dice have been around for thousands of years. Each civilisation seems to have developed their own form of dice. They have been used to play games by poor and rich alike. A great example of this can be found on the high gate of the temple of Medinet in Egypt, where King Rameses III is shown playing a game of dice with the ladies of his harem.
Dice have been made from all manner of materials, including seashells, seeds, animal horn, ceramics, animal teeth and even bone, which is where the phrase 'rolling the bones' originated. Dice also gave us the phrase 'the die is cast,' because in ancient times the result was considered to be controlled by the gods and not down to luck. A throw of the dice was used to settle arguments, split inheritances and even choose new leaders.
Today there are various types of dice including golf dice, poker dice, polyhedral dice, slot machine dice and the familiar standard six sided dice.
The games that follow use the standard six sided dice where the opposite faces add up to seven. They range in difficulty of play and length of play, so are ideal for a range of occasions, age and abilities.
BEETLE
You will need:
* One die
* Piece of paper for each player
* Pencil for each player
Number of players:
Four or more is ideal.
Aim of the game:
To be the first person to complete a beetle drawing to win (see diagram).
Each number on the die is given a part of the beetle's body:
* 1 = body
* 2 = head
* 3 = legs
* 4 = eyes
* 5 = antenna
* 6 = stinger.
How to play:
* Each player takes it in turn to throw the die.
* A player begins drawing when they throw a 1.
* They then draw the beetle's body (see diagram).
* On their next go the throw must consist of a 2, 3 or 6 - the eyes and antenna cannot be drawn until the head is in place.
* The game continues until a player has drawn a completed beetle; this player is the winner.
ACES
A simple game where the throw of the dice dictates the actions taken by the players.
You will need:
* Five dice
Number of players: Four or more is ideal.
Aim of the game:
To be the last person to use the last die to throw a 1.
How to play:
Each player takes it in turn to throw the five dice. When each person throws the dice the following actions are taken by them, dependent on the numbers they throw. These are:
* If a 1 is thrown then this die is taken out of play and placed in the middle of the table.
* If a 2 is thrown then this die is handed to the person on their left, who can use it when it is their turn.
* If a 5 is thrown then this die is handed to the person on their right, who can use it when it is their turn.
The player throwing the dice does so until they run out of dice and then the person on their right takes their turn. The game continues until only one die is left. Then the first person to throw a 1 is the winner.
Pig
Luck and good judgement must be on your side in this simple game.
You will need:
* One die
* Piece of paper and a pencil to keep score
Number of players:
Three or more is ideal.
Aim of the game:
To be the first person to gain 100 points.
How to play:
* Each player takes it in turn to throw the die.
* They can keep throwing it, adding the numbers they throw together for as long as they like.
If they throw a 1 then they have to pass the die on to the next player and all the points they score are lost.
* If they choose to stop throwing before they throw a 1 then all the points are added to their total. The game continues until a player reaches 100.
This player is the winner.
Variation:
To introduce a variation for older children, play this game with two dice.
How to play:
Each player takes their turn as before and should either of the die land with a 1 then they end their turn and lose their points. However, if they are lucky enough to throw two number 1s they end their turn, lose their points but are given 25 points.
If during a turn they manage to throw any doubles they can double how much that throw was worth. For example, if they throw two 2s then they score eight points.
GOING TO BOSTON
This is a fast-moving and easy game to play, ideal for both younger and older children.
You will need:
Three dice
* A piece of paper and a pencil to keep score
Number of players:
Four or more players.
Aim of the game:
To gain the highest number of points.
How to play:
* Players must decide for how many rounds the game is going to last.
* Then the first player takes their turn (a turn consists of three throws).
* After their first throw they place to one side the die showing the highest number.
* On their second throw they place to one side the die showing the highest number.
* On their last throw they then add up the numbers on all three dice; this is their score.
* The next person then repeats this process.
* Once all rounds are complete the person with the highest number of points is the winner.
Variation:
If older children are playing this game then the rules can be changed slightly.
How to play:
Play the game as above but after the third throw tally the score by adding up the first two numbers then multiply this by the number on the third die.
For example, if they throw a 3 followed by a 4 this gives them 7.
Their last throw is a 2 so their total score is 14.
GOLF
Based on the ball game but simply played using three dice and some paper to keep score.
You will need:
* Three dice
* Piece of paper and pencil to keep score
Number of players: Three or more is ideal.
Aim of the game:
The player with the lowest score wins the game.
How to play:
* Each player takes it in turn to throw the three dice.
* The first player counts how many throws it takes to get a double. This is their score.
* Then they give the dice to the next player.
* The play continues until each player has had 18 goes (this represents the 18 holes of golf).
* At the end of the game the scores are added up and the player with the lowest number is the winner.
