Pachisi Glossary

Definitions for every term used in Pachisi Reimagined, from core rules to the game interface.

AI engine: A premium bot engine that sends the game state and a list of legal moves to an AI model, which selects the move to play.; Bots and AI Players
Assign rolls: To choose which stored rolls a Guard will use for movement. Multiple rolls may be assigned to one Guard, rolls may be split across several Guards, or no Guard rolls may be used.; Piece Movement and Move Order
Auto roll: Rolls are given automatically. Players do not click a button to roll; at the start of each turn, rolls are dispatched from the roll dispatcher.; Roll and Exit Mechanics
Backward path: The opposite path direction around the board.; Path Direction and Midpoint
Blockade: Groups of Guards can prevent opposing pieces from moving past them. Blockade strength depends on group size, with additional rules for Nobles and point penalties in Brawl.; Blockades Brawl Blockade Scoring
Blockade penalty: In Brawl, you lose 1 point for each assigned movement step that is trimmed because of an opponent blockade. Being stopped by your own Guards does not cause a penalty.; Brawl Blockade Scoring Blockades
Bot: A computer controlled opponent that follows the same rules as a human player. Each bot is controlled by a bot engine.; Bots and AI Players
Bot engine: The decision making system that controls how a bot plays. Bot engines may use handwritten logic or a network based AI model.; Bots and AI Players
Brawl: Score points through captures and blockades before the 10-minute timer expires. The player with the highest final score wins.; Brawl Goal and Strategy
Capture: When a moving group of Guards lands on or passes over opposing pieces that it is permitted to capture, returning those pieces to their Yard.; Captures Brawl Capture Scoring
Castle: A safe shared tile where pieces cannot be captured, do not capture, and do not blockade.; Tile Types and Their Rules Blockades Captures
Collapsed roll store: The narrow vertical panel beside each player’s Yard. It displays the roll icons stored for that player, showing which roll values are currently available. For your own player, it also displays the direction button at the top.; User Interface and Visual Elements Roll and Exit Mechanics
Convergence capture: A capture that occurs when a moving Guard temporarily joins another of its owner’s Guards on a shared tile, forming a group large enough to capture opposing pieces on that tile.; Captures
Dice count: The number of dice you roll depends on how many rolls are already stored.; Roll and Exit Mechanics
Direction: The shared movement direction for a turn: forward or backward.; Piece Movement and Move Order
Direction button: The control used to choose the movement direction for your pieces during your turn. In the collapsed roll store, it appears as an "F" or "B" button. In the expanded roll store, it appears as "Forward" and "Backward" options.; User Interface and Visual Elements Piece Movement and Move Order
Dismiss button: The X button shown on UI elements such as the player card and roll store. Clicking it closes the associated element.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Doubles: A roll where both dice show the same value. During the opening sequence, rolling doubles locks in your turn position.; Opening Sequence and Turn Order
Entering tile: Tile 1 on your path and the first tile a piece moves onto when it leaves your Yard. Each player has their own entering tile, and that tile has special rules that benefit its owner.; Tile Types and Their Rules Blockades Captures
Exit credit: Guards must spend one exit credit to leave the Yard. The Noble does not spend exit credits. You get exit credits from grace rolls, up to a maximum of four, and you are given 2 exit credits after your Noble is captured.; Roll and Exit Mechanics
Exit Yard icon: A gray arrow icon displayed at the top of a player’s Yard. Each player starts the game with two exit Yard icons and will gain one when they roll a grace roll, up to a maximum of four. A player also receives two exit Yard icons after their Noble is captured. These icons represent how many pieces the player can move out of the Yard and onto the board. One icon is removed each time a piece exits the Yard.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Expanded roll store: During your turn, you can expand your roll store by selecting a game piece or a piece interaction button. In this state, roll icons can be assigned to or unassigned from the corresponding piece. Your expanded roll store also displays the direction button and movement order button.; User Interface and Visual Elements Roll and Exit Mechanics
Fallback system: A system that allows a stable engine to complete a bot’s move when its normal engine fails, times out, or cannot be used. The bot attempts to use its normal engine again on its next turn.; Bots and AI Players
