You know it for sure: you’re gonna hit 2,500 this round. You’re only 200 points away from victory. You pick your three dice and roll them. It feels like they’re rolling in slow motion. One star… two stars… The third die is still rolling… It’s in the hands of fate now, you’ll bust or you’ll Tally Up!
The goal of Tally Up! is simple: be the first person to hit 2,500 points. This is a high-stakes group gamble where you’re all building up a shared pot of points, but will you know when to walk away with your winnings before the whole thing crashes?
The game revolves around a player who chooses three dice to roll, each with its own level of risk and reward. Once those dice are cast, the numbers on them create a "running total" of points for everyone in the round. But watch out for stars: if two of them show up at any point, the round ends in a bust, the points vanish, and anyone who stayed in the game walks away with absolutely nothing for that round.
After every single roll, everyone has to decide: stay in to chase a higher score, or play it safe and go out to bank your share of the current total? If you go out, you safely add your share to your total score and sit back to watch the others. If you stay in, you're hoping for more points from the "Up Die", a special die that, when in play, can double your points, add extra rolls, but also penalize the group.
But there is more: a bit of chaotic luck involved with the "Tally Up!" bonus. If the initial roll lands on three stars, everyone needs to rush because the first person who clicks (or taps or whatever needs to be done on your device) on the "Tally Up!" button grabs a 200-point bonus, even if they had already decided to bow out of the round.
So, will you play safe or get greedy?
https://boardgamearena.com/gamepanel?game=tallyup
We're staying in on this one: thanks to Eric Olsen, the game designer, and Messy Table Games, the publisher, for letting us use their game. And we're banking our thanks to BanBan, the game developer, for the BGA port.
This was your Wednesday release.
Happiness is only a roll away. Take care and play fair…
