Race Home: getting all four tokens to the centre

Race Home is the cross-and-circle race game, the one with four tokens each, a 6 to get out and no mercy for anyone you land on. In Games by Zaweba you play red against three computer players, and the game sits on the Board games shelf.

It is a family favourite for good reason. Everyone understands it straight away, the dice keep it unpredictable, and there is always someone to catch or someone to run from.

How the race works

Each player has four tokens waiting in their yard. To bring a token out onto your start square, you need to roll a 6. A 6 also earns you another roll, so a good throw can get a token out and moving in the same turn.

Tokens race clockwise round the board. When a token has gone all the way round, it turns up your coloured home column towards the centre. Reaching the centre needs an exact roll, so the last few squares can take some patience.

If you land on an opponent's token, it goes back to its yard and has to start again. The exception is the starred squares and the start squares, which are safe.

The first player with all four tokens home wins.

Rolling and picking a token

Roll the dice, then click a glowing token to move it. Only the tokens that can make the move glow, so you can see your choices straight away. On the keyboard, Space or R rolls.

Choosing which token to move

Most turns offer a choice, and the choice is where skill comes in. A few principles help.

Capture when you can. Sending a rival back to its yard costs them a whole lap of progress, and it often outweighs moving your own token a little further.

Think about safety. A token sitting a short way in front of an opponent is in danger, since a small roll will catch it. Moving it onto a starred square, or beyond reach, can be worth more than pushing another token ahead.

Do not spread yourself too thin, but do not leave tokens in the yard for ever. Having several tokens out gives you more options on each roll, which makes it easier to capture and to escape. Yet each one on the board is something the computer can send back.

Plan for the finish. Because reaching the centre needs an exact roll, a token close to home can sit waiting for the right number. Having other tokens to move in the meantime means no roll is wasted.

Luck and judgement

Race Home has plenty of luck in it, and a run of bad rolls can undo the best plan. But over several games, the player who makes good choices with each roll comes out ahead more often.

A lively game to share

Race Home in Games by Zaweba suits a family sitting round the computer, taking turns to call which token to move. Esc pauses, F1 brings back the rules, and your wins against the three computer players are counted on the game's tile in the library.