Carry The One

Carry the One is a dice-math roguelike. Throw number dice and operator dice, then put them into an equation. Your opponent goes first, so you always know the number to beat. Whoever's equation comes out bigger wins the round, and the loser takes the difference as damage.

The downloadable version is recommended for the best experience.

How it plays

Real maths rules apply: × and ÷ are counted before + and −, so 5 + 90 ÷ 5 is 23. Every equation is counted out step by step, so you can always see where a number came from.

Not every table plays the same. At a Low table the result closest to 0 wins. At a Target table you aim for a number, and at a Limit table you get as close as you can without going over.

Play the odds

Luck matters, but you're never just along for the ride.

• Fold: don't like the enemy's number? Fold before you throw and pay a fixed price instead of whatever the round would cost.
• Tip: once a fight, tip one of your dice onto a neighbouring side instead of throwing it again.
• Comps: lose three rounds and the house slips you a free chip.
• Knockout: win a fight in the very first round and you get a free chip too.
• Table limit: no single round can take more than half your health, so one bad roll never ends a run from full HP.

Build your dice

Beat an opponent and you upgrade your dice. Carve a new face onto one (turn a weak 1 into a 9, or swap a ÷ for a ×), or grow it into a bigger die with copies of your best number. Or take a wildcard: a chip to use against the enemy, a gamble on a random face, or more max HP.

Beat an act boss and you get a whole new die. That's where it gets big: numbers next to each other stick together, so a 4 and a 5 side by side make 45, not 9. Every extra die adds a digit to your numbers and a zero to your health. You start fighting over 100 HP and end up fighting over 10,000.

Along the way you'll find relics that bend the rules (every 7 counts as 14, exact hits deal triple damage) and chips that mess with the enemy's dice (reroll one, or turn their × into a +).

What's in the demo

3 acts, 21 fights and 41 opponents, each with their own personality, and every run deals you a different lineup. Some slot their dice in without thinking. Some throw again until they get big numbers. Some calculate every possible order. Some have tricks of their own, like hiding a number under a cup. And at the end, The House is waiting. The house always wins... right?

Beat a difficulty and you unlock Raise: 10 levels, each adding a new rule on top of the last. How high can you go?

Controls

• Drag a die and let go to throw it (or switch to click-to-throw in the settings)
• Right click a die to lock it into your equation
• Drag it again to throw again (3 throws per die)
• F to fold, before your first throw of the round
• T while pointing at a die that has landed to tip it (once per fight). Move the mouse toward a side, click to tip
• Hold Shift or the mouse button to speed up rolling dice and the score count
• Reward screen: hover a choice to see what it does. Right-drag or Q / E to turn the die, click a side twice to pick it
• W to look up at the enemy's tray, S to look down at your chips (or if a die gets stuck)
• D to Double Down, if you have the relic
• Tab for settings, your dice and an operator guide

Tip: a die that doesn't fit any slot "busts" and gives you a negative number. Plan ahead!

Feedback wanted!

This is an early demo. When your run ends, the Survey button opens a short form that's already filled in with how your run went. It takes a minute, and it really helps.
Can't open it? Here's the link: https://forms.gle/EUfJWFoRxWiC5mX36

Credits

Music by Matthew Pablo: www.matthewpablo.com

[v0.4.5]