Board games are one of the most enjoyable pastimes often played with friends and family. One of the common features found in the most popular and oldest board games is the use of dice. Dice are often used to determine players’ fate and the result of their actions, adding an element of surprise and excitement to games.
There are many different types of dice in board games; from the classic 6-sided die to 4-sided, 12-sided, 20-sided dice, and more, as well as custom dice with certain symbols instead of numbers. Dice in games don’t always bring the aspect of luck however, sometimes they can be used in an abstract way. Here we’ll go over some of the best games based on dice rolling, and how they use dice in gameplay;
1. Champions of Midgard
Champions of Midgard is a highly acclaimed game that is known for its unique mix of strategic and tactical elements. The game is set in a Viking world, and players take the role of leaders of Viking clans. The goal of the game is to gain the most glory points by completing tasks such as raiding, trading, and slaying monsters.
The game is played over eight rounds in which players use their resources to recruit Viking warriors, build ships, and purchase supplies. Players also use their warriors to hunt for food, or battle draugrs, monsters, and trolls to complete quests and gain glory.
The warriors that players recruit are actually dice. White dice represent swordsmen, red dice represent spearmen, and black dice represent axemen, each with different probabilities of attack and defense. Players roll these dice when attacking and count on their luck to kill creatures. It seems like it is too much to risk on pure luck, and it is. Nevertheless, players must account for the margin of error and try to raise their chances by recruiting more warriors and performing special abilities.
2. Stone Age
Stone Age is a classic worker placement game for two to four players. Players take on the role of a prehistoric tribe trying to survive in the stone age. The game has a board with various action spaces, as well as a number of different resources of wood, clay, stone, and gold.
Players take turns placing their workers on the board, collecting resources, building huts, and developing their tribe. These actions give points to players and the player with the most points at the end of the game shall be the winner.
The dice come into play when collecting resources, which makes the dice an effective component. Players roll a number of dice equal to the number of workers in a resource space, divide the total by the number corresponding to the resource in question, and gain that many resources. So players gain more resources if they roll higher numbers on their dice, and although this sets them further on in the game, it doesn’t mean other players with lower dice numbers cannot overcome them. The game also features tools, which can be used to raise dice results, so players can influence their dice rolls with them.
3. King of Tokyo
King of Tokyo is a modern classic board game of fast-paced dice-rolling that has become a fan favorite in the gaming world. It is for two to six players and takes about 30 minutes to play.
In King of Tokyo, each player takes on the role of a giant monster, such as a robot, a lizard, or an ape. The goal of the game is to be the first player to reach 20 victory points or to eliminate all other monsters. Players take turns rolling six custom dice to gain points, collect energy, rest and heal, or attack other monsters.
King of Tokyo is full of exciting moments as players roll their dice and use their special abilities to perform the best actions. Sometimes they succeed and gain major points, buy a valuable action card, or eliminate other players from the game, and sometimes they fail miserably.
4. Sagrada
Sagrada has a lot of colorful dice in it, but it isn’t a dice-rolling game. In fact, players don’t really care about the numbers rolled. It is a dice-drafting game for one to four players and is a favorite among board game enthusiasts.
The game is set in the city of Sagrada, where players take the role of master artisans who are ordered to create beautiful stained-glass windows. Players must use their skills and wits to construct these windows by placing dice of various colors and numbers into their window frames. The dice are drafted from a shared pool of dice that are taken randomly from a bag and rolled at the beginning of each round.
The only rule of placing dice is that no two adjacent dice may share the same color or number. So players must carefully strategize and calculate their decisions so they can successfully fill all of the window frames, as empty frames count as negative points.
The interesting fact about the dice in Sagrada is that the color of the dice is equally as important as the number on them, and they are both randomly determined. But because they are shared between players every one has an almost equal chance to use the dice.
5. Coimbra
Coimbra is similar to Sagrada in the way it uses dice. It is a strategy game for two to four players set in the city of Coimbra, Portugal. It is the 15th century and players are influential families in the city competing for power and prestige.
The game is played over four rounds, each with several phases. At the beginning of each round, we roll all of the dice – which are divided into four colors with one white die that counts as a joker. Players take turns drafting three dice each and placing them in a space in the market. The numbers on the dice determine the turn order of players for each space. Sometimes higher is better and sometimes lower.
After that players begin buying cards from the market. And then players take their dice back and perform actions with them. This time, the colors of the dice determine what actions each player takes. Two of the colors give resources to players, one of them grants victory points, and one of them allows players to move their worker on the board.
The use of dice is very interesting in Coimbra because players have to think about the numbers on them as well as the colors and try to choose the best combination, as their actions and power depend entirely on the dice they choose. This is another game where dice are used unconventionally and don’t directly correspond to luck.
6. Lords of Vegas
Lords of Vegas