Be the Last Finger Standing in Dice Game Tatamokatsu

Roll the dice and count up the total quickly! But even rolling might not be so easy, as the number of fingers you can use becomes fewer and fewer.

Published by Helvetiq, Tatamokatsu is a light, compact dice game made up of only three dice. With elements of speed, dexterity, and luck, players lose fingers one by one until only one player remains.

Gameplay

The game comes with three eight-sided dice. Each die has faces showing numbers one through six. Two dice also show two faces that can stand in for a one or a ten; the third die replaces one of these with a face showing a T.

At the start, each player chooses one hand. You can only use this hand during the game. On your turn you use your hand to roll the three dice. All players add the dice results together as quickly as possible. Depending on the total, different things will occur.

If the sum is ten or seventeen, this is Tatamokatsu, and overrides any other die results. The first player to shout ‘tatamokatsu’ chooses either to make every opponent lose a finger (choosing which finger for each person) or may recover one of their own lost fingers.

When you lose a finger you tuck it in and may not use it for the rest of the game when rolling or grabbing for a die.

If the die result is under ten, the player who rolled the dice must choose one of his own fingers to lose. If the result is between eleven and sixteen, all players must give a small bow and say ‘hai’ (or lose a finger). If the result is above seventeen, the player who rolled the dice chooses which player will lose a finger and which one. If all three dice roll the same number, it is a katana attack and each player must hit the table with the side of their hand. The last player to do so loses a finger of his choice.

Finally, if the die face that shows the T is rolled, the first player to grab it with whatever fingers they have left and shout ‘tatamokatsu’, gets to choose one of the choices from a Tatamokatsu.

If a player runs out of fingers, they are out of the game. However, if the T is ever rolled and you are out of the game, you can attempt to grab it with your little finger in order to come back into the game with all fingers restored.

Players also lose a finger if they ever make a mistake, such as shouting ‘tatamokatsu’ at the wrong time, grabbing the wrong die, or dropping a die off the table.

The last player remaining with any fingers is the winner of the game.

Review

Tatamokatsu is a very light dice game that’s a fun combination of speed, silliness, and dexterity. It’s fun to roll the dice and race for the T as you start working with fewer and fewer fingers, or watch other players try to do so. It plays fast enough that the silliness doesn’t get tiring, and there’s still an element of skill as you try to calculate the sums quickly in your head or react fast when other players start doing the katana.

The components are nice. It’s a very small, compact game, with only three dice, but they’re well made. They’re quite light, which in this case works well as players try to roll them with fewer and fewer fingers, and they do have a unique look to them. The game also comes in box that’s pretty fun in itself, with a neat little flap. We also appreciated that Helvetiq kept the box so small. It’s a very portable game, perfect for travel or slipping into a purse or pocket and the box complements this.

Despite the rules being quite simple, there were one or two points that the rulebook could be clearer about. Also, when everyone bows, no one loses a finger. Of course if you fail to bow then you do, but there doesn’t seem to be any reason why anyone would ever fail to do so.

We enjoyed the fast gameplay of Tatamokatsu, the challenge of adding up the dice, and the escalation of difficulty in rolling as you run out of fingers. It’s a quirky little game that’s a little different, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and it’s great for when you want something quick or have limited space.

Pros: Component quality, fun blend of speed and dexterity

Cons: On some turns no one loses a finger, the rules could be written a little clearer