How to Create a New Dice Game

[Micheal Jorden]

Making a new game can be fairly easy if you start with an idea from an existing game and expand on it. And you are able to often produce a game using common game equipment.

There's a dice game called Shut the Box that uses a couple of dice, and box with a row of twelve hinged tiles containing the numbers from 1 to 12. Each tile can either be standing or lying down.

When a small grouping of people play the overall game, each plays a solitaire game. At the start of every player's game, the lying tiles are raised so that they are standing.

During your game, you roll the 2 dice into the box, and attempt to lay out standing tiles that total the number rolled. If your first roll is a 7, you are able to lay out the 7, or the 6 and 1, or the 5 and 2, or the 4 and 3, or the 4 and 2 and 1. You continue rolling the dice and laying down tiles and soon you are unable to find standing tiles that match the number rolled. Then you accumulate the numbers on the tiles left standing, and record this as your score.

The tiles are then raised, and the following player starts. When all players have played, the gamer with the lowest score wins.

Now produce a new game based on the notion of matching dice rolls to numbers. Substitute a terrace of playing cards for the tiles and the box. One suit of cards provides you with your 12 numbers along with a King. Minus the King, you could play Shut the Box.

You choose to change the overall game from a series of solitaire games to a casino game in that your players take turns playing, you start with a starting player and moving clockwise around a circle. To provide each player a more equal chance of scoring (remember the 4 and 2 and 1), each player tries to match the rely on two dice to the number on a single card. To increase the opportunity of scoring, you add a third die.

With four suits in a terrace of cards, the overall game is played as four rounds. At the start of every round, the cards in a single suit are laid face-up on the table.

On your own turn, roll the three dice, Bloodstone Dice and try to match a card to the rely on two of the dice. If you roll a 3, 4, and 6, you could match a 7 (3+4), 9 (3+6) or 10 (4+6). If you can match a card, take it. Otherwise the following player rolls.

Because of the Aces and Kings, you add these abnormal matches. Whenever you roll three 1's, you are able to take the Ace. Whenever you roll three 6's, you are able to take the King. Whenever you roll two 1's and the Two is fully gone, you are able to take the Ace. And when you roll two 6's and the Queen is fully gone, you are able to take the King.

Continue across the circle until most of the cards are gone, or until nobody has brought a card two full times across the circle. Then eliminate the leftover cards, and lay a brand new suit of cards face-up on the table. The ball player whose turn would have been next becomes the starting player for the brand new round. At the end of four rounds, the players count their cards, and the gamer with the most cards wins.

You can change the principles to make variations with this game. The Aces and Kings can score three points each. Or you are able to re-roll two of the dice through your turn. Or you need to use four dice. Or the leftover cards at the end of every round remain face-up on the table. Or the gamer with the least cards after four rounds wins.