Round & Revel / Cooperative number puzzle
Counterweight Café
Six numbers, six weighted seats, and a total the whole table must reach.
Original printable party game. Timing is a planning estimate; this edition has not had a live group playtest.
Good for: A quiet game-night table that enjoys working with numbers.
What you need
- Six paper tiles labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; make only one of each
- One row of six large slots labelled −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3
- 12 challenge cards, separate solution notes, paper and a pen; a calculator is welcome
How to play
How the café balances
Your group puts one number in each weighted slot. A tile is multiplied by the label underneath it, and the six products are added. You want the exact total on the challenge card. Negative slots subtract weight; positive slots add it. Every tile is used exactly once. This is a cooperative arithmetic puzzle, with no secret information, auctions or individual scores.
Set up three challenges
Make the six-slot row large enough that a tile lies clearly inside one slot. Shuffle the 12 challenge cards and choose three without opening the solutions. Choose a starting player and a different checker when possible; both play. Reveal the first card and place its locked starting tile exactly where instructed. The other five tiles begin face up beside the row. Nobody may move the locked tile, even during a repair.
Understand a weighted total
The slot label is a multiplier, not a tile value. A 5 in −2 contributes −10. A 2 in +3 contributes +6. These two contributions add to −4. Do not subtract a negative a second time, count a tile’s face value separately, or multiply all six tiles together. Use written subtotals or a calculator freely. You may keep a public running calculation, but the finished six-slot row determines the score.
Build in five turns
Discuss options openly. In seating order, each current player chooses one unused tile and puts it into one empty slot. That is one placement. A player may ask the table for suggestions but makes the final choice for their turn. After five placements, all six slots are occupied. You may point to possible moves during discussion, but do not physically rearrange earlier placements. Continue the turn order through the whole game instead of resetting at each card.
One chance to rebalance
Once the row is full, calculate its total. The next player has one repair turn: exchange any two unlocked tiles, or keep the row as it is. A repair is optional even when the total is wrong. Discuss before choosing, but after the exchange you must score without another move. The locked tile cannot be part of an exchange. This makes it worth considering the future balance before filling the last empty slot.
Check and score
Score 2 shared points for the exact target. Score 1 if the final total is one or two away from the target in either direction. Anything farther away scores 0. For example, target −4 with a total of −2 is two away and scores 1; a total of +2 is six away and scores 0. Check the absolute difference, not the sign alone. If the locked tile is accidentally moved, immediately restore the arrangement that existed before that illegal move. The attempted move uses the current turn and never grants an extra repair.
A complete worked row
With tiles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in the six slots from left to right, the total is −3 −4 −3 +4 +10 +18 = 22. Exchanging the unlocked tiles 1 and 6 changes those contributions to −18 and +3, making a total of −8. This shows why moving the same tile across a large difference in multipliers can change the result sharply. These figures illustrate the arithmetic; use the current card’s own locked tile and target during play.
Finish and learn
Record the score, clear the row, and reveal the next challenge. After three cards the group has 0–6 points; choose a friendly goal before play, such as scoring 4, or try to improve your own previous total. Goals are suggestions, not tested difficulty levels. There is no individual winner or tiebreak. After scoring a card, open its solution if desired and compare approaches. An exact alternative that follows all restrictions earns the same 2 points.
Access, pace and replay
There is no speed requirement. Use large signed labels and read “minus three” rather than relying on color or position. A player can direct a helper to move their chosen tile. If signed arithmetic is new, rehearse the worked row first. For relaxed play, allow unlimited swaps before submitting a solution and record completion rather than the standard score. Keep used challenge cards apart, and do not read unused solutions in advance.
The six weighted slots
Draw six boxes in this fixed left-to-right order: −3 | −2 | −1 | +1 | +2 | +3. Make six separate tiles labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Place only the printed locked tile before turns begin.
Printable cards and components
Print single-sided and cut on the borders. Read the setup before sorting the cards; some games use separate card types or fewer copies for smaller groups.
Counterweight 01
TARGET TOTAL: 0.
LOCKED START: put tile 1 in the slot labelled -3. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 02
TARGET TOTAL: 3.
LOCKED START: put tile 2 in the slot labelled -2. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 03
TARGET TOTAL: -4.
LOCKED START: put tile 3 in the slot labelled -1. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 04
TARGET TOTAL: 7.
LOCKED START: put tile 4 in the slot labelled +1. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 05
TARGET TOTAL: -8.
LOCKED START: put tile 5 in the slot labelled +2. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 06
TARGET TOTAL: 5.
LOCKED START: put tile 6 in the slot labelled +3. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 07
TARGET TOTAL: -3.
LOCKED START: put tile 6 in the slot labelled -3. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 08
TARGET TOTAL: 4.
LOCKED START: put tile 5 in the slot labelled -2. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 09
TARGET TOTAL: 8.
LOCKED START: put tile 4 in the slot labelled -1. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 10
TARGET TOTAL: -7.
LOCKED START: put tile 3 in the slot labelled +1. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 11
TARGET TOTAL: 2.
LOCKED START: put tile 2 in the slot labelled +2. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Counterweight 12
TARGET TOTAL: -2.
LOCKED START: put tile 1 in the slot labelled +3. It cannot move.
Place each of the other tiles 1–6 once. Multiply each tile by its slot label, then add the six results.
Answer notes: open only when the rules tell you to check
Keep these notes away from players during a puzzle or writing round. This section is excluded from the website print view. The PDF player kit includes a separate answer appendix.
CW-01
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 1, 4, 6, 5, 3, 2. Weighted total: 0. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-02
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 3, 2, 4, 5, 6, 1. Weighted total: 3. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-03
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 2, 6, 3, 4, 5, 1. Weighted total: -4. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-04
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 2, 3, 5, 4, 1, 6. Weighted total: 7. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-05
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 3, 4, 6, 2, 5, 1. Weighted total: -8. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-06
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 2, 5, 3, 4, 1, 6. Weighted total: 5. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-07
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 6, 1, 3, 4, 5, 2. Weighted total: -3. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-08
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 1, 5, 3, 6, 4, 2. Weighted total: 4. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-09
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 1, 5, 4, 3, 2, 6. Weighted total: 8. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-10
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 5, 4, 2, 3, 6, 1. Weighted total: -7. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-11
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 1, 5, 4, 6, 2, 3. Weighted total: 2. Other exact solutions may exist.
CW-12
One exact solution, slots −3, −2, −1, +1, +2, +3: 2, 3, 6, 5, 4, 1. Weighted total: -2. Other exact solutions may exist.
Round & Revel. Edition 1 / October 2026. No purchases, accounts or specialist equipment beyond the listed materials are required.