Questions about Roundhouse

Roundhouse: Mexican Train is a dominoes game for iPhone and iPad. You can play Mexican Train with your own house rules against friendly computer players, or use it to keep score at your real table. These are the questions people ask most before they download it.

Free with ads. No coins, no purchases, no account needed.

House rules

What is the best Mexican Train app for playing with house rules?

We're biased, but Roundhouse was made for exactly this: families who play their own way. Start from one of four rule sets (Classic, Box rules, Family Relaxed or Club), then open Table rules and change what your table does differently:

• build your whole train on the first turn, or play one tile per turn from the start,
• doubles must be covered, or play open doubles,
• play again after a double, with or without a limit on doubles per turn,
• when a train's marker comes off,
• your own train before the Mexican Train,
• the double blank worth 0 or 50 points,
• 13, 7, 5 or 3 rounds, and hand sizes.

You can save the result as your own house rules. A few variations aren't in the app yet, like drawing until you can play. The house rules page explains every option and what's missing.

Which rules does Roundhouse use?

The default, Classic, follows the most widely used write-up of the game: build your train on the first turn, doubles must be covered, and the double blank counts 0. Box rules follows the rule sheet packed with many boxed domino sets. Read the Mexican Train rules in plain English.

Big tiles and easy reading

Is there a Mexican Train app with large tiles for seniors?

Yes. Roundhouse was designed so the tiles are easy to read for everyone, including players who find small dots hard to see. In Settings you can:

• choose Medium, Large or Extra large tiles,
• switch the dots to black, like a classic set at home, or show numbers on the tiles instead of dots,
• pick a dark, light or High contrast table,
• turn on the Easy-Read font (Atkinson Hyperlegible) for every word in the app, which makes letters and numbers hard to mix up.

Roundhouse also follows the text size you set on your iPhone or iPad, and uses the high-contrast table when Increase Contrast is on. Every button has a text label, there are no timers, and every tile has a VoiceOver label.

I'm color blind. Can I tell the tiles apart?

The dot colors were chosen to stay easy to tell apart with common color blindness. If you'd rather not rely on color at all, switch to black dots or show numbers on the tiles.

Is there a time limit on my turn?

No. There are no timers anywhere in the game. Take as long as you like.

Playing alone or with family

Can I play Mexican Train alone?

Yes. You play against one to seven computer players, so a game can have 2 to 8 players in all. Each computer player has a skill level: Friendly, Savvy or Ace. The levels differ only in how well they play, never in the tiles they get. Every player is dealt from the same shuffled set, and after every round all hands are shown face up, so you can check.

Stuck? Tap Hint and Roundhouse suggests the move a strong player would make, and says why. You get three free hints in every game; after that, you can watch a short video for another.

What is the Daily Deal?

Once a day, everyone gets the same deal: one round with Classic rules, you against three Savvy computer players. Keep your streak going, fill in your monthly calendar, and see how your result ranks against everyone else's (for example "Top 12%"). The ranking uses a random anonymous ID, never your name.

Can my family play together on one phone?

Yes. With pass and play, friends take seats at the same table on one iPhone or iPad, with computer players in any empty seats. On the New game screen, change a seat to Person and type their name. When it's their turn, the app asks you to hand them the phone, and everyone else's tiles stay face down.

Can I play online against friends?

No. Roundhouse doesn't have online games against other people. You can play together on one device with pass and play, compare Daily Deal results, and use Game Center for the Daily Deal leaderboard, games won, your best 13-round game, and 15 achievements.

Keeping score

Is there a Mexican Train score keeper app?

Yes. Roundhouse has a free scorekeeper called "Score my table" for games with real tiles at the kitchen table, the club or church:

• Add 2 to 10 players and choose a double-12, double-15 or double-18 set.
• Set the double blank to 0 or 50 points.
• After each round, type each player's points on a big number pad, or tap the tiles left in their hand and Roundhouse adds them up.
• See the running totals and who's ahead, fix a round if someone made a mistake, and share the standings.

There are no ads in "Score my table", and your score sheets stay on your device. On the Home screen, tap Score my table, then New score sheet.

Is there a printable score sheet?

Yes. Print our free large-print Mexican Train score sheet: 13 rounds for a double-12 set and 16 rounds for a double-15 set, with room for 8 players. If you're new to scoring, read how to score Mexican Train.

Price and ads

Is Roundhouse free? Does it have ads?

Roundhouse is free with ads. There are no coins, no in-app purchases, and nothing to unlock with money. Full-screen ads appear only at natural breaks, after you tap "Next round", and never on top of the board while you play. There is a small banner on the Home and Stats screens. "Score my table" has no ads at all.

Do I need an account?

No. There's no account and no sign-in. Your games, stats and score sheets stay on your device. Game Center is optional. See the privacy policy for details.

iPhone, iPad and offline play

Does Roundhouse work on iPad?

Yes. Roundhouse is made for iPhone and iPad. On iPad it works in any orientation, which is handy on a stand or at the kitchen table.

Does Roundhouse work offline?

Yes. You can play against the computer and keep score for your real game without an internet connection, and your game is saved after every move. Ads, the Daily Deal ranking and sending feedback need a connection. If you play the Daily Deal offline, your result is ranked the next time you're online.

Is there an Android version?

No. Roundhouse is only for iPhone and iPad. If you're on Android or a computer, the rules and the printable score sheet on this site work anywhere.