How to Play

Be the first miner to collect 11 or more ore points from sealed veins. Ore only counts when you strike the vein at the bottom of a tunnel.

The mine has 11 numbered tunnels, one for each total you can make with two dice (2 through 12). On screen they form a V of vertical shafts under the sky. Each tunnel has a fixed number of digs (cells) from the surface to the vein.

Tunnel lengths (2–4 players)

5 or 6 players: Every tunnel is 2 digs deeper for the whole game (set when the room is created).

You always move one dig deeper on the tunnel that matches your pair sum.

Your progress is shown with lanterns hanging in the tunnels.

Rules for lanterns:

• You may have at most 3 white lanterns on the board at once (across all tunnels).
• When you return to the surface, white lanterns become your color (banked).
• When you bust, all white lanterns are removed. Your colored lanterns stay.
• Cave-ins are shown as rubble, not lanterns.

Each player picks a unique lantern color in the lobby.

On your turn, choose exactly one of these actions:

1. Roll — Roll 4 dice and try to dig deeper (see Rolling).
2. Return to surface — Bank your white lanterns and end your turn safely.
3. Cave in — Spend one of your cave-in allowances, place rubble in a tunnel, bank your white lanterns, and end your turn.

If the room has a decision timer, it starts after each roll (not at the start of your whole turn). If time runs out before you roll again, stop, or cave in, you bust.

1. Roll 4 dice.
2. Split them into two pairs. Add each pair to get two numbers from 2 to 12. Those numbers are the tunnels you may affect this roll.
3. For each pair, either:
   • Place a new white lantern on the first dig of that tunnel (the mouth), or
   • Advance your lantern one dig deeper on that tunnel, or
   • Clear rubble (see Cave-ins) if you are blocked and the pair matches that tunnel — clearing uses up that pair for digging this roll.

Multiple miners may share the same dig. Lanterns stack visually when they overlap. Rubble still blocks a dig for everyone.

You may keep rolling on the same turn as long as you don't bust. After each successful roll, you may roll again, return to surface, or cave in.

Using the app

• Tap dice into two pair boxes (or drag them).
• Tap board cells for each pair that needs a dig.
• Confirm with "Confirm this pair?" before the move is final.
• The game will not suggest pairings or highlight legal cells. You do the math.

These rules match the classic "Can't Stop" dice game, adapted for Dice Miners.

1. You choose how to split your four dice into two pairs — but you must use a split that is legal if one exists.
2. Once you confirm a pairing, you must apply every legal effect of both pairs. You cannot ignore a pair that would move, place, or clear rubble.
3. You may choose a pairing where only one pair does something legal, if you want to avoid activating the other pair.
4. If both pairs would legally place or move (or clear), you must do both.
5. You may move twice on the same tunnel in one roll if both pairs match that number (for example, pairing as 7 and 7 lets you advance twice on tunnel 7, if legal).
6. If you have fewer than 3 white lanterns out and a pair would place a new lantern, you must place when that pairing requires it — unless you chose a different legal pairing that avoids placement.
7. If you confirm a pairing and nothing legal happens on any open tunnel (and you are not forced to clear rubble), you bust.

Examples (no strategy advice — just legality)

Example A — Must use both pairs
You roll 1, 2, 3, 6. You pair as 5 (1+4) and 9 (3+6). Both tunnels are open and you have white lantern slots. You must affect both tunnel 5 and tunnel 9.

Example B — May use one pair only
Same roll 1, 2, 3, 6. You could pair as 7 (2+5) and 7 (1+6) instead. If only tunnel 7 helps you, that pairing is allowed even though 3 and 4 are also possible splits.

Example C — Double advance
You roll 3, 3, 4, 4. Pairing as 6+6 (3+3 and 4+4) advances twice on tunnel 6 if you already have a lantern there (or places and advances as rules allow). Pairing as 7+7 (3+4 and 3+4) advances twice on tunnel 7 instead. You choose the split — but must fully apply the split you confirm.

Example D — Clearing counts as using a pair
You are on dig 3 of tunnel 8. Rubble blocks dig 4. You roll a pair that sums to 8. That pair only clears the rubble; you do not also advance on that pair this roll. You must clear if you confirmed a pairing that includes 8 and clearing is the only legal effect for that pair.

Example E — Bust
All your white lanterns are on tunnels 5 and 9. You roll 2, 2, 3, 3 (only pairs possible are 4 and 6, or 5 and 5, etc.). If no confirmed pairing can place or move on an open tunnel you can use, you bust.

Example F — Not forced onto other tunnels
You have a white lantern on tunnel 7 and two empty white slots. You roll 2, 2, 5, 5. You may pair as 7 and 7 and only move on tunnel 7 twice. You are not forced to place new lanterns on tunnels 4 and 10.

If you roll and cannot legally apply your confirmed pairing, you bust:

Ran out of oxygen. Returning to surface without progress.

Remove all white lanterns. Your colored lanterns stay. Your turn ends.

You also bust if the decision timer runs out after a roll.

When you stop voluntarily, your white lanterns are banked (they become your color). Your turn ends.

Each miner starts with 1 or 2 cave-ins (set by the host). Cave-ins are used instead of rolling on your turn.

Placing rubble

• Choose any empty dig on any unsealed tunnel.
• That dig must not already hold a player's lantern.
• Place the rubble, bank your white lanterns, and end your turn.

Passing rubble

• To move past rubble, you must roll a pair matching that tunnel's number.
• That roll only clears rubble — you do not advance on that pair for that roll.
• On a later roll, you must match that number again to dig past where the rubble was.

Stacked rubble

Multiple cave-ins may block the same tunnel on different digs. When you clear with a matching roll, remove the single pile closest to you among the rubble still ahead of you on that path — the next blocker in front of your lantern, not rubble behind you.

Tactical use

You may cave in behind yourself on a tunnel to slow miners chasing you. Rubble behind your lantern does not affect you until you retreat backward (you normally only dig deeper).

When your lantern reaches the bottom dig of a tunnel:

1. You seal that tunnel and score its ore points (coal 1, iron 3, gold 5, diamond 7).
2. The tunnel closes — no one may dig there again.
3. Every other miner removes all progress (colored and white) on that tunnel.

Sealed ore adds to your total. Positions on other tunnels do not score until those tunnels are sealed.

The first miner whose sealed ore total reaches 11 or more wins the game.

Examples of winning totals:

• Diamond + Iron + Coal = 7 + 3 + 1 = 11
• Gold + Gold + Coal = 5 + 5 + 1 = 11
• Iron + Iron + Iron + Coal = 3 + 3 + 3 + 1 = 10 — not yet
• Diamond + Gold = 7 + 5 = 12 — win

• Room code: 5 letters (no I or O). Share the invite link from the lobby or sky bar.
• Password: Optional. May appear in share links for convenience.
• AI: Host can fill seats with AI. Joining humans replace AI seats.
• Host: Starts the game. Room settings are fixed once the dig begins.
• Disconnect: If you leave, rejoin with the same browser to restore your seat. After about 3 minutes, AI plays for you until you return; when you return, you immediately take back control.