6.1: How to Play the Carousel Game

Set Up

• Choose a carousel with 4-, 5-, or 6-playing positions. Mark each position with a post-it. For tips on how to create a DIY carousel see blog post 5.1
• Place your icon in playing position #1.  Or if you are using this game to teach a child, place the child’s icon on position # 1. Your or the child are the only “Real Player”. The Real Player is the only player who can pass a Silver Ring. 
• “Takers” occupy the remaining playing positions. Takers always take the next available silver ring on their turns.
• You can watch a video of how the game plays in blog post 6
• Choose a ring dispenser from one of the starter kits below.  Remember that a dispenser with 19 rings has 18 Silver Rings and the last ring is the single Gold Ring.  Use the number of rings to compute initial winning position and winning rotation.
  • How many rings should be in the ring dispenser?

• If you have a 4-position carousels:  19 (18 silver plus one gold) or 21 or 28
• For 5-position carousels:  17 or 18 or 24.
• For 6-position carousels:  18 or 20 or 26.

How to Play

• Watch the video in blog post 6 if you have not done so already.
• Since the Real Player is in position #1, the Real Player decides whether to take the first silver ring or not.
• Rotate the carousel. Every time a Taker arrives at the ring dispenser they will take the next available ring.
• The Real Player must choose whether to take the silver ring or pass.
• The player who takes the Gold Ring – – the very last ring on the ring dispenser – – wins.

Playing tip

• Place an icon on initial Winning Position to represent who will get the Gold Ring if every player keeps taking without passing.
•  Advance the Gold Ring icon by one playing position each time the Real Player passes a Silver Ring.
• Write down the initial number of rings, and reduce the current dispenser size by one for every take.  The number of remaining rings combined with the current rotation number informs the take/pass decision.