PIECE

Playing pieces traditionally made from a wooden broom handle. 16 pieces in total are required to play the game. These are painted yellow, green, red, and blue, 4 of each colour.

BASE

The large, coloured squares in each corner where the pieces are placed at the start of the game and where pieces are returned to when knocked off by an opponent’s piece.

HOME

Coloured triangles in the centre of the board. Pieces work their way around the board with the aim of making it to the home triangle in the centre of the board without being knocked off by an opponent.

CHUTE or HOME CHUTE

This is the 5 coloured squares leading up to the home triangle. A player’s pieces are safe once in the chute unless playing with the Suck back, Blowback or Blow through rules.

MEAT

A single opponent’s piece that is vulnerable due to opposing pieces being in a position to take that piece of and return it to its base on their next turn.

DOORSTEP

The first coloured square outside your Home Base.

OUT PIECE

1. When a 6 is thrown, the player brings out a piece from its base on to the Doorstep. If the player does not have any other pieces on the board, they are compelled to move the piece the number shown on the second dice.

2. If 2 6’s are thrown, there is the option of either bringing out 2 pieces from their base, or 1 piece out and move six spaces on the board.

3. When a 6 is thrown, the player gets another throw.

SNAKE EYES

Double 1 on the 2 dice. If it is thrown during the game, it can be used to advance a Double Blob one space.

SNAKE EYES ALL OUT

When this is thrown on a very first throw of the game, the player can bring out all 4 pieces from their onto the Doorstep. Or in a Singles game all 8 pieces (both of his colours) onto the Doorstep.

SNAKE EYES BACK IN

This happens on your next turn of the game after throwing Snake eyes on your first throw of the game. If Snake eyes is thrown again on your second turn of the game, all your pieces are returned to their base.

BLOB

When 2, 3 or 4 of the same-coloured pieces are stacked on top of each other, your partner may move his pieces over this, but your opponents’ 2 colours cannot. Your partner may move his pieces over this, but your opponents’ 2 colours cannot.

CHALLENGE or “ONCE AT ‘EM”

If a player of the opposing team lands on the square directly behind your blob, they can “challenge” if they throw a 6 on the dice. They then throw again and are required to throw a total number of 6’s to cover the number of pieces in the blob plus the one they threw to challenge. If the challenge is successful then the blob is returned to their base and the challenger moves their piece onto the blobs square.

MIXEY BLOB

1. If a player’s partner lands on top of a piece, this is a Mixey Blob, and it means that the opposing players can treat it as a single piece and are able to knock the whole thing off if they happen to land on it.

2. It also means that the team with the Mixey Blob are unable to challenge if this Mixey is behind a Blob of the opposing team.

3. If a team’s total of 8 pieces are stacked in a Mixey Blob behind a Blob, then that team are unable to move so unable to throw until the Blob is moved.

BARBER’S POLE

A Barber’s Pole is formed when a Mixy Blob is made up of mixed coloured pieces of both players in one team.

RACE IT

A facetious comment made when a player knows that a member of the opposing team needs to make good progress, (perhaps to catch up with another piece to make a blob) but is throwing low numbers.

STEAM IT or STEAMED PIECE

Normally shouted at a player’s partner when he has thrown high numbers and needs to make quick progress round the board.

FINGERS

Shouted when a player has thrown a six and one of the opposing team attempts to pick up the dice, knowing, or maybe forgetting, that the player has another throw.

TIMBER SHIFTING

The secret art of ‘TIMBERSHIFTING’ is moving your pieces out, forward, or backwards to your advantage without your opponent seeing it, basically cheating. But beware if you are caught, it can cost you the game (TIMBER because the pieces were traditionally sawn off from wooden broom handles)

BARRACKERs

Supporters

BARRACKING

The supporters, and messmates of the two teams playing, shouting out, supporting, and advising, their team, often making derogatory remarks about the opposing team or player. Can often get quite heated!!