First turn: A player’s first turn has special rules: grace rolls do not apply, and only the 2 starting exit credits can let Guards leave the Yard.; Roll and Exit Mechanics Opening Sequence and Turn Order
Forward path: The default path direction around the board.; Path Direction and Midpoint
Game board: A classic Pachisi game board, divided into four player sections. Gameplay elements are displayed on top of it.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Game clock: A timer displayed at the top of the game board that shows how long the current game has been in progress.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Game manual button: The open book icon that opens this game manual.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Go button: The button shown at the bottom of your Yard when it is your turn and at least one of your game pieces can move. After choosing the actions you want to take, clicking "GO" will move your selected pieces and end your turn.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Grace roll: A roll that occurs when either of the first two dice shows a 6, or when the first two dice add up to 6. A grace roll adds one exit Yard credit, up to a maximum of four. The game can also force a grace roll when a player has 0 exit credits and all four Guards are in the Yard or Home.; Roll and Exit Mechanics
Group: Two or more Guards owned by the same player on the same square.; Blockades
Guard: Guards are the main game pieces. They use stored rolls to move, form groups, capture opponent pieces, and create blockades.; Pieces and Roles
Guard movement order: The automatic order Guards and Guard groups resolve when multiple Guards move on the same turn. Players do not choose this order. Larger groups move before smaller groups, and ties are resolved by the lowest piece number.; Piece Movement and Move Order
Home: The triangle-shaped tiles in the center of the board. Each player has one Home that matches their color: green, red, blue, or yellow. Home is the final destination for your pieces. Once a piece reaches Home, it is safe and cannot move again. In Journey, the goal is to move all of your pieces into Home.; Tile Types and Their Rules
Home path: The seven colored tiles that lead into a player’s Home. Each Home path matches that player’s Yard color and can only be used by that player’s pieces.; Tile Types and Their Rules
Journey: Race all five of your pieces from your Yard to your Home while using captures and blockades to delay your opponents.; Journey Goal and Strategy
Midpoint: The entering tile of the player directly opposite you. A piece must pass its midpoint before it can enter the Home path.; Path Direction and Midpoint
Midpoint glow: The visual glow that appears when a piece has reached its midpoint. It shows that the piece has completed its midpoint requirement and can enter the Home path on a later move.; Path Direction and Midpoint
Midpoint switch: A path strategy where a piece travels one direction until it reaches the midpoint, then switches direction on a later turn to take the other path Home.; Path Direction and Midpoint
Movement order: Whether the Noble moves before or after the Guards on your turn. You choose the order each turn, as long as all moves are legal.; Piece Movement and Move Order Noble Movement
Movement order button: A button inside the expanded roll store and Noble roll store that lets you choose whether the Guard pieces or Noble piece move first. The two buttons are linked: if the expanded roll store is set to "1st", the Noble roll store is automatically set to "2nd", and vice versa. This is because the expanded roll store controls the Guard pieces, while the Noble roll store controls the Noble piece.; User Interface and Visual Elements Piece Movement and Move Order
Noble: Each player has one Noble. The Noble is a high value piece with its own movement and capture rules. Protect it with your Guards, because losing it can have serious consequences.; Pieces and Roles Noble Movement
Noble capture: When a group of two or more Guards captures an opponent’s Noble, causing the Noble and all of that player’s Guards to return to their Yard and removing all of their stored rolls and exit credits. That player is then given 2 exit credits.; Captures
Noble roll store: The roll store for the Noble piece. It can be expanded by clicking your Noble piece or the "N" piece interaction button. When expanded, it lets you choose a roll value from 1 to 6 and displays the movement order button.; User Interface and Visual Elements Roll and Exit Mechanics
Opening roll: The automatic pre-game roll sequence that determines turn order. All players roll at the same time until three players have rolled doubles.; Opening Sequence and Turn Order
