How to play Five Dice with Gather

1. Set up a game

   Without a TV: in the Gather app, under “Play without a TV”, choose “Five Dice”, then “Play the computer” or “Invite friends (2–6)”. With an Apple TV, iPad or Mac: choose the game, “With your phones” or “With computer opponents”, then “Open a room”.

2. Ready and start

   Everyone taps “Ready” in the lobby. Once you’re all set, start with “Start game” – on the table screen or on any phone.

3. Roll

   When it’s your turn, the top of the screen says “Your turn”. Tap “Roll”; the line below tells you how many rolls you have left.

4. Hold dice

   Tap the dice you want to keep – they’re marked “held”. Then tap “Roll” again, up to three times per turn.

5. Score a box

   Tap a free box on your score card (sections “Upper” and “Lower”); the phone previews how many points it’s worth. A button like “Score Three of a kind: 17 points” appears at the bottom – only that button scores and ends your turn.

6. Watch the others

   When someone else is up, your phone shows their name and dice, or “The computer is rolling …” for the computer. With a TV, the big screen shows the dice and every score card side by side.

7. Finish and play again

   After 13 rounds every card is full and Gather adds up the total, bonus included. “Play again” starts over, “Leave room” ends the game for you.

With or without a TV

Without a TV, one iPhone is enough: it becomes the host and friends on the same Wi-Fi join with the code – in the app or in a browser. Against the computer, the game stays on your device.

“With computer opponents” only fills up to two players: on your own you get one computer, and with two or more of you there’s none. If someone taps “Leave game” mid-way, their score card no longer counts.

The rules of Five Dice