Tablero Rules

Tablero da Contents

WARNING / DISCLAIMER

Tablero and Communicable Diseases

Care and Feeding of Your Game Set

Set Up

The Challenge

The Stake

Agree on any Variant Rules

Set the Board

Determine The Queen’s Number

Determine Who Goes First

Game Play

Pass Numbers

The Queen’s Number

Muggins on The Queen’s Number

The Number of Shots in a Pull

Taking a Pull

Declaring A Winner

Toast Round

Etiquette

Getting Skunked

Full Pull

Bone in the Bucket

Ya Spill, Ya Fill

Winner’s Board

Courtesy Fills

Variant Rules

The Diagonal

One Man’s Poison

The Chevron

Hardcore

No-score Game

Spectator Muggins on The Queen’s Number

Pass Numbers as The Queen’s Number

Hints, Cheats, and Strategy

Avoid Stripping the Baselines

Avoid The Crossbow

Cheating

Speed of play

WARNING / DISCLAIMER

Tablero is a drinking game, usually played with beer as The Stake, and we will be using beer as the generic beverage in this rule book. But Tablero can also be played with cider or alcopops, margaritas or hard lemonade. It can be played with water or soda pop or coffee (Breakfast Tablero). You can play it with grapes or M&Ms.

Hard liquor games of Tablero (known as Tablotto) are an excellent way to get alcohol poisoning and we strongly advise against them.

The publishers of this game are in no way responsible if you drink yourself into a coma.

If you play this game with alcohol, you will most likely get at least a little drunk. If you play it really well, or play many games in close succession, you will likely get very, very drunk. This means that afterwards you will not be able to drive a car, operate heavy machinery, captain an oil tanker, or impress the opposite sex with your charm.

The publishers of this game are in no way responsible for any misadventures you, the drunk person, might have during or after playing our fine game, nor can we be held liable for any fines or legal fees you incur, the replacement costs for anything you damage, child support, alimony, etc.

Let your normal consumption for alcohol guide how many games you indulge in, not how many games you play drive the amount you drink.

Know your own limits and stop when, or preferably before, you reach them. In the case of this game that means that you need to set a limit to how much booze you and your opponent are going to wager at the beginning of the game, remembering that if you get lucky or play really well, you could end up drinking most or all of your opponent’s wager.

Have fun. Be responsible.
DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE
Let us say that again in a different way.

People who Drive Drunk are Social Pariahs

and we’re not going to play with them anymore.

Tablero and Communicable Diseases

If you are concerned about catching a cold, flu, or COVID from the person you are playing with or any of the spectators receiving shots, you can ask that Safe Tablero Protocols be in place. Instead of drinking from the shot glasses, pour the beverage from the shots into another personal vessel (i.e. a glass) and drink from that. Simple and effective. This will not shield you from anything airborne if you are in a restaurant or at a party of course.

Care and Feeding of Your Game Set

Your board loves beer and other beverages. Take it out and play with it often.

Anything made of cloth will mold if you put it away soaked in beer.

If you absolutely have to transport the game wet or even still covered in beer, and you don’t remember or are not able to take it out and clean it, you will very shortly have a board covered in mold spots.

Best case scenario: wash the board and glasses well in soap and hot water and allow to dry fully before you put them into the case. While you can put the board and shot glasses in automatic washing machines, they will fade much quicker than with hand washing.

Set Up

The Challenge

Players do not have to engage in the many fun bits of etiquette that have grown up around this game, but it is customary for someone wishing to engage another person in a game of Tablero to issue a challenge with some bravado. So, one might say something like, “Got two beers you pathetic tiny worm? Get over here so I can beat you like the cheap gong you are!” Their Opponent might then respond in a similar fashion, extolling their prowess and the challenger’s inconsequentiality. “Prepare your measly self to be utterly vanquished by my awesomeness in disgraceful ... disgrace ... or words to that effect.”

The publishers of this game are in no way responsible if you challenge the wrong person in an ill-advised manner with dire consequences.

The Stake

Each Player will require a Stake. This is your wager, kind of like the ante in poker. The Stake is an equal amount of something to drink, usually beer, though you can play with cider, alcopops, or mixed drinks. Two players who don’t like the same drinks can still play a game together. See the Variant Rule; One Man’s Poison.

Hard liquor games of Tablero (known as Tablotto) are an excellent way to get alcohol poisoning and we strongly advise against them.

You can play with coffee (Breakfast Tablero) or soft drinks if you don’t wish to imbibe.

The standard Stake for a game is two bottles or cans per Player, but you can play one bottle games, or split the difference by playing for a tall boy or a pint. Enthusiasts could go with pitchers but the beverage does tend to get tepid. It is also hard with any of the one vessel games to determine the skunk line (q.v. Getting Skunked). The Stake should be agreed upon once a Challenge has been accepted.

