Rules of the Game

I've played with him a couple of times. I even won once, although I don't know how. In fact, if you wanted to sit down with me and play a rip-roarin' game of Lego Party v. 1, I'd have no idea how to even begin to share with you the rules of play.

Although I'm a little skeptical, Michael swears he doesn't make up the rules as he goes. He just may be telling the truth, however, because his siblings--even Audrey--seem to possess a full understanding of which strategies to employ at each turn of the game. In fact, Alex graciously volunteered to write out instructions so I can become a better player. (I'm all for that--then we can check "Instructional Writing" off of her 2010 Writing Goals List.)

What simple facts I have gathered about Lego Party v. 1 are:

1. Each player selects a Lego dude to represent him or her on the board. The Lego dude with the blue suit and helmet can freeze other players. As he seems to be the only one who possesses special powers, it's no surprise he is Michael's choice every game.

2. There are two dice which can be rolled to determine what colored space your Lego dude can advance to. I don't know why there are two.

3. As you move about the board, you collect studs, which are like money. You can also collect golden bricks. Oh, and all the pieces are neatly stored in a Lego box after the game is over.

4. If you land on a vent, you go to jail.

5. If you roll a red, the helicopter Lego dude swoops down and steals your studs.

6. Judging by my children's conversations when they are engaged in play, there may or may not be penguins involved.

7. I'm still not sure how you win, but I know it takes a really long time to determine a winner.

8. And sometimes, even though they all know the rules so well, there can still be some bickering over the validity of these rules.