Reflections on Phase Ten Dice

 My parents and I have been playing Phase Ten Dice recently.

When we first started playing again, we were missing the instruction manual, the box was beat up, and we were almost out of score cards.

I decided to see how much new score cards cost…

Which led me to think we should just get a new game…

Until I realized that Fundex wasn’t making the game anymore and that the selling price on eBay was, on average, $40 per game!

This realization befuddled me and sent me on a quest to best the system and get a game—

With a nice tin—

For a reasonable price.

For weeks, I checked the listings on eBay.

They did not waver until last week when I saw a game listed for the base auction price of $9.99 or the buy now with best offer option.

The game was missing five dice.

But the instructions, the tin, and the scorecards were all there, so I made an offer of $10.

The seller countered at $15.

I countered at $12.50.

The seller ignored my bid.

A few days later, as the auction was coming to a close,

I noticed that no one had bid.

Remember—five dice were missing—and you can’t play the game without 10 dice—

So I bid the base $9.99.

And won.

The seller lost $2.51 on the deal.

And I chuckled.

Greed doesn’t always pay.

 

In case you don’t know,  

The object of Phase Ten Dice is to complete 10 phases, in order, and get the highest total score.

If you complete a phase, you get to tally your score for that phase.

If you miss a phase, you have to stay on that phase until you complete it.

If you score 220 points on the first five phases, then you get a 40-point bonus.

If you are the first person to complete all 10 phases, then you get another 40-point bonus.

After the first person goes out, the remaining players can continue playing as long as they don’t miss a phase.

As soon as a player misses a phase after the first person goes out, then his/her game is over.

 

During one recent game, I completed the phase list first.

I got my 40-point bonus.

My dad got upset and announced that he’d lost again.

In reality, all he had to do was complete his phase list and he would win—

Even without the 40-point bonus.

And he did.

He completed his phases and won the game.

He had been ready to quit.

But thankfully, for him, he kept going and

Finished his “race.”

Sometimes, even when it seems that all hope is lost,

We simply need to finish what we’ve started.

 

We should get our new instruction manual, tin, and scorecards later this week.

I have finished what I started.

And I had fun in the process.

What more could one ask…

Except maybe for 10 dice 😊.

 

Dear God: Thank you for the lessons we can learn through the simplest of things. Help us not to be a greedy people, and help us to finish what we start—especially when the task is rooted in good intention and love. Amen.