Agree on any Variant Rules

Because there are many Variant Rules within the various Tablero communities, it is wise to decide which ones, if any, are to be used in any given game. We have listed a few but there are many, many more out there, as this has always been encouraged by proponents of the game. Our rules differ slightly from the norm, which we note as a House Rule when they come up in this volume.

Make up your own! Add to the confusion! It’s fun!

Set the Board

Tablero is played with seven shot glasses on a 7x7 grid. Lay the board out on a suitable(beer-resistant!) table and both players set three shot glasses on the right side of each Baseline; the Rank of squares closest to them (the lines of squares horizontal to the players – on a spreadsheet this would be a Row). Both Players fill the shot glasses on their Baselines. The seventh shot glass goes in the middle of the board, empty.

Again, have a care that the board is placed on furniture that can take having beer spilled on it.

The publishers of this game are in no way responsible if you ruin the finish on your mom’s antique table

Determine The Queen’s Number

Presuming there is one handy, have a third person roll both dice. This number will be The Queen’s Number for this particular game. If there are no agreeable people handy, the Players can roll one die each.

House Rule: the Queens Number may not be a Pass Number (7 or 11). Re-roll these.

Determine Who Goes First

The Players each roll one die. The Player with the highest roll goes first. Ties are re- rolled.

The Player going first fills the middle glass, places it in the middle of their own baseline and rolls both dice.

Game Play

This manual uses the term Player to denote the person who has control of the dice, the other participant being the Opponent.

The object of the game is to drink your Opponent’s beverage. A Player must arrange a number of shot glasses (House Rule - 5 or more) in a continuous line on any Rank (the lines of squares horizontal to the players – on a spreadsheet this would be a Row) but NOT on either Baseline.

The Player rolls two 6-sided dice and moves any two of the seven shot glasses, one per die, the corresponding number of squares up or down the Files (the lines of squares perpendicular to the players – on a spreadsheet this would be a Column).

The Player must make both their moves even if this puts them at a disadvantage. Dice rolls cannot be combined to move one shot.

The Player continues to roll the dice and move shot glasses until they a) line up enough shot glasses to Take a Pull, b) lose Control of the dice as a result of rolling a Pass Number or c) are unable to move one or more of their shot glasses the number of spaces indicated by the die. Example; the roll is a 6 and there are no shot glasses on either baseline so no move is possible for that number.

A Player not able to move both their shot glasses moves neither and passes the dice to their Opponent.

A Player may not take a Pull from shot glasses assembled on their or their Opponent’s.

Pass Numbers

Pass Numbers are numbers that force the Player who rolled them to end their turn and pass the dice to their Opponent, without getting to move any shot glasses. As in the dice game Craps, a roll of 7 or 11 are Pass Numbers. The Opponent now gains Control of the dice.

House Rule: Note that some versions of Tablero also use 12 as a Pass Number, but this negates the need to keep two shots on the baseline, which is an extra source of tension in our version of the game.

The Queen’s Number

Whenever the Queen’s Number is rolled, the Player who rolled it should choose any glass on the table (including one sitting on a baseline) raise it, declare “Let’s Hear It For The Queen!” and drink the shot.

The empty glass is returned to the Opponent’s baseline and the Opponent fills it. Play then proceeds as before, without re-rolling the dice.

Muggins on The Queen’s Number

If a Player rolls the Queen’s Number but does not notice and moves a shot glass (the Opponent should wait for them to let go of the shot before challenging the move) their Opponent may call Muggins on it by declaring “Let’s Hear It For The Queen!”. (Some players use “Treason to the Queen” instead.)

The shot glass that was moved in error should go back to where it was before the Queen’s Number was rolled and the Opponent gets to choose any shot and drink it. The emptied shot then goes on the Baseline of the active Player and they must fill it. The Player retains control of the dice and continues with their turn.

If the Opponent does not call The Queen’s Number before the dice are rolled again, then the opportunity is lost. (Some close-knit groups entertain a Variant allowing spectators to call Muggins).

The Number of Shots in a Pull

You get to Take a Pull (i.e. drink what’s in the lined up shot glasses) when you line up 5 shot glasses in a continuous row on a rank (so, no gaps in the line of shots). There are Variants that allow a couple alternatives to this (i.e. the Diagonal or the Chevron) so agree on those before you start playing.

House Rule: Some versions of Tablero require 6 shots in a row for a Pull. In this version that number is 5, because if you manage to get 6 in a row you are unlikely to go for the Full Pull, which is 7 in a row, because even if you get the desired number to turn the row of 6 into a row of 7, you would have to move one of the shots already in the line of 6 for the other dice, pulling it apart. (See; Avoid The Crossbow)

The attraction of making a Full Pull and getting to be the hero is a strong temptation and the tension between this and taking a safe pull of 5 can engender much hilarity. This dynamic is missing in the game with 6 as the smallest Pull.

