The secret to "Petals Around the Rose" is to count the spots on the dice that are not in the center of specific numbers.
Here is the rule directly from the game's premise: On each toss of the dice, you need to look only at the dice that display a three and a five. They are the only numbers with both a rose and petals. Count the spots that are not in the center—two on a three die and four on a five die—and speak the total. That is the secret to playing the game.
Understanding the Rule
The game requires you to determine a single number for every roll of a standard set of dice (usually five or six). The trick is that only certain dice faces contribute to the score, and they contribute a specific number of "petals" based on their value.
The "Rose" and "Petals"
- The "Rose": This refers to the central spot on a die face.
- The "Petals": These are the spots on the die face that surround the central spot.
According to the rule, only the dice showing a three (3) or a five (5) have a "rose" (the center dot) and "petals" (the surrounding dots).
Counting the Petals
For the dice that matter (threes and fives), you count only the spots not in the center:
- A die showing three (3) has one center spot (the rose) and two spots around it (the petals). So, a three contributes 2 petals.
- A die showing five (5) has one center spot (the rose) and four spots around it (the petals). So, a five contributes 4 petals.
Dice showing any other number (one, two, four, or six) have no petals around a central "rose" in the context of this game's rule. Therefore, they contribute 0 petals to the total score.
Calculating the Score
To find the score for any given roll, simply follow these steps:
- Look at all the dice rolled.
- Ignore any dice that show a one (1), two (2), four (4), or six (6). These contribute zero petals.
- For each die showing a three (3), add 2 to your total.
- For each die showing a five (5), add 4 to your total.
- The sum is the score for that roll.
Let's look at the petal count per relevant die:
| Die Face | Petal Count (Spots Not in Center) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 0 |
| 3 | 2 |
| 4 | 0 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 6 | 0 |
Examples
Here are a couple of examples using a typical five-dice roll:
- Roll 1: Dice show 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
- Ignore 1, 2, and 6 (they have 0 petals).
- One die shows 3 (contributes 2 petals).
- One die shows 5 (contributes 4 petals).
- Total Score: 2 + 4 = 6
- Roll 2: Dice show 3, 3, 4, 5, 5
- Ignore 4 (it has 0 petals).
- Two dice show 3 (each contributes 2 petals, total 2 + 2 = 4).
- Two dice show 5 (each contributes 4 petals, total 4 + 4 = 8).
- Total Score: 4 + 8 = 12
- Roll 3: Dice show 1, 2, 4, 6, 6
- Ignore all dice (1, 2, 4, 6 have 0 petals each).
- Total Score: 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 0
By consistently applying this simple rule to each roll, you can successfully play "Petals Around the Rose".
