Krakatoa Rules

Scoring the Throw
If your throw was a scratch, you score zero points for the throw.
Your score for any other throw is the sum of the scores for all three
sets (steam, ash, lava), regardless of how many of those dodecas
you threw or otherwise changed. Score each set according to the
scoring chart above.
If your scoring box for this throw has “×” in it, double (2×) this
throw’s score. If the scoring box has “××” in it, redouble (4×) this
throw’s score.
Add this throw’s score to your prior total, and the new total is
recorded in this throw’s scoring box.
Bonuses
Certain situations will grant you a bonus for your next throw or two.
The maximum bonus that can be applied to any throw is 4×, so no
scoring box can ever have more than “××” for bonus marks.
● Quakes — When your cumulative score has changed, and ends in a particular pair of digits, it is either a Little Quake or
a Big Quake.
○ Little Quake — If your score ends in an “11 number” (11,
22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99, 111, 166, 277, 411), it is a Little
Quake and you get × on your next throw.
○ Big Quake — If your score ends in a “20 number” (00, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 180, 200, 240, 320), it is a Big Quake
and you get ×× on your
next throw.
● Rumbles — When a throw results in only 2 colors showing on the 9 dodecas, it is a Rumble, even if all three sets are Busts.
○ Little Rumble — If you have 0 or 1 volcano, it is a Little
Rumble and you get × on your next throw.
○ Big Rumble — If you have 2 or 3 volcanoes, it is a Big Rumble and you get ×× on your next throw.
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● Eruptions — When a throw results in 3 different volcanoes, or
3 identical volcanoes, it is an Eruption, which gives you a bonus on your next 2 throws.
○ Little Eruption — If you have 3 different volcanoes, it is a Little Eruption and you get × on your next 2 throws.
○ Big Eruption — If you have 3 identical volcanoes, it is a
Big Eruption and you get ×× on your next 2 throws.
Example: Let’s say you are scoring for your opponent’s throws, and
after the third throw in the third round his score is 152. Now for the
fourth throw, he throws the ash set (gray dodecas), and the result is
YYB (yellow-yellow-blue) with the steam set, YRR with the ash set,
and RRR with the lava set. The total here is 8 (2 + 1 + 5). You add
this score to 152 and the total to be recorded for the fourth throw is
160 (152 + 8). Since 160 is a Big Quake number, this means the next
throw will be redoubled, and so you insert ×× in the scoring box for
the next (fifth) throw; you then announce “160 and Big Quake”. On
the fifth throw of the round, your opponent throws the lava set and
the result for all 3 sets are: RRB, BBB, RBB; this equals 3 (0 + 3 + 0);
3 redoubled is 12, and so the score to be recorded for the fifth throw
is 172 (160 + 12). Note that your opponent has also thrown a Little
Rumble: 2 colors (all reds and blues). Thus, for the first throw for the
next round, you place an ×, because the opening throw for that round
will be doubled. Here you would announce “172 and Little Rumble”.
Krakatoa for 3 or 4 Players
Use a second scoresheet for the 3rd and 4th players; however,
scratch out the bonus boxes on the second scoresheet, because
there are only 3 bonus boxes available per game. The player with
the highest score still starts the round, and play goes clockwise from
there.
With 4 players, it is best to play in partnerships. In this case, Partner
A throws for Rounds 1, 3, and 5, and Partner B throws for Rounds
2, 4, and 6, and any bonus throws your team gets. Partners are
permitted to advise each other on throwing strategy, and both may
help calculate the score for a throw.
Credits
Joli Quentin Kansil, Game Designer
Nathan Morse, Rules Editing and Development
Beth Rogers, Design Layout
Any bonus earned in the final throw of the final round earns a bonus
box, of which there are only three total for all players to “share” per
game. This means that going earlier in the turn order gives you a
distinct advantage. For each bonus box in which you have × or ××,
choose any set to throw, and score the result as usual, even adding
× or ×× to the next bonus box if you get a Quake or Rumble, or to the
next 2 bonus boxes if you get an Eruption. If any bonus boxes remain
after the first player’s turn is over, draw a line before the empty ones
to make it clear where the first player’s score ends.
