6 Dice, 1 Cup: Battle of the Farkles

Above: 6 dice, 1 cup. The essential ingredients of any Farkle game.

If you like to play games while on Facebook (I know I do), then you've probably heard of Farkle. Farkle is an addictive dice game that has been around for years. It involves six dice, lots of risk-taking, and an equal amount of luck. The object of the game is to score as many points as possible in 10 rounds using the dice. I like to think of it as "Yahtzee on crack." It's a fun game to play if you're bored at work or wherever.

  

The image to the left shows the many scoring combinations in a standard game of Farkle. Ones and fives are your best friends in the game, as they tend to come up most often. If, at any time, you can't score any points with any of the dice, it is considered a "Farkle", and you lose any unbanked points accumilated on that turn. In most versions of the game, the minimum amount of points one can bank in a single turn is 300. 

There are several versions of the game available on Facebook now, each with their own special features, rules, and bonuses. I'll be doing reviews of some of the versions I play, and discussing their pros and cons.

1. Farkle Classic
Actually titled "Farkle", this is the original version of the game. It follows all of the standard rules and scoring configurations. One of the unique versions of this game is the fact that you can play against a friend once you reach a specific level. Just like in a casino, chips are earned after every game, and can be used to purchase additional turns and other game enhancements. You earn 25 chips after ever game, and more can be earned through a special bonus game, which can be played every four hours. In the bonus game, you play a standard round of Farkle, and the points banked are converted to chips. A recent addition to the game are "Farkle Powers", which are activated with "Power Dice". Everyone starts with 30 Power Dice, and one is deducted every time a power is used. Additional Power Dice are earned every 24 hours. The maximum amount that can be earned are 12, but you can't carry more than 30. The Farkle Powers are Unfarkle (-F), which can be used to undo a Farkle, Roll 6 (+6), which allows you to roll a fresh set of six dice and rack up additional points, and Double (x2), which doubles the score for each turn. Each power can be used once per game, and they can also be used in the Bonus Game.

Although this is the Farkle game that started it all, it has deteriorated in quality over the past few months. New rules changes are introduced without prior notice, and many users have cried foul to them. The Farkle Powers were actually borrowed from another Farkle incarnation (more on that later), and while the add to the game, their use has recently been modified. The chips don't really have much use beyond purchasing additional rounds (only up to three). As the old adage states, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." However, the rampant changes made by the developers have resulted in many angry users. I say they just should left things alone, but that's just one man's opinion. Of all the versions that I play, I play this one the least now. Oddly enough, my friends have done the same.

2. Farkle 2
Farkle 2 is a slightly modified version of Farkle Classic. It features the same scoring and rules as its predecessor, and basically plays the same way. There is only one power available in this version, and it is the Unfarkle option (Cost: 100 chips), which has unlimited use. Unlike the original version, there is no bonus game for chips. Instead, additional chips can be earned in a variety of ways, most of them in-game. The are challenges featured in the sidebar which, if completed, earn you additional chips. They all involve getting a certain amount of points, sometimes several times in a row (i.e., three rounds of 1,650 points, a 2,900 round score, a game score of 20,000, etc.). Additional chips are earned at the first login, after every game, and by increasing skill levels. You start at Level 1, and a meter tracks your progression to the next level. Each level-up rewards 50 chips, and a funky superlative. In addition, getting medals in the weekly tournament based on your daily game scores can earn you even more chips. This proves that the chips are actually relevant in this incarnation.

What I find to be the best thing about Farkle 2 is the extremely generous scoring. It is not uncommon to get a score of 2,000 points or more in one turn (my best is 22,400 in one round). In addition, I find it far easier to take risks in this version that I would not normally even attempt in Farkle Classic. The only major change Farkle 2 has made recently is a complete overhaul of its graphics, which was met with much happiness from users. Overall, this version is the most well-rounded and fun Farkle variant I've played thus far, and it's also the one I play most often as a result.

3. Super Farkle
Super Farkle is significant because it was the first version to feature Farkle Powers that can earn you additional points or undo Farkles. It seems to have been designed for the younger set, due to its graphics and the presence of cutesy cartoon characters. Despite that, it still plays very well. As always, it follows the standard Farkle rules and scoring, and offers gems (instead of chips) for logging in, completing challenges or levelling up. The only changes this version has made recently is the addition of power-up items which can be acquired in-game. These power-ups are one-time use items that usually add a certain amount of points to your round score. I find it to be a good change. I don't play this version nearly as often as I play Farkle 2, but I find it to be lots of fun. The cute characters don't detract from the game, and the addition of the powers helps signficantly. In case you were wondering, the powers available in Super Farkle are Unfarkle (300 gems), Roll Six (500 gems), and Doubler (1,000 gems), You can also purchase an additional round for 3,000 gems.

4. Lucky Farkle
I've only just discovered Lucky Farkle recently, thanks to the insistance of a friend, and I must say, I'm not very impressed with it. As usual, it's your basic Farkle game, but with a twist: virtual scratch cards. Every scoring combination has a mystery prize next to it, such as additional points, additional chips, and sometimes free turns. Each scratch card features a background from one of the zillions of other Facebook games made by the same developer. In addition, some are rarer than others (indicated by the color of the border). You can only get each prize once, but if you throw one of the combinations you already scratched off, you get full credit for the roll, but you don't get to re-scratch that area. This harkens back to Yahtzee, where once you scored a certain combination, you couldn't do it again. You can also buy more scratch cards with your chips.

Speaking of rolls, there are some major pros and cons to doing so. One of the pros is that there is no minimum score required to bank points. If you don't feel like taking the risk, you can bank 250 points or less, if you wish. However, the risk is one of the cons. The name Lucky Farkle is clearly a misnomer, as this game has a higher Farkle rate than any of the others. In fact, I've had numerous consecutive rolls where I Farkled on the first roll. That makes the game look very rigged, in my opinion. And unlike the other versions, if that occurs, you can't Unfarkle it. In fact, this version has no powers at all. I guess the developers thought that since the scratch cards offered so many bonuses, the powers would have been redundant. I disagree, but what can you do?

Another major flaw I've found with (Un)Lucky Farkle is the subtraction of chips from your stash while you play. As I said before, there are no powers in this version, so the fact that this happens makes no sense, and is rather stupid. In addition, sometimes, you can give scratch cards to a friend who is also playing the game. However, many users have complained that when this happens, neither side receives the scratch card(s). I can attest to that, as it's happened to me a few times already.

The bottom line is, despite the fact that this version features some unique bonuses, the game itself is heavily flawed. I understand that risk is a major part of any version of Farkle, but like I said, Lucky Farkle has an impossibly high Farkle rate not seen in any other version. And of course, there's the other flaws I've mentioned. Granted, this incarnation is currently in the beta stages, and given the extent of the problems, the developers have a lot of work to do. Hopefully they will listen to the comments their players are posting. Lucky Farkle has the potential to be great, but these flaws hinder its execution significantly.

And there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed these reviews. Happy Farkling, and may your next roll of the dice be six ones (that's worth 4,000 points and a free roll) ;).