Sebastopol
Start the four arms. Go out first.
The four-player block game with a spinner: the 6-6 goes in the middle, four 6s start its four arms, and then it is a race to empty your hand. Nobody draws, so every domino is in play. Here is everything you need to know before you sit down.
- Free practice
- No sign-up
- Play in your browser
Join a Game Room
SebastopolGot a room code?
- Players
- 4
- You need
- A double-six set
- Style
- Block game
- Goal
- First to 60
What is Sebastopol?
Every domino. In play.
Sebastopol is played with a double-six set of 28 dominoes. Four players take seven each, so nothing is left over, and nobody ever draws. The player holding the 6-6 sets it in the middle.
That double is the spinner. A 6 has to go on each of its four sides to start four arms, and then play goes on any open end. Go out first and you score the pips left in everyone else’s hand.
The practice table
Try itLearn it with the dominoes in your hand.
Play against three bots with our Classic rules. Tap a domino to play it, and the coach shows the play it would make and why.
- Easy, Normal, or Sharp bots. Sharp bots leave the numbers other players have passed on.
- Quick game goes to 30. Full game goes to 60.
- No account, no host, nothing saved.
A little history
A game with three names.
Sebastopol is a domino game also known as Malakoff and The Star, the last for the shape of the layout: four arms growing from a central double.
It has many local variations: whether every double is a spinner, how a block is scored, how far you play to. These are our Classic rules.
Fun facts
- Four players take seven dominoes each from a double-six set of 28, so nothing is left over and nobody ever draws.
- The 6-6 is the spinner, and a 6 has to go on each of its four sides to start the four arms.
- The Full game is first to 60, and the Quick game is first to 30.
Why people love it
No drawing. No hiding.
Everything is dealt.
With no boneyard, the dominoes in your hand and the table are everything there is, so counting works.
A busy board.
Four arms mean four open ends, so there is nearly always something to play.
Passes tell a story.
When somebody passes, you learn which numbers they do not have.
Blocks are scored too.
A blocked round is not a draw: the lowest hand wins it, so heavy dominoes are a liability.
How to play
Spin. Play. Go out.
Setup
- Players: four: you and three bots, each playing for yourself.
- Dominoes: a double-six set of 28, seven each, none left over.
- Opening: the holder of the 6-6 sets it down. Then a 6 goes on each of its four sides.
- Target: 60 points in the Full game, 30 in our Quick game.
Winning
The first player to reach the target score wins.
- 1
Start the arms
Each player in turn must put a 6 on a bare side of the spinner. No 6? Pass.
- 2
Match an end
When all four arms are started, play a domino on the open end of any arm, matching the number showing.
- 3
Doubles lie across
Only the opening 6-6 is a spinner. Any other double lies across its arm and does not branch.
- 4
Pass if you cannot play
There is no boneyard, so if nothing fits, you pass.
- 5
Go out
The first player to play their last domino scores the pips left in the other hands.
- 6
Or the block
If nobody can play, the fewest pips left wins, and scores the other hands’ pips less its own.
These are our Classic rules, and they'll be shown in every room before the game starts. Printable rules card →
Lessons
Learn it in a few minutes.
4 quick lessons, one idea each. Make the call, see why it works, and move on. Your progress is saved in this browser.
Starting the arms
The 6-6 is down. Before anything else goes on the table, what has to happen?
- Spinner
- The 6-6
- Arms started
- None yet
Scoring
Every pip in their hands.
You score by emptying your hand first, or by holding the fewest pips when the table locks up. Either way the other players’ dominoes are your points.
| At the end of a round | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Going out: the pips in the other hands | All of them | |
| A block: the fewest pips left | Others’ pips less your own | |
| A block with a tie for fewest | Nobody scores | |
| First to the target score | Wins |
Our Classic rules: first to 60 in the Full game, 30 in the Quick game. Some tables play to 101, or make every double a spinner; those are house rules.
Strategy
Play it smart. Then play it feral.
Tip 1
Play your 6s early.
Until the four arms are started, only 6s can go down. Start an arm while you have one.
Tip 2
Play the heavy dominoes first.
Going out scores the other hands, and a block goes to the lowest hand, so shed the big ones.
Tip 3
Watch the passes.
Somebody who passed does not have the number showing. Leave that number open and they pass again.
Tip 4
Keep numbers you can follow.
Play so the end that is left matches another domino in your hand.
Tip 5
Count the pips.
When the table is close to locking, know whether you hold the fewest.
What would you do?
One decision. Every day.
A new Sebastopol puzzle every day, the same for everyone. Solve it, then send it to the group chat and see who gets it right.
Want more? See today's puzzles for every game →
Your path to game night
Learn it here. Play it with friends.
Finish the lessons or win a practice game and you're ready to sit down at a real Sebastopol table with your people.
The Feral Worlds community
Play-testing Sebastopol? Tell us in Discord.
Found a bug, a rule that feels off, or a house rule your family swears by? Our Discord is where we collect play-test feedback, and where game nights are starting to happen.
Glossary
Talk like a regular.
- Spinner
- The 6-6 in the middle, with four arms growing from it.
- Arm
- One of the four lines of dominoes growing out of the spinner.
- Block
- A round where nobody can play. The lowest hand wins it.
- Pass
- Skipping your turn because nothing fits.
- Going out
- Playing your last domino.
- Pips
- The dots on a domino. They are your points when you win.
The Feral twist
Still under the hat.
Every game can be played Classic. In Feral mode, the host writes the house rules: which doubles spin, how a block is scored, how far you play. We'll show you what Sebastopol can do when it's ready.
In the Tile Games pack
Sebastopol is on the ballot.
Backers vote on which tile games join the Tile Games pack. Owning the pack means every one that joins is yours too.
$9.95, one time, to host every game in it. Playing is always free. Packs go on sale when the full game launches.
Sebastopol is on the ballot
Save me a seat.
Hear when the Kickstarter opens so you can vote Sebastopol into the Tile Games pack, and when you can host it with friends.