What “tournament” means here
Unlike casual variable setup, a tournament-style island tries to remove obvious luck spikes: no touching sixes and eights, no doubled numbers on neighbors, and no identical terrain sharing an edge. The tool shuffles until those checks pass (up to two thousand tries), then shows a simple balance score so you can compare tables.
Rule comparison
| Check | Official random | Fair mode | Tournament mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six and eight not touching | Not required | On by default | On |
| Same number neighbors | Allowed | Optional | Blocked |
| Same terrain neighbors | Allowed | Optional | Blocked |
Run a smooth league night
- Generate one island per table and share the link so copies match.
- Agree whether friendly trades are unlimited or limited.
- Use a gentle turn timer if rounds drag.
- Post victory points where everyone can see them.
- Confirm tiebreakers—usually you must hit ten points on your own turn to win.
After the map is set
Even a perfect island rewards players who diversify early, buy knights when largest army is open, and use roads to steer opponents—not only players who rolled well on the first turn.
Probability reminder
Two dice give six and eight the highest peaks, then five and nine, then four and ten, and so on.
- Six and eight — five chances out of thirty-six each.
- Five and nine — four out of thirty-six.
- Four and ten — three out of thirty-six.
- Three and eleven — two out of thirty-six.
- Two and twelve — one out of thirty-six.