On our Shut the Box 1-12 board, roll the dice and close exposed tiles whose values add up to the roll. Keep rolling until no legal combination remains, then add the values of the exposed tiles for your score. Lowest score wins. Below, you can follow a complete practice round before playing your own.
This lesson follows the Game Rules on Creative Crafthouse's 1-12 instruction sheet. We start with addition only, then explain its optional multiplication rules. Shut the Box has several versions, so use the sheet supplied with your own set if it differs.
See the board and dice tray
Description of the clip
The camera moves from a blue-lined 1-12 board to green- and red-lined boards. Two dice roll in the red tray. No complete turn or scoring calculation is demonstrated.
Set up your first turn
Use the board with tiles numbered 1 through 12, two dice, and paper for scores. Expose every numbered face. Throughout this lesson, open means the number is still visible and available; closed means you have flipped that tile and cannot use it again during this turn.
- Roll both dice and add their values.
- Choose one or more open tiles that add to that total. With a roll of 7, you could close 7, or 1 and 6, or 1, 2 and 4, if those tiles are open.
- Close your chosen tiles and roll again. Other legal choices from that throw do not give you extra moves.
- When no combination of open tiles can make your roll, stop. Your score is the sum of their values.
The next player exposes all twelve tiles and starts afresh. You are each trying the same full board, rather than inheriting the previous player's remaining numbers.
Use one die when the remaining total is less than 6
Our instruction sheet bases this change on the sum of all open tiles. If that sum is less than 6, roll one die. At a total of exactly 6, keep using two dice.
For example, open tiles 1, 2 and 3 total 6, so you still roll two dice. Open tiles 1 and 3 total 4, so you roll one. Checking only the largest tile would give you the wrong answer in the first example.
Follow a complete two-player practice round
These throws are deliberately arranged for teaching. Set the dice to the listed faces as you follow along. They are not a prediction of a typical round or a claim that these are the best tile choices.
Player A: a score of 4
Begin with every tile open. The last column shows the complete board state after each choice.
| Throw | Dice total | Close | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 + 6 = 12 | 12 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 |
| 2 | 5 + 6 = 11 | 11 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 |
| 3 | 4 + 6 = 10 | 10 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| 4 | 4 + 5 = 9 | 9 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
| 5 | 3 + 5 = 8 | 8 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
| 6 | 3 + 4 = 7 | 7 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
| 7 | 3 + 3 = 6 | 6 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| 8 | 2 + 3 = 5 | 5 | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| 9 | 2 + 2 = 4 | 4 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 10 | 1 + 1 = 2 | 2 | 1, 3 |
| 11 | 2 = 2 | None: turn ends | 1, 3 |
After throw 9, open tiles 1, 2 and 3 total exactly 6, so throw 10 still uses two dice. Closing tile 2 leaves 1 and 3, which total 4. Throw 11 uses one die.
That final 2 ends the turn: the only possible totals from open tiles 1 and 3 are 1, 3 and 4. There is no 2. Player A records 1 + 3 = 4.
Player B: a score of 2
Reset all twelve tiles. To compare two different endings, use the same first seven throws and closures as Player A: close 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 and 6 in that order. Open tiles are now 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Continue with these throws:
| Throw | Dice total | Close | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 3 + 4 = 7 | 3, 4 | 1, 2, 5 |
| 9 | 3 + 3 = 6 | 1, 5 | 2 |
| 10 | 1 = 1 | None: turn ends | 2 |
After throw 8, open tiles 1, 2 and 5 total 8, so Player B still uses two dice. Closing 1 and 5 leaves just tile 2. Switch to one die; a 1 cannot close tile 2, so the turn ends with a score of 2. Player B wins this round, 2 to 4.
Record the whole round before comparing scores
Count tile values, not the number of tiles. A single open tile 6 scores 6. Two open tiles 1 and 2 score 3. The player with more open tiles can still have the lower score.
If somebody closes every tile, they score zero. Our sheet also doubles every other player's score for that round. For example, in a three-player round, scores of 4, 7 and 0 become 8, 14 and 0. Apply that rule to the whole round, including a player who takes their turn later.
You can play one round, or follow the sheet's longer game: continue until someone reaches 100 points, finish that round, and compare totals. The lowest total wins.
Use the printable scorecard below. It has room for eight rounds, each player's raw score, the final round score after any doubling, and running totals. Print another sheet if your game continues.
Shut the Box 1-12 scorecard
Creative Crafthouse · Date: __________ · Addition only / Optional multiplication (circle one)
Player A: ____________________ Player B: ____________________
Raw score = sum of open tile values. If another player shuts the box, double your raw score for that round. Compare final round scores, or add them to running totals. One die is used when the remaining tile total is less than 6; total 6 still uses two dice.| Round | A raw | A final | A total | B raw | B final | B total | Who shut the box? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||||
| 2 | |||||||
| 3 | |||||||
| 4 | |||||||
| 5 | |||||||
| 6 | |||||||
| 7 | |||||||
| 8 |
This scorecard is for two players.
If using the 100-point game: finish the round in which anyone reaches 100, then lowest total wins. Print another sheet if needed.
To print, use your browser's Print command. The printed page contains this scorecard.
Try the optional multiplication rules on a fresh board
Agree to use the optional 1-12 rules before starting another game. They add two choices: you may add or multiply the dice to choose a target, and you may close open tiles that add or multiply to that target.
With dice showing 4 and 6, choose 10 by addition or 24 by multiplication. If you choose 24 and the necessary tiles are open, you could close 12, 10 and 2 because they add to 24. Alternatively, close 2 and 12 because they multiply to 24. These are separate choices for one throw.
Do not carry the addition-only practice round's stopping decisions into this version. Multiplication can leave a legal choice where addition alone has none. Recheck the remaining tiles under the rules you agreed to use.
Common questions
Can I close more than two tiles?
Yes. In addition-only play, any group of open tiles is legal if its values add to the dice total. The sheet's example includes 1, 2 and 4 for a roll of 7.
Can I reopen a tile during my turn?
No. Choose from the tiles still exposed. Reopen the full board when the next player starts.
Does a matching total let me roll again after I stop?
A legal closure lets you continue. If the rolled total cannot be made from the remaining tiles under your chosen rules, that turn ends. You do not reroll to seek a better result.
Why do other instructions use a different one-die rule?
Different sets use different rules. This lesson follows our 1-12 sheet's remaining-total rule. Before playing together, agree which sheet you will follow.
Keep a playable game on the table
You can find the exact board in Shut the Box 1-12 and explore our dice games. For a different roll-and-act game, see our Penny Drop rules. Our family games guide and two-player strategy games guide explain other ways to play together.
Last updated October 22, 2026. Rules checked against Creative Crafthouse's Shut the Box 1-12 instruction sheet. Generated illustrations explain the rules; the worked sequence is a teaching example.
