If your group wore Flip 7 down to the cardboard last year, here's your next quick fix. Tally Up, a push-your-luck dice game from Eric Olsen, the designer behind the runaway hit Flip 7, is getting an exclusive UK release through Zatu Distribution. It debuts at the UK Games Expo (29-31 May) on the Waterstones stand before rolling out to UK shops more widely.
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Start organising for freeTally Up is fast and easy to teach, for two to ten players aged eight and up, in about half an hour. You roll six coloured Tally Dice split across low, medium and high risk, and every player is in on every round. Each turn you decide whether to bank your points or stay in and push for more. Roll two stars and everyone still in the round busts; roll three and there's a bonus on offer. There's an optional scoring app if you'd rather not keep a tally on paper. It's published by Messy Table Games, which Olsen co-founded.
The pedigree is the draw here. Flip 7, Olsen's press-your-luck card game, was one of the surprise hits of recent years and earned a 2025 Spiel des Jahres nomination, the board gaming world's biggest award, though Bomb Busters took the trophy that year. Olsen, who came to game design with no industry background, prototyped Flip 7 at the kitchen table with his kids before it took off. Tally Up scratches the same "do I stop or risk it" itch, just with dice instead of cards.
Got a regular group? Create a private community, poll for the best date, vote on games, and let your friends RSVP in one place.
Set up your group for freeQuick, loud and easy to explain, it's the kind of game that ends a session on a high. If that sounds like your crowd, it's a great excuse to round up a game night once it hits shelves.
Sources: Toy World | Messy Table Games | BoardGameWire | People of Play
