”s, which ends the turn with nothing.

Components

• 8 Custom dice
• Daruma cards (various point values)
• Score tracking components

Setup

1. Lay out a number of Daruma cards face-up on the table to form the available pool.
2. Each player starts with no cards.
3. Choose a starting player.

Turn Structure

On your turn:

1. Roll all 8 dice.
2. Set aside dice showing “1” to fill Daruma eyes.
3. Optionally re-roll remaining dice to try for more “1”s.
4. Continue rolling or stop to collect completed Darumas.

Actions

Rolling Dice

• Roll 8 dice at the start of your turn.
• Dice showing “1” are used to fill the eyes of available Daruma cards. Each Daruma needs exactly 2 eyes (two “1” results) to be completed.
• When you fill a Daruma’s second eye, you claim that card.

Push Your Luck

• After setting aside “1”s, you may re-roll the remaining dice to try for more.
• Continue rolling as long as you wish, setting aside “1”s each time.
• If you stop voluntarily, you claim all fully completed Darumas from this turn.

Bust (Four “4”s)

• If at any point you have four dice showing “4” (accumulated across your rolls this turn), your turn ends immediately and you gain nothing.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

At the end of the game, each player totals the point values on their collected Daruma cards. The player with the highest total wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Bust condition: Four dice showing “4” at any point during your turn ends it with no reward. This is the primary risk in the push-your-luck mechanic.
• Combos: Certain dice combinations may trigger special effects or bonus actions (varies by edition).
• Daruma availability: Once a Daruma card is claimed, it is no longer available to other players.
• Eye filling: You must use “1” results to fill eyes – you cannot save them for later turns.

Player Reference

Turn: Roll 8 dice → Set aside 1s to fill Daruma eyes → Re-roll or stop

Complete a Daruma: Fill both eyes (2x “1” results) → Claim the card

Bust: Four 4s showing = turn over, gain nothing

Win: Most points from collected Daruma cards