Muzundrum

Muzundrum is a game of creating musical triads and scales by placing 12-sided musical dice on a hexagon-based playing board.

From the publishers' website:

Muzundrum is a crossword-style game of music theory developed by composer J S Kingfisher. Players interlace 12-sided musical dice to form scales and triads on a giant honeycomb, forming unique tonal weaves... it’s great for beginners, challenging for pros, and always mind-bending fun!

In the box

21 Twelve-sided Musician’s Dice The Honeycomb Gameboard Embroidered dice pouch Instruction Booklet

Number of players, time required

Muzundrum can be played by 1 to 4 musicians of any age (see “knowledge required” below); or by 2 to 4 teams of musicians (playing in teams allows musical novices to learn from their more experienced partners). The average game lasts 15 to 30 minutes.

Object of the game

In Muzundrum, players intertwine triads with scales, rather like a musical crossword puzzle (albeit a three way one). Triads are built vertically; scales are built diagonally. Points are earned as players add to or complete triads and scales; double and triple scores are earned when dice are played in the “honeypot” cells (the ones marked with 2’s and 3’s). The game is over when all of the dice are played; points are then tallied, and the player or team with the most points wins.

Knowledge required

A basic working knowledge of key centers, major scales, and triad construction is needed to play Muzundrum – all stuff taught in first-year Music Theory classes and by most private music instructors. In addition to being a heap o’ fun, Muzundrum is quite educational: it’s a great way to become fluent in all 12 keys.