Dice Games Archive

11 Part Limited Series

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/arch/dg

A few dice games were presented on the WOTC site some times ago. This is the text and relevant figures
from that series of articles. I've done some minor editing, and rearranged the order of the articles to
improve layout.

***

Contents:

Cutpurse
Rogue or Thief

Galleon

Dragon's Hoard

Beat the Bartender

Beat This!

Dragon Slayer
Drunken Dragon

Going to Town
Setting Sail

Copper Dragon

Skull
Double Skull
Bloddy Caltrops

Wishing Well
Poisoned Well

Deceit

***

WOTC's introduction:

The 1st edition Player’s Handbook (pg. 122) had an entire section regarding “suggested agreements for
division of treasure,” which included equal shares, plus dicing for magic items. For those interested in
dicing for items, we offer the following dice games....
Cutpurse
Originating in back alleys and played by thieves and other unsavory types, Cutpurse has made its way into
local taverns and gambling establishments.

Cutpurse is a simple game played with two six sided dice by any number of players for stakes. Each player
rolls a die, with the highest throwing first in the game and the lowest "setting the point". The player with
the lowest roll throws a die again, and the number rolled becomes the point number.

Each player in turn rolls the dice and scores one for every occurrence of the point number. A player who
rolls a double point number scores 3 points instead of 2. The first player to reach 11 points wins the game.

Rogue, Thief

A variant of Cutpurse known as Rogue or Thief is played with two 4 sided dice. Rolling a double point
number in this game however counts as 0 points and requires you to add a set amount to the pot.

This game requires two 4 or 6 sided dice (2d4, 2d6). This game is based on dice game known as Passage.

Galleon
Mostly played in the taverns of port cities or aboard sea going vessels, Galleon is the favored dice game of
sailors. The game is most often played for drinks or small wagers.

5 six-sided dice are used in this game. Each player takes a turn throwing the dice. Each turn a player has
three throws of the dice, and tries to roll and put to one side a 6 (the galleon), a 5 (the captain), and 4 (the
mate). The 6, 5, and 4 may not be rolled out of order so if the first throw contains a 6 and 4, but not a 5,
only the 6 is put aside and the rest of the dice, including the 4, are rolled again. If a player fails to throw the
6, 5, and 4 after their three throws they score nothing.

If after three throws a player has put aside the galleon, captain and mate, the remaining two dice (the crew)
are totaled to form the player's score. If all three in the sequence are rolled before the third and final throw,
then the remaining two dice (the crew) are rolled in the remaining turn(s) to improve the total of the
player's score, with the highest crew total becoming the player's score.

The player with the highest crew total wins. In the case of an equally high total, all players must play the
round again.

This game requires 5 six-sided dice (5d6). This game is based on a dice game known as Ship, Captain,
Mate, and Crew, also known as Battleship, Mariner, Destroyer, and sometimes just Ship.
Dragon's Hoard
Dragon's Hoard is a common dice game played in many taverns. Patrons often find the game's layout on the
taverns tables. In lower class establishments the layout is often crudely carved into the tables' surface,
whereas finer establishments have been known to use inlaid precious metals and intricately carved
scrollwork.

The layout is usually nine circles with the

numbers 3 through 11 inside them. This layout
is used for both d6 and d4 gameplay
(occasionally an establishment will have a
layout specifically for d4 play, which is made
up of 5 circles with the numbers 3 through 7
inside them).

In most establishments, the currency of the

region is used to wager; however some
establishments provide counters or chips.
Players sometimes play to divvy up other
valuable stakes, such as jewelry and magic
items.

Players throw the dice in turn. After each

throw, they place a chip on the corresponding
number on the layout. For example, if a player
throws a total of 4, he places a chip on the area
of the layout marked 4. Once a number on the layout has three or more chips on it, the next player to roll
that number collects them. If a player rolls a pair of 1's, known as Dragon Eyes, that player places a chip on
all the numbers on the layout. If a player rolls two 6's, know as Stealing the Hoard, they collect all the chips
on the layout. Play continues for a pre-determined time, or until it is agreed to end the game.

This dice game requires two dice (2d4 or 2d6), chips and a layout drawn up with the appropriate numbers
on it. This game is based on a dice game known as Jackpot.
Beat the Bartender
The origins of this game are unknown, but two versions are played. The first version, known as Beat the
Bartender, is usually played in local taverns. The second, known as Beat This!, is played mostly by orcs.