In most instances this rule is generally relaxed by 1, when a Player is being Skunked. It is, however, deemed unworthy within the Tablero community to take a Pull of less than the required number, and is both fondly and scathingly referred to as a Kendal, after Gerhard Kendal of Westmoreland who correctly maintained that strategically taking small pulls was the best way to win.

Note that at least one shot glass must be added to the assembled line of shots on the turn that the Pull is declared and taken.

Pulls may not be assembled on the baselines.

Taking a Pull

When a Player has arranged enough shots in a line for a Pull, they may drink them. In fact, the Player must drink at least half of the shots in the Pull. The other half of the shot glasses they may optionally hand out to their Opponent, who is likely thirsty at this point, and/or to the spectators that generally agglomerate to games of Tablero.

(Note here that forfeiting a game because you’ve had enough to drink does not carry a stigma of shame. The game can even continue if there are thirsty and willing spectators handy).

The Player must have finished both their moves before being able to Take a Pull. So, if the first of the two dice numbers allows the Player to make a seven in a row, they must still make their move for the second dice, potentially pulling the seven apart. (See Avoid The Crossbow)

After a Pull, the shot glasses that have been thus emptied are placed on your Opponent’s baseline and the Opponent must refill them. The Opponent then gets control of the dice, becoming the active Player.

Declaring A Winner

A Player wins a game of Tablero at the point where their Opponent cannot fill a shot glass that it is required of them to fill. In other words, the Opponent has run out of beer.

Note that a game is never forfeited on the Queen’s Number. If an Opponent cannot fill a glass drained by the rolling of the Queen’s number, the glass should be filled by the Player or an onlooker. In the rare case that there is absolutely no beer to fill a Queen’s number the game is to be considered a draw.

A Player must be conscious in order to be declared the winner.

Toast Round

When one Player cannot fill all the glasses emptied by their Opponent, and the game is declared over, the victor is to fill as many remaining empty glasses as possible and hand them out to any spectators, admonishing them not to drink yet. The Winner should then make a grandiose toast to whatever or whomever they please; the Queen, the current object of their desire, the fine brew they have been imbibing, gods or country or any other specious entities they may wish to invoke, the spectators, their opponent for losing so graciously, themselves for winning so handily. Emptied glasses are then traditionally upended on the board. In the rare case of a tie, the Toast Round should be performed by both Players.

Etiquette

Tablero is partly a game of etiquette. Some of this etiquette is noisy and rowdy, like toasting, and shouting at Full Pulls, and some is respectful, like doing the noisy bits in stage whispers for the sake of the other patrons / campers / guests / inmates. This is known as Stealth Mode Tablero and would hopefully be engaged prior to being told to keep it down or thrown out.

The wise Tablero player would never stand on a point of etiquette, however. They would mildly point out the erring person’s behavior in as humorous and barbed a manner as possible and then let the matter lie, knowing that theirs was the better part.

Due in part to the aforementioned noise level and rowdiness, part of the art of playing Tablero is learning to gauge your crowd and surroundings to see if such rowdy behavior will be appreciated, or tolerated, or not. Fit your enthusiasms to your surroundings.

Getting Skunked

You have been skunked if you have lost the game when your Opponent has yet to open their second beer. A Royal Skunk is when you have lost with your Opponent only filling the initial three or four glasses at the top of the game. When a player is losing badly at Tablero, it is permissible to take a Pull of 4, rather than the normal 5. It is also permissible for their Opponent to taunt them for Pulling a Kendal due to this admission of how poorly they are faring.

Full Pull

A Full Pull is a Pull of all seven shots. Like a standard Pull it can be assembled on any row other than the Baselines. This is the hero move that Tablero players yearn and strive for, other than those who correctly strategize to win by taking smaller Pulls at any opportunity. Rivalry between the proponents of these two strategies can be fierce.

Whenever a Full Pull is achieved, the Player should shout “Set ‘Em Up!” and all present should be encouraged to join in the chorus of, “And Knock ‘Em Down!”, to be yelled with as much gusto as your setting allows and followed by general howling and applauding and handing out shots of beer.

Bone in the Bucket

Should a Player accidentally toss a die into a shot glass, their Opponent may then drink that shot, returning it to its former place on the board–NOT to the baseline. The Player should then refill the shot glass.

Ya Spill, Ya Fill

Just like it sounds, if you knock over any of the shot glasses you must refill them from your stake. They are returned to their former place on the board.

Winner’s Board

It is customary for the winner of the last game to retain possession of the board and, if they are able, to challenge another Opponent. This is entirely negotiable, however. Clearly there is a natural end to this cycle, the winning Player also being the one who has drunk the most beer.

