Universal Rule for Board Games - Players Decide Ambiguity: If players ever arrive at a situation not covered in the rulebook, and the rules offer no definitive answer, then players should feel free to decide what happens.

Point by Point Module

Q: If a player rolls double during a return and the sum is outside of his return range, does he get credit for a “well executed shot”?

A: No.  In order for a return to be valid, it must fall within the player’s return range, even if the roll is doubles. 

Q: If a player rolls doubles during a return and they spend one or more chips to extend their return range so that the sum of the doubles now qualifies as a good return, do they then get credit for a “well executed shot”.

A: Yes. If the sum of the doubles roll is within their return range (whether it is the range printed on the card, or the extended range modified by spending chips), they perform a “well executed” return, which means that the opposing player’s return range is reduced by one (from the highest number of the opponent’s return range).

Q: If a player has a return range with split values (ex. 6-9,11), and that return range is reduced by one from the highest value due to the opponent performing a  “well executed shot” on his/her serve or return, should the return range be reduced from the outlier number (11) or from the highest number in the consecutive range (9)?

A: When impacted by an opponent’s well-executed serve/return, reduce the players range by the highest number of the range, regardless of whether it is part of the consecutive number range or is a single highest outlier.  In the stated example, the “6-9, 11” range would be reduced to “6-9”

Q: If the highest value in a player’s return range is 7, and his opponent performs a “well executed” shot, reducing the highest value of the return rage to 6, what happens when that player rolls a 7?

A: This is a special case depending on the version of "Let's PLAAY Tennis" that that you are using. 

A1: In the "Christmas 2022 PDF-download-only" version of the game, some players did not have a "7" in their return range so the rule for this version of the game only is that a roll of 7 is always a quality check, even in the event that it is outside of a player’s current return range.  For this question, it is still a well-executed shot.

A2: In the final commercial version of the game that went on sale the summer of 2023, all players now have a "7" in their return range, so the rule has changed to a roll of 7 must be in the players return range to be a quality check. For this question, if the players return range has been reduced to 6, they must spend a chip (if they have one available) in order to raise their range back to 7 and proceed with the quality check procedure.

Q: I am assuming that if a player has no 7 in their return range, they never perform the "7" quality check and thusly, never have an opportunity for a WEAK return. 

A: In the final commercial version of the game that went on sale the summer of 2023, all players now have a "7" in their return range. If you are playing with the Christmas 2022 PDF version of the game, a roll of 7 is always a quality check, even in the event that it is outside of a player’s current return range. 

Q: On a die roll of 7 on the serve, player gets a chip if on the right surface, otherwise, it’s routine. What happens when the Ace is 7? Same rule + point for the Ace?

A: Yes!

Q: If a player rolls a 7 during his/her serve, do they automatically earn a chip, or do they only earn a chip if they have the surface quality that matches the current playing surface?

A: The player must have the surface quality to earn the chip, but may earn 2 chips if they have the surface quality underlined.

Q: If a player rolls a 7 on a serve but does NOT have the current surface quality on his/her card, does the opposing player immediately attempt a winner?

A: No. In this case, it is simply considered a “routine” serve.  Note this is different from when a player rolls a 7 on a return and lacks the quality called for based on the appropriate die number.

Q: Can a player spend a chip to attempt a winner immediately after a serve?

A: Yes, but only if it is a ROUTINE serve. Note that it is a popular house rule in the community to not allow a Winner chance immediately following the serve.

Q:  If a player rolls a 7 during his/her return shot, how do I know whether to use the black or the white die in determining the quality to be referenced?

A: The favored player uses the white die.  The underdog uses the black die. NOTE:  The game board includes a visual to cue you for this.  

Q: When serving, do I need to roll once for a server’s ACE rating, and a second time for his/her DB fault rating?

A: No.  Only make one roll per serve. 

Q: How do I know if a player has single-faulted on a serve?

A: The service roll abstracts this process.  If the sum of the roll is in the DB fault range, it means that the server has faulted on both attempts.  Any other roll indicates that the server has made a valid serve, and may or may not have committed an initial fault.

Q: When is a serve NOT considered a routine serve?

A: Non-routine serves include the following:

1. Any service roll that matches the server’s ACE range (this awards the point to the server without a return being attempted)

2. Any service roll  matches the server’s DB FAULT range (this awards the point to the returning player without that player needing to attempt a return).

3. Any service roll that includes doubles.  This indicates a “well-executed” serve that reduces the returning player’s return range by one, from the highest value.  Exception:  double 6’s triggers a new roll on the “SERVE UNUSUAL” chart.

4. Any service roll of 7 that awarded at least one chip to the serving player (ie the serving player has the surface quality that matches the current surface).

All other serves are considered routine.  This means that the returning player could spend a chip to attempt a WINNER if they choose to do so.

Ending a Game, Set, and Match

Q: What triggers the 6-6 tie-breaker scenario?

A: The first player to win 6 games wins the set, but a player must win by two games to prevent a tie-breaker situation.  This means that if both players are tied at 5 games, the first player to take the 6-5 lead must then win the next game to take the set 7-5.  If, instead, the opponent takes the next game to tie the set at 6-6, that is when the “tie-breaker” scenario occurs.  Once a player takes a two-point lead in the tie-breaker sequence, they are awarded the win for the final game, and the set score is 7-6.

No Rally Module

Q: Why does the chart contain no 7-6 results?

A: Most results on the initial NO-RALLY chart will indicate that the player that was in the lead after the “For the Set” process goes on to win the set by the stated score.

Some results indicate “?”, indicating you will use the “Unpredictable Outcome” chart.  This indicates that the set reached a 5-5 score at some point, and either one player won the next two games (resulting in the 7-5 score), or that the set progressed to a 6-6 tie.  In that scenario, the chart yields the ultimate winner of the tie-breaker.  

Any result that states “ADV wins tiebreaker” or “ADV loses tiebreaker” indicates that the final game score of the set was 7-6.

Tournament Module

Q: What does the result “[Round of 16]” mean on “Middle Rounds” chart?

A: In the Middle Rounds sequence, most rolls will yield two players from the stack (as determined by the descriptors in columns 1 and 2).

However, when you roll doubles on this table, column one will indicate one specific player and column two will indicate “[Round of 16]”.  This means there are two players still competing for that final spot.  Use columns three and four to determine which two players from the stack will face each other.  Then resolve that match using whichever module you choose.  Once you resolve that “Round of 16” match, the winner will join the player determined by column 1 as the two players from this stack that advance to the Round of 8 (Quaterfinals).