Beat the bartender is usually played using 2d6 (although any two dice can be used: 2d10, 2d20, etc.). Bets
are placed between the players and the bartender before the dice are thrown. The bartender rolls the two
dice and scores the total of the two numbers thrown. Subsequent players roll the dice and have to score a
higher total to win their bet. The bartender wins in the case of tied scores.

Beat This!

In Beat This!, one player takes the role of leader. The game is played with two dice against the leader. Bets
are placed between the players and the leader before the dice are thrown. The leader rolls two dice and
scores the total of the two numbers thrown. Subsequent players roll the dice and have to score a higher total
to win their bet. The leader wins in the case of tied scores. After each round, the role of leader changes to
the player with the lowest total score.

Orcs often have trouble finding two matching dice and sometimes play the game with two or even three
dice of varying sides.

This game requires two or three dice of varying sides (d4 through d12). This game is based on the dice
game known as High Dice, also known as Two Dice Klondike, Bingo and Beat the Bank.

Dragon Slayer
This dice game is said to have originated in cities and villages that border mountainous regions harboring
dragons.

Dragon Slayer is played with three 6-sided dice and chips, and is played for stakes. All players first roll a
die; the player with the highest roll then rolls 3 dice. The resulting total sets the number of rounds it will
take to slay the dragon. Starting with the player who set the number of rounds, each player in turn rolls
three dice and continues to throw them until a double is thrown.

Each throw that does not contain a double counts as missing the dragon. A throw that contains a double
counts as successful strike. A number of chips that equal the number of misses and the throw that contained
the double are placed in front of the player. After all rounds are played, the player with the lowest total
chips in front of them has slain the dragon the fastest and wins. The winner sets the next game's number of
rounds.

Drunken Dragon

Dragon Slayer is sometimes played as a drinking game amongst the heartiest of adventurers (and is said to
be a favorite of dwarves). In this variant, known as Drunken Dragon, players drink a shot of liquor for
every miss and a mug of ale for every strike, with the losers picking up the bar tab for the winner.

This game requires three 6-sided dice (3d6). This game is based on dice game known as Dice Golf.
Going to Town
Going to Town almost always takes the name of a large city as its location; for instance, Going to
Waterdeep in the Forgotten Realms, or Going to Sharn in Eberron.

Three 6-sided dice are most commonly used; however, the use of 4 or even 8-sided dice is not unheard of.
The game is fast and easy, and best when played with four or more players.

Each player in turn has three throws of the dice. On the first throw, the highest number is set aside. If two
or more dice show the highest number, then only one is kept. The remaining two dice are thrown again, and
the highest is again set aside. The final die is rolled, and the total of all three is the player's score. The
player with the highest score, after each player has had a turn, wins that round. A set number of rounds are
played, and the player who wins the most is the overall winner. (Note: Rolling three 6-sided in this fashion
is an optional method for generating characters' ability scores--albeit artificially higher ones.)

Setting Sail

A variant of Going to Town known as Setting Sail is sometimes played in port cities and aboard sailing
vessels. In this game, the sum of the first two dice are multiplied by the third, instead of the total of all
three.

This game requires three 4, 6, or 8-sided dice (3d4, 3d6, or 3d8). This game is based on dice game known
as Going to Boston a lso known as Yankee Grab and Newmarket.

Copper Dragon
This game got its start in lower-class taverns, most often played with copper coins--which is how it got the
name Copper Dragon. In some establishments silver or gold coins are used and the game has taken the
name Silver Dragon or Gold Dragon. The game is also sometimes referred to simply as Dragon Eyes.

The game is played with two 6-sided dice and two coins or chips (per player). The game is best played with
at least four players.

Before the game begins each player has two coins. Each player then in turn rolls the dice and may lose
coins according to the numbers thrown. If one of the dice thrown shows a 1, they must put one of their
coins into the pot. If a double 1 ("dragon eyes") is thrown, they must put two coins in the pot. If a 6 is
thrown, the player must pass one coin to the player on their left. If a double 6 is thrown, two coins are
passed to the player on their left. All other numbers are meaningless.

Once a player has lost all their coins, they must miss their turn and have to wait for a coin to be passed to
them before they can resume throwing the dice. The player with the last coin then has three throws of the
dice and has to avoid throwing a 6. If they fail and throw a 6, the coin and dice pass to the next player who
in turn has three throws of the dice. The player who throws the dice three times without a 6 wins the pot.

This game requires two 6-sided dice (2d6). This game is based on dice game known as Aces in the Pot.
Skull
This dice game was originally played with a cube of bone embellished with a carving of a skull on one of
its sides. The game is now more often played with a single 6-sided dice.

