Guests always play FREE. Guests are players who have been invited to play by the Table Host.
Who pays? Table hosts pay $48 for a full year to host a table. Host then invites guests to play online. Try 2 weeks for only $2 to see if you like the game. Host fee allows you to host 1 table, which can be used to play any of our games (Hand and Foot, Pinochle, 6 Card Golf, Up and Down the River, and TallyHo the Marble game). Only 1 game of any type can be played at a time. Contact HostaGame @ northwestpages.com for details.
Table host sets options which include how many people are playing, and whether they are playing as individuals or as teams. The host identifies players' names and marble colors, as well as choosing which player goes first.
The object of the game is to roll the dice and move all four of your marbles from the Starting Base around the board and landing safely in the Home Base. As you travel around the board you can land on another player's marble and send it back to that player's Starting Base. If you are playing teams then once all your marbles are safely home you can use your turn to move your partner's marbles (requires host to have enabled this option). You roll a dice to determine how many spaces your marble can move. If all your marbles are in the Starting Base then you will need to roll a "1" or a "6" to bring them out. You can not land on one of your own marbles. Roll a six and you get another turn.
No need to download an app. That's right. Many games played online require you to download an app from Google Play or Apple Store. This game is played online over the internet. No need for players to register or enter in special information such as credit card numbers.
Easy to play. The game is very user friendly. No complicated right click, left click, CTRL-Shift-Alt key combinations required. No need to drag or swipe anything from one point to another. Everything is done by either tapping your screen or by left clicking your mouse. For example, when it's your turn to roll the dice, you simply tap the ROLL THE DICE button. You will then see what number your rolled, and you simply tap the marble that you want to move. Don't worry - if you tap a marble that can't be moved, you will see an error message right below the dice.
Playing with young children? The host has the ability to set the EASY option that will show each player the results of their move. They can then decide whether to accept that move or to undo it. If playing with older children and adults then the host can set the ADVANCED option where a move is immediate as soon as a marble is tapped.
Options to speed up the game. A normal 4 player partner game can take 60-90 minutes to play. If you want to speed up the game the host can enable two options: The Easy Out option makes it easier to come out by providing a better chance of rolling a one or a six. The Extra Six option makes it easier to roll a six and speed around the board. Host must enable the options before the game starts.
Game Information. Player's names and colors are shown beneath the playing board. Each player will see the board from their point of view (each player's Starting Base will be at the bottom of the board).
Play on almost any device. Requires online internet connection and a browser (Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, Firefox, Samsung Internet, Chrome, etc.) The browser needs to have Javascript enabled on it (this should be a browser setting). We have played this game using desktops and laptops, Chromebooks, iPads, tablets, iPhones, and Smartphones but we recommend using devices with a minimum of 8 inch screens to avoid too much scrolling. We have found that a 10 inch tablet/iPad display screen works quite well. Some users have reported that very old devices are not able to play the game. Generally if your device can still be updated then you should have no problem playing the game.
What's missing, different, or difficult?
1) Each player should have their own device (PC, laptop, tablet, iPad, etc), and that device MUST have an online internet connection (no solitair or stand-alone play).
2) The game does not include any form of chatting, texting or messaging between players. Players need to use a separate audio connection (such as phone, facetime, discord, zoom, etc) to chat with other players.
No ads. And there are no ads, pop-up or otherwise.
To see Help information for the game, check out How to Play.