Shut the Box is a classic dice game with the goal of removing all of the numbers from the board. Each number from 1 through 9 (or 1 through 12 on the hard level) is on the board. After rolling the dice, you remove the numbers corresponding to your roll.
Run the game by running the Shut the Box program from the Start Menu. After an introductory message, you will be placed in the main menu. To start playing, select the normal or hard board. The normal board includes the numbers 1 through 9 while the hard board includes 1 through 12. You can also select to toggle the insurance tokens option explained below, view these instructions or visit the A T Guys website. Use your arrow keys to move through the menu and enter to select an option. You can also press a letter to open a specific option, such as N for the normal board.
Press and hold the spacebar to shake the dice. Release the spacebar to roll.
Once your roll is announced, you will be asked to remove numbers from the board. The numbers you remove must equal the total you rolled. For instance, if you rolled a 9, you could either remove the 9, or remove a combination such as 6 and 3. You could even remove several numbers at once, such as 1, 3, and 5.
Press each number you wish to remove. If playing on the hard board, press 0 for 10, dash for 11, and equals for 12. Once your total reaches your dice roll, you will hear a sound and will be able to roll again. If you make a mistake, press the backspace key to start over.
Remember, the goal is to remove all of the numbers (1 through 9) from the board. If you do this, you will win with a score of 0. If you roll the dice and there is no play to make, the game is over, you'll hear your score, and you will be able to play again. Your score is the total of the numbers remaining on the board, so a lower score is better.
If you roll doubles, in other words, two of the same number, you will gain an insurance token. These can be used to give you an extra try in case you have a bad roll. This option can be turned on and off from the main menu.
If you're sick of playing, press Alt-F4 to quit and go do something else. Press escape to return to the main menu to choose a new board.
The game includes several keyboard commands to help you remember what numbers are remaining and tell you your valid moves. They are:
This game is freeware, so only limited support is offered. If you have a question, please email support@atguys.com or send a message to @ATGuys on Twitter.
This game is made possible through the Blastbay Game Toolkit. Check out http://www.blastbay.com to learn how to create your own audio games and more. Thanks also to those who've given help on the Blastbay forums.
Some sounds provided by Mike Koenig.