The game is simple. The player bets against the person throwing the dice rolling a 6 (a skull) at least once
out of four rolls. The payoff odds are set at even money (1 to 1) which is in favor of the person throwing
the die.

Double Skull

In this version the bet is whether the person throwing the dice will throw a double six (double skull) at least
once out of 25 rolls. The payoff odds are set at even money (1 to 1) which is in favor of the person
throwing the die.

Bloody Caltrops

A variant of this game is played by mercenaries, brigands and thieves around the campfire--either just to
pass the time, or for big money in the poorer districts by people looking for a better life. Two 4-sided dice
or a pair of caltrops with one spike painted red (or stained with blood) are used.

In this version, the bet is whether the person throwing the dice will throw a double four (bloody caltrops) at
least once out of 11 rolls. The payoff odds are set at even money (1 to 1) which is in favor of the person
throwing the die.

This game requires two 4, one or two 6-sided dice (2d4, 2d6). This game is based on dice game known as
Sixes Bet, also known as Double Sixes.

Wishing Well
Wishing Well is a fast-moving dice game for two to six players (ideally six). Three dice and at least ten
coins or chips per player are all that's needed.

Each player is assigned a number from 1 to 6, representing the numbers on a die. If only five are playing,
the 6 is ignored. If only four are playing, both the 5 and 6 are ignored. With three players, each is given two
numbers, and with two players each is given three numbers.

Each player in turn rolls the three dice. If any player's number comes up in a throw, they must put a chip in
the pot (the wishing well). For example, if the first player rolls 4, 4, 2, then the player assigned the number
4 puts in two chips, and the player assigned the 2, one chip. The first player to put all his chips into the pot,
wins (gets their wish), and takes the pot. A set number of games are played, usually equal to the number of
players, with the winner of the previous game becoming the first thrower.

Different sided dice can be used, depending on the total number of players and dice available. 6-sided dice
are most common, but games with 4, 8, or 10-sided dice are not unheard of.

Poisoned Well

In this variant, if you roll your own number you do not put a chip into the pot. Instead you choose either the
player to your left or the player to your right to put a chip into the pot.

This game requires three 4, 6, 8 or 10-sided dice (3d4, 3d6, 3d8, or 3d10). This game is based on a dice
game known as Help Your Neighbor.
Deceit
Deceit is a dice game that challenges players to determine if they are being deceived or not. The game is
played with two 6-sided dice, chips or coins, and a cup or mug (that you can not see through).

Each player rolls a die with the highest roll going first. Players place the dice in the cup and turn the cup
face down, rolling the dice. They then take a peek, being careful not to let anyone else see the results. The
player may now tell the truth about the roll or lie about it.

The dice are always read with the larger number first. For instance if you have a 2 and 5, your read it as 52.
6 and 1 is 61, and so on. Examples of invalid numbers would be 25 or 16.

Play continues clockwise around the table. Each player must always announce a number greater than the
previous player, by truth or by lying. The next player decides whether or not they believe the roll. If they do
not, they lift the cup to check. If the truth was told, the person who questioned it must give the person who
rolled the dice a chip. If it was a lie, the person who rolled the dice must give the player who challenged
them a chip. However, if the roll is not questioned, the dice are passed to the next person clockwise;
without looking, that players then rolls the dice, continuing the game.

Here is a list of possible rolls in from highest to lowest:

*1-1, 6-6, 6-5, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1, 5-5, 5-4, 5-3, 5-2, 5-1, 4-4, 4-3, 4-2, 4-1, 3-3, 3-2, 3-1, 2-2, **2-1

*If you roll (or lie) 1-1 (the highest roll), you may choose any player and tell them to give you a chip. If the
person chosen believes you, they hand a chip to you, and the next player continues. If they do not believe
you and you actually have a 1-1, then they must give you two chips. If they do not believe you and you are
lying, then you must surrender two chips to them.

**If you roll (or lie) 2-1, the direction of the game changes. For instance, the game starts clockwise, but
may change to counterclockwise if the next player believes you or if they challenge you and you actually
rolled 2-1. Chips change hands as normal on this roll.

In all cases, when someone is paid a chip(s), the next player begins from zero. Each player begins the game
with a predetermined number of chips and is eliminated if they have no more chips. The last player with
any chips is declared the winner. Games with unlimited chips may conclude after a set number of rounds or
all players agree to end the game.

This game requires two 6-sided dice (2d6). This game is based on dice game known as Mexico.