SIX THROWING BAR STEWARD

A derogatory comment about a player who can throw an unusual number of sixes, normally when required.

STICKY FINGERS

When dice tend to be rolled or tipped from the hand rather than a proper throw.

ON THE TABLE MABLE (did the ship roll)

When the dice are thrown but one or both roll onto the deck/floor

8 PIECED or 8-PIECE THRASHING

1. When a team, or single player has managed to get all piece’s home, whilst the other team or single player has failed to get any of their piece’s home!! The worst possible defeat in the game of Uckers.

2. Traditionally the names of players and the date is written on the back of the board, so the ‘glory’ and the ‘shame’ will live for ever.

CHALLENGING A BLOB

1. To challenge a blob (two, three, or four pieces) you must be directly behind it, you cannot challenge halfway through a throw.

2. To knock a double ‘blob’ off you need 3 x 6’s, a treble ‘blob’ 4 x 6’s, and a quadruple ‘blob’ 5 x 6’s.

3. Should the blob be on your doorstep, preventing you coming out 1 ADDIONAL 6 must be added to the above numbers thrown, to knock the ‘blob’ off and come out.

COCKY-DIE or DICE

When the dice are thrown, if one or both dice are leaning against, each other, or against a piece on the board, i.e. not lying flat, the throw is taken again. If a die lands on top of a piece and is flat that is not ‘COCKY-DIE’.

UP TIT

is used when moving a double blob (NOT A SINGLE PIECE) on a double number, let’s say double four.

UP END, UP BOARD or UP TABLE

A desperate ploy used to end the game by lifting or throwing the board or table and causing the pieces to slide off.

This results in the names of players and the date being written on the back of the board, so the ‘shame’ will live for ever.

ADVANCED RULES INCLUDING ‘’AIRY FAIRY or WAFU RULES ‘’ PLAYED BY THE ROYAL NAVAL FLEET AIR ARM

SUCKBACKS

If an opponent’s piece is safely in the home chute, and you are on the end square of that home chute, and it is your turn. You can try and suck back the piece, and put it back to its base, so it must start again. Let’s say you must throw a 3 to land on the piece, you would say prior to your throw ‘’ SUCKBACK’’ if you score a 3 on one of your dice then the piece in the chute is returned to base, if successful or not, you must move forward one square. You can also challenge a 2-piece blob in the chute but cannot challenge a 3- or 4-piece blob.

BLOWBACKS

Like Suck backs but this time the player with a piece up the home chute can try and blowback their piece to return an opponent’s piece that is on the end square of their chute back to their base. Let’s say you must throw a 3 to land on the piece, you would say prior to your throw ‘’ BLOWBACK’’ if you score a 3 on one of your dice then the opponent’s piece on the end square is returned to base and your piece occupies the vacated square. You can also challenge a 2-piece blob on the end square of the chute but cannot challenge a 3- or 4-piece blob.

BLOWTHROUGHS

Like Blowbacks but this time you are trying to blow the piece from the safety of its home run, right up and down to the other end of its team colours home run and put it back in play halfway around the board. Let’s say the piece has 4 squares left to get in, therefore another 6 squares in the opposite home run, therefore you would require 4 + 6 = 10 again you would call ‘’ BLOWBACK 10’’ If you are successful the opponents’ piece is blown back into play at the foot of the opposite home run. YOUR PIECE MOVES ON ONE SQUARE

RUNNING HACK

When a single piece can hack 2 of the opponents’ pieces of by using the score on the first die to hack one piece off then continuing to hack the second piece off by using the score on the second die. This can only be done if the player has no other piece in play.

DOUBLE UP

The player can throw again if getting a double. This is the same impact as throwing 6’s in the standard game.

THREE DOUBLES

If 3 doubles are thrown consecutively then all the players pieces that are in play are returned to their base. This rule can only be enforced if the double up rule is in force.

SIX SIXES

If you throw 6 sixes consecutively then all the players pieces in play are returned to their base.