games
nerdy python games i created for my kids. i tried to make them universal so you don’t need to install extra plugins, although try using python3 for best results.
YACHT-Z - Game of chance & skill using 5 dice
CRAG - Dice game : faster & easier to play than Yahtzee. use 3 dice
FLAG GAME v3 - new for 2025! New popup interface with big flags!!
COUNTRY HANGMAN - Hangman using country names
ANIMAL HANGMAN - Hangman using animal names
>> python scripts below on request <<
BINGO card generator + Caller - Creates 4 cards on each page. Caller will keep track of called numbers.
WORD SEARCH PUZZLE maker - creates a Word Search Puzzle & Answer Key from your CSV file
JELLYBEAN calculator - calculates number of jellybeans in a jar [Virtual Environment Demo!!]
Yacht-Z - need 5 dice / 3 rolls each turn
>> MAC only - Uses Numbers spreadsheet
Patent & trademark to the game ran out decades ago, there were several games with the same gameplay that existed before the trademarked game so it can still be played as a standalone game. you just can’t call it by the old trademarked name. it was invented by some rich millionaires to be played on their yacht, hence the name.
Numbers Spreadsheet scorecard so you can just enter your rolls & it will keep track of your score automatically. Checkboxes for the embedded scores & a slider for Yacht-Z in car you roll more than one.
Also a PNG (from a college website) if you just want to print & keep track manually.
I play with my son with both the iPad Dice app & real dice but we prefer the real dice because the random on the app doesn’t seem consistent.
—————————— GAMEPLAY —————————
Roll 5 dice. you get to hold any number of dice & roll the remaining again. 3 total rolls per turn.
If you can’t put your final (3rd) roll into any space, you have to mark a “0” in a field of your choosing.
In the Upper Section you try to get 3 of a kind for each row in order to earn the bonus. if you miss on any row you need to make it up on the other rows. Total to hit is 63 points or more.
Full House = 3 of a kind & a pair
Small Straight = 1234, 2345 or 3456
Large Straight = 12345 or 23456
Yacht-Z = all 5 dice the same
Chance = total pips on any roll you can’t use in any open value above. think of it as a safety.
Automatic scorekeeping. If you get all your triples in the Upper Section, then it automatically adds the 35 pt bonus. I added checkboxes to the set bonus points for the Lower Section & also a slider for the Yacht-Z in case you get more than one in a game.
CRAG - 3 dice game / 3 rolls each turn
Similar gameplay to Yahtzee, but with only 3 dice. Throw dice & see what best fits. try for the categories on the left that have higher points. if you completely miss your objective, then play one of the dice pip spaces. if you miss everything and have no play then choose a pip space to make 0 (zero).
3 rolls in total if you need them.
CRAG : pair + 1 dice = ≥ 13 = 50 points
3 dice ≥ 13 = 26 points
3 of a kind = 25 points
1 2 3 : Low Straight = 20
4 5 6 : High Straight = 20
1 3 5 : Odd Straight = 20
2 4 6 : Even Straight = 20
1-6 = total pips only of that number [example for 1 = roll is 1 , 1 , 4 = 2 because 2 dice are 1 ]
if you miss rolling an option & have no play, then choose one of the 1-6 and score a “0” zero .
:: YOU MUST MARK A SCORE TO ONE OPTION WITH EVERY TURN!
CRAG scorecard for 2 players. If you successfully roll one of the options like CRAG then circle the points. if you miss it then cross it out. write the total for each 1-6 next to it in the open space. total all the points at the bottom.
FLAG game v3 - popup interface with bigger flags
New interface makes it easier to see the flag & buttons to make your choices. Score & number of tries left at the bottom of the interface.
Works best if you use a virtual environment & install tinter via ‘Brew’ in a terminal shell. you can’t install via ‘pip’ for some reason.
DIRECTIONS ON CREATING A VENV, ACTIVATING IT & INSTALLING TKINTER ARE AT BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
Choose the country for this flag. You get 3 chance. If you get it wrong a popup tells you & your chances drop by 1. If you are correct it adds to your score. After you miss 3 times a popup with your final score appears.
COUNTRY HANGMAN - NAME THAT COUNTRY
My nerdy son is a geography wiz. he can name every country in the world & can tell you what countries are on their border & what their flag looks like. so i wrote a hangman game for him since he loves to quiz everyone about countries of the world. here is the game. if you go thru the countries.json file you’ll notice he deleted some questionable countries & territories. for instance if you don’t consider Vatican City as its own country then you can delete it yourself from the json. same if you prefer to call it ‘Holy See’. some countries are abbreviated just to aid with the hangman layout such as ‘Democratic Republic of Congo’ is just DRC (since Congo is a separate other country). have fun playing. open a terminal or command window in the directory & enter:
> python3 CountryHangman_players.py===== GAMEPLAY =====
1: enter number of players
2: enter names
3: top line will tell you player’s turn.
4a: guess a letter (not case sensitive). if it’s in the country you have the option to solve the country.
4b: guess it wrong & the turn advances to the next player
NOTE: i was trying to implement a timer but haven’t figured out how to get it to count down & switch turns.
animal hangman v2 : Now with more cats!!
after playing it with my daughter she noticed lots of dog breeds, but no cats. so i removed several really obscure animals & replaced them with cats. Enjoy!
My daughter wanted a special Hangman game of her own that she is more of an expert on, so i made an Animal Hangman game. this animal list is from a scientific website so the names can be more complicated than just ‘dog’.
> python3 AnimalHangman_players.py===== GAMEPLAY =====
1: enter number of players
2: enter names
3: top line will tell you player’s turn.
4a: guess a letter (not case sensitive). if it’s in the animal you have the option to solve the animal.
4b: guess it wrong & the turn advances to the next player
BINGO CARD GENERATOR & CALLER
Python script to generate 20 BINGO cards (5 pages of 4 cards each).
BINGO number caller will keep track of the numbers called. Picks numbers at random with no repeats per game.
CALL NUMBER - click to call a number
RESET - resets game & clears the board
word search puzzle maker
Python script to create a word search puzzle using the words in your CSV file. just save a file with your words separated by a comma & with a .csv extension using any text application. make sure it’s in the same directory as the python script.
how to install virtual env + Jellybean calculator
For my Jellybeans in a Jar estimator i needed to run it in a virtual environment, so i made a demo of how to create a venv, install the necessary plugin & then how to activate the venv to run the Python Script.
The Jellybean Counter - uses the radius in beans as well as the jellybean size to determine how many jellybeans are on a single layer of the jar. then multiplies by the number of beans in the height of the jar. it’s going to be close, but not exact since there are lots of factors like how the beans settle, if there’s an indentation at the bottom of the jar & if the jellybeans are piled in a mound on the top of the pile.