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KRAKATOA
Play
by Joli Quentin Kansil
Krakatoa was invented by Joli Quentin Kansil in 1982 during his
travels in Tahiti. The scoring for the game was devised the following
year in Bali. Experts have called Krakatoa the most original of the
36 games that Kansil has created.
Sunset and afterglow caused by
the eruption of Krakatoa
November 1883. (ref).
One of a series of sketches by William Ascroft, documenting the
meteorological effects of the eruption of Krakatoa, Indonesia.
On 27 August 1883, the volcano on the island of Krakatoa
erupted in a massive explosion, throwing large quantities of ash
and dust high into the atmosphere, producing spectacular sunsets and afterglows around the world. Volcanic dust also has a
more serious impact on the world’s climate. Because it blocks a
proportion of the incoming solar radiation, temperatures on the
Earth’s surface are reduced. After the Krakatoa eruption, several
years of cold summers and harsh winters followed as a result
of this effect. Ascroft recorded optical phenomena attributed to
the after-effects of the eruption until 1886.
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Opening Throw-Off
Before actual play begins, there is a “throw-off” to see which player
will start the game. Each player throws any set of 3 dodecas of the
same color. The higher-scoring set goes first. The players re-throw
in the case of a tie. The scoring combinations are shown below;
any combination not depicted below is a Bust and is worth 0 points.
There are two ways to play Krakatoa: the Basic Game, which is
intended for learning the game, and the Advanced Game, which
is the “real” Krakatoa. Rules that are printed in black apply for
both games, but rules printed in blue pertain only to the Advanced
Game. If you are learning Krakatoa for the first time, simply skip
the blue rules. You can come back to them once you have
mastered the basics.
Players
Krakatoa is for 2 to 4 players, although it is ideally a head-to-head
game. The rules below are for the 2 player game; the minor changes
for 3 or 4 players are detailed at the end of the rules.
Equipment
The Krakatoa game includes the following:
● 9 Dodecas (12-sided dice, custom-made for Krakatoa)
○ 3 white (the steam set)
○ 3 gray (the ash set)
○ 3 black (the lava set)
● Scorepads
● 4 Reference Cards
In order to play Krakatoa, you will need a soft surface, such as a
table (any size) with a blanket on it, or with a tablecloth folded once
or twice. Whatever your playing surface, be sure that it doesn’t
have a pattern that would make the dodecas hard to read.
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In the throwoff, if you roll a Deuce, put an × in the upper right
corner of your first scoring box for the first round. If you roll a
Volcano, put an × in the upper right corner, and another × right
below that one. In either case, you have earned a bonus for your
first throw’s score.
Round
A complete game consists of six (6) rounds. A round consists of
each player making 5 throws in a specific sequence, while the other player keeps score. Then the player with the higher total score
starts the next round.
After each of your 5 throws, you announce your score for the throw
and any bonuses (see Bonuses below). The other player adds this
score to your total and records it in the box for that throw, records
the bonuses (× or ××) in the box for the next throw, and then
announces your new total score.
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Throws
For each throw, you pick up
the specified set, hold the three
dodecas of the set pinched
between thumb and index finger,
thumb and middle finger, and thumb
and ring finger, and then throw the
set at one or more dodecas on
the playing surface (except on
your first throw). Throws 2 through
5 must each strike at least one of the
six dodecas on the playing surface,
moving a dodeca at least half
an inch, or causing one or more
dodecas to change face; failure to
do so is considered a scratch. The
standard throwing technique is to release the set of 3 dodecas
in your hand about one inch from the dodeca(s) on the table at
which you are aiming; the dodecas from your hand are customarily
thrown at about a 45° angle.
The five throws, in order, are:
1. All Dodecas — Throw all 9 dodecas. If you don’t like the
result of this first throw, you may rethrow all 9 dodecas, but
you must keep this result.
Remember, the following throws must strike at least one dodeca on the playing surface!
2. Any Set — Choose any one set (Steam, Ash, or Lava
to throw.
3. Steam — Throw the Steam set.
4. Ash — Throw the Ash set.
5. Lava — Throw the Lava set.
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