Piece: A movable game object controlled by a player. Each player has one Noble piece and four Guard pieces.; User Interface and Visual Elements Pieces and Roles
Piece interaction buttons: Labeled as "N", "G1", "G2", "G3", and "G4". Each button expands or collapses the roll store for its corresponding piece, allowing that piece to be interacted with.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Piece number: The number assigned to each Guard: G1, G2, G3, and G4. Piece numbers break ties in Guard movement order and decide which Guards leave the Yard first when exit credits are limited.; Piece Movement and Move Order Roll and Exit Mechanics
Player card: Opened by clicking that player’s player card bubble. It displays the player’s name and information. It can be closed using the dismiss button in the top corner.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Player card bubble: The small blue circle at the top of each Yard that shows the player’s initials or label. Clicking it opens that player’s player card.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Points: The score used in Brawl. Players gain or lose points through captures and blockades. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.; Blockades Captures Brawl Capture Scoring Brawl Blockade Scoring
Regular tile: A board tile with no special rules. Normal capture and blockade rules apply on regular tiles.; Tile Types and Their Rules Blockades Captures
Roll: A number from 1 to 6 that can be assigned to a game piece. The number of rolls a player receives is determined by the number of rolls in that player’s roll store.; Roll and Exit Mechanics
Roll dispatcher: The purple circular icon on top of the game board. Roll values are dispatched from here and move to the player card bubble.; User Interface and Visual Elements Roll and Exit Mechanics
Roll icons: Circular icons that display available roll values inside the roll store. When the roll store is expanded, each icon can be clicked to assign that roll to a piece or unassign it from that piece.; User Interface and Visual Elements Roll and Exit Mechanics
Roll store: The list of rolls a player has saved. Guards spend rolls from the roll store to move, and unused rolls stay in the store for later turns. In Journey the roll store holds a maximum of 12 rolls. In Brawl the maximum is 17.; Roll and Exit Mechanics
Round tracker: An indicator at the top of the game board that shows the current round.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Safe space: A location where a piece cannot be captured. Yards, Homes, and Castles are safe for all pieces. Home paths and entering tiles are safe only for the player that owns them.; Tile Types and Their Rules Brawl Capture Scoring
Score tier: The point multiplier used for captures in Brawl, determined by your Noble’s location and midpoint status at the moment of capture.; Brawl Capture Scoring
Score tracker: The small rectangle below each player card bubble that shows that player’s current score. Used only in Brawl mode.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Settings button: The gear-shaped button used to open the game settings menu.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Stable engine: A free bot engine that uses handwritten logic and runs directly on your device without requiring a network connection.; Bots and AI Players
Store opening rolls: Each time you roll during the opening sequence without getting doubles, there is a chance one of your two dice gets saved to your roll store.; Opening Sequence and Turn Order
Tile: A single space on the board that pieces move onto or through. Some tiles have special rules, such as entering tiles, Castle tiles, midpoint tiles, and Home path tiles.; Tile Types and Their Rules Blockades Captures
Tile numbers: Small numbers shown on individual tiles to indicate the selected movement path. The numbers update when the direction is changed because the forward and backward paths are numbered differently.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Turn order: The order players take turns in, determined by the opening sequence and used for the rest of the game. In Brawl, ties in final score are won by the player earlier in the turn order.; Opening Sequence and Turn Order Brawl Goal and Strategy
Turn order indicator: The right-pointing multicolor arrow on top of the game board. It shows the player turn order and whose turn it currently is.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Usability ring: Spinning rings that appear around pieces the player can use on their turn. A piece with this ring is currently selectable and can be moved.; User Interface and Visual Elements
Yard: Each player has one Yard in their color: green, red, blue, or yellow. Your pieces start in your Yard, and captured pieces are sent back there.; Tile Types and Their Rules