Courtesy Fills

A Courtesy Fill is indicated where your opponent is unable to fill any shot glasses. This is standard for the Toast Round or any Queen’s Number where your opponent is out of beer or just in order to prolong the fun and go on playing.

Variant Rules

The Diagonal

Another way to achieve a Pull is to line up the shot glasses on either diagonal. All seven shot glasses must be included for a Diagonal. Diagonals are aways Full Pulls!

The Chevron

Another way of lining shots up for a Pull is the Chevron. A Chevron is a “V” shape and can go from your baseline in one corner to the middle of the board and back to your baseline on the opposite corner, or it can go from the middle to the corners of your Opponent’s baseline (properly termed a Reverse Chevron). All seven shot glasses must be included for a Chevron. Chevrons are aways Full Pulls!

One Man’s Poison

The name is taken from the idiom “One man's meat is another man's poison.” In this variant, the Players do not enjoy the same beverage. I like beer, you like cider; this does not mean we cannot play together. Simply switch a like amount of your beverage of choice with your Opponent’s for your Stakes. Leave the shot glasses empty until a Pull is declared, then the Opponent fills the shots with your superior beverage of choice just before you drink, or you fill the shots with the other Player’s disgusting beverage just before they drink.

Hardcore

In this game all Pulls must be drunk in their entirety by the Player taking the Pull. No sharing is allowed.

No-score Game

This is an endless game in which no one ever wins. This variant is usually played when there is an abundant supply of beer, like a keg. As many people as wish take turns at the board, playing and refilling from the keg until everyone says, This is a stupid, stupid game and goes to sleep.

Spectator Muggins on The Queen’s Number

Sometimes both Players might miss noticing The Queen’s Number has been rolled, especially if they have been very successful playing and it is rather late in the evening. In this variant it is permissible for a Spectator to claim the Queen’s Number, but they must wait until both shot glasses have been moved before making the call. Spectators calling Muggins should take care to remember where both shots were before they were moved. Both shots go back to where they were before the Queen’s Number was rolled and the Spectator may drink any shot and choose which baseline it goes on, and the Player whose baseline it is placed on must refill the shot.

Pass Numbers as The Queen’s Number

In this variant (actually the normal way of playing – NOT having the Queen’s number is a House Rule in our version) the Pass Numbers, 7 or 11, may be rolled as the Queen’s Number. This can be interesting, as the active Player can wobble any lined-up shots before passing the dice to their opponent.

If the Queen’s Number is a Pass Number then the Player who calls it may drink their toast and their Opponent fills the empty shot glass before the dice is passed.

Hints, Cheats, and Strategy

Tablero players tend to focus more on having fun and less on winning or losing, although there is a certain motivation that has to do with getting to drink more beer. Nevertheless, here are some tips on how to win.

Avoid Stripping the Baselines

Leaving a shot glass or two on one of baselines is a good idea, because it allows you to move a 6 if you roll one (or two in the case of rolling boxcars). If you can’t move a shot glass for both dice, remember, you move neither, end your turn, and pass the dice.

Avoid The Crossbow

The Crossbow is 6 shots lined up on a rank, with a missing shot somewhere within the line, or on one end. The problem is that it is impossible to complete the line of shots and retain seven in the Pull, as two moves must be made each time the dice is rolled, one of them necessarily coming from within the line.

Cheating

Fair warning; in some Tablero circles, especially among close friends, cheating can be seen as permissible because it is funny, especially after a few games when players might be particularly unwary. Not recommended unless you know the person you are playing very well and know that this will be viewed as humorous and acceptable by them.

The publishers of this game are in no way liable if you get shot in some western bar for cheating in a dodgy situation.

Speed of play

Remember that you are playing a drinking game. Unless you are opting for a virgin beverage of some sort, you are drinking alcohol. The length of a game of Tablero can vary widely depending on how lucky dice rolls are for both players, or how one-sided dice rolls are. If you play a lucky fifteen-minute game with standard Stakes you could drink two beers in that time. Depending on your body size and resistance to alcohol, even one game can get you pretty hammered, pretty fast. Play a few games like that in a row and the beers add up very quickly.

Let your normal consumption for alcohol guide how many games you indulge in, not how many games you play drive the amount you drink.

Remember there’s no rush. Tablero can be played at a leisurely pace, with much erudite conversation and kibitzing. Think of the gaming as foreplay to the actual act of drinking. Savor the experience and anticipation. When you do the drinking part of the game it is permissible to take your sweet time with it. You do not need to guzzle the shots with great speed.

Play nice. Gain experience points. Have fun.

Set ‘em up, and KNOCK ‘EM DOWN!

Copyright © 2024 by Ross W. Powell

In recognition of the crowd sourced nature of this game, the equivalent of one gold coin (one Canadian Dollar) will be donated to the Society For Creative Anachronism for each game set sold. Huzzah!