Zufalling is easy! All you need to do is let go of expectations and let the dice direct you to your adventure.
If you are using the Zufall Adventures App, start by telling Zufall how you want to travel (foot, bike, car), what type of adventure you are looking for (coffee, dining, exploring, shopping, overnight) and then set your limits. All you have to do is shake the dice and Zufall will identify your target zone on the map and alert you once you get there. Once in the Zufall Zone, you can ask the map to show you what’s in the vicinity for your specific type of adventure or you can discover it on your own. Then share your journey with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. Sound like you’re still making too many decisions? You can also set Zufall to the “I can’t decide” setting and let the dice do all the work.
In a hurry? Zufall Adventures also comes with a Quick Roll option. No selecting parameters – just shake the dice and go the selected number of blocks in the direction rolled.
To use the Original Zufall dice, there are three easy steps:
- Decide what type of Zufall adventure you want to have
- Set you base value and state your parameters
- Roll the dice and find your fun
First of all, decided what you want to “un-plan” because Zufall is all about letting chance direct you. So what will you Zufall today – a date, a day in the city or a weekend away? Will you be walking, driving, taking transit or cycling?
DETERMINE YOUR BASE VALUE
How far are you willing to go? Based on your time or travel limitations, determine the absolute furthest you are willing to walk, drive, bike, etc. This could be in distance or in travel time. Once you have that figure, divide it by 6. This will be your Base Value or what the 1 on the die equals.
For example, say you are looking to Zufall your way to dinner. If you are on foot and there are lots of restaurants around, you could decide the furthest you want to walk is 12 blocks. This means your Base Value = 2 blocks of walking. Say the furthest you want to drive is two hours then make 1 = 20 minutes driving.
STATE PARAMETERS
Now, state your parameters. Parameters are simply put, the restrictions you are putting on the dice. Say for example, you live on the coast and since there are no restaurants on the water, you just can’t go west – well your parameters would be “nothing west”. Or if you are planning a week-long vacation and you know that you have to eventually be somewhere to the north, you could simply say “no south” – now this can mean just south is out or it could mean south, southwest, and southeast are out – just make sure you are clear before you roll.
Parameters can also be placed on the numbered die. This often happens when it makes the math easier. Say for example the furthest you are willing to drive is 50 minutes…well; it’s just easier to make your Base Value 10 and eliminate the 6 on the blue die. Hey, Zufall is supposed to be fun, you don’t have to make it difficult! But remember, always state your parameters before you roll because there are no re-rolls!
ROLL THE DICE
This one is simple. Find a flat surface and roll away. Take the number on the blue die, multiply it by your stated Base Value and that will tell you how far to go in the direction rolled on the green die.
If you roll one of the directions or numbers that were voided in your parameters – only re-roll the dice that turned up the void number. Say you’ve rolled a SW/3 but you stated ‘nothing south’ before the roll. Only re-roll the green dice. You already know that you are going 3 times your Base Value.
Traditional Zufall rolls are done at the moment of departure. If you can handle the suspense and you want to fully embrace spontaneity – don’t roll the dice until you in your car (already packed for the weekend) or until you are walking out the door for dinner. On a bike, roll the dice on the sidewalk seconds before the first pedal stroke. In a cab, wait until you are in the back and the door is shut – hey, why not let the cabbie roll for you?
ZUFALL!
Once you’ve rolled, off you go! The whole point of Zufall is to remove expectations and find spontaneous fun so head off and keep your eyes open. Just because you know there is a great restaurant directly east 10 minutes drive doesn’t mean you should head there. Because you always go there, you may have missed that there is a new restaurant just three doors down. Let the dice lead you as best you can and be open to new experiences.
A good rule of thumb when trying to find your Zufall location is to round up or down. If you roll south, you don’t have to be perfectly south just as long as you are more south than southwest. If you roll a 3 and your base value is 10 km, well once you are past 25 km and before you get you 35 km, you are in the range of your 30 km roll. It’s not a science, it’s just a guide.
THE (eh, hem) RULES
There are only two rules in Zufall:
1. Always state your parameters before you roll
2. NEVER re-roll
Other suggestions include – have fun, enjoy the journey and take on the challenge of making the most of what the dice lead you to. And of course, use your common sense.
STUCK?
If you find yourself at a fork in the road or the dice lead you to more decisions, you can keep the un-planning going by using the blue dice to make decisions. Roll the blue dice – if it comes up an odd number you take the left choice, if it’s even, go right. You can use Blue to make any decision – which side of the menu to order from, which path to take, which form of transportation you’ll use, which outfit to wear – the options are only limited by the imagination. Hey, you may never make another decision again!
HAVE FUN
Zufall is supposed to be fun – so don’t let the process frustrate you. How you deal with the unknown is all part of the adventure. Don’t stress out about making it to your Zufall destination (sometimes life gets in the way – make the most of that roadblock or border line-up). Get creative! If you can’t go directly southwest then go south for half the distance and west for half the distance. Zufall is not meant to be exact, it’s not a science – so, have a laugh and make the most of your adventure.
Zufall Adventures is not responsible for the roll of the dice or the actions of those who choose to follow the dice.
ZUFALL STYLES
There are lots of different ways to Zufall and so many more that are undiscovered. Here are a few that we’ve tried and we hope that you’ll send us some creative new ways you’ve found to use the dice. We’ll add them to our list!
TRU-ZUFALL
This is the original Zufall! The key here is that you roll the dice while sitting in the packed car (or at the moment of departure if you aren’t driving). Use the dashboard or a cup holder, roll and go. No limitations, no looking back, no re-rolling and no second guessing – just follow the dice and find out what adventure awaits.
PRE-ZUFALL
Often used when a reservation is required or for those who like to plan, just a little bit. Roll the dice in advance and use a map to help pinpoint where the Zufall has landed you. It is often better to set the base value at a distance (like 1 = 10 km) instead of travel time since it’s easier to gage on a map. We use this when we are going on a vacation that requires a plane ticket.
GPS ZUFALL
After rolling, a GPS system is used to get the Zufaller to the exact coordinates on the map. To mix things up a bit, try changing where you start.
ROLLING ZUFALL
This is a continuous Zufall. Once you’ve arrived at your first Zufall point, roll again and again and again…you can use this to explore a city (keep your base value low) or go on one heck of road trip vacation! We did this once for four days and ended up crossing two borders!
ZUFALL JR.
AKA Zufall for kids! This is a fun game to play with a group of kids. It’s best done in a park, and you’ll have to make sure each child has a compass (or at least knows the directions from the starting point). Create a circle and have the dice master in the centre of the circle. The Dice Master will roll the dice for each player at a time. Each player moves according to their specific roll – in that direction for the number of designated steps. For example, if the roll is NE/2 they would take two steps heading northeast. The first one to the middle is the winner! Pair younger kids up with older for team building and you can even put a prize in the middle for some motivation!
LET BLUE DECIDE
Using only the blue cube dice, leave any decision up to chance. A fork in the road? Roll the blue dice – an odd number means go left and an even means go right. Can’t decide between two restaurants? Let blue decide…with the blue dice in your pocket, you may never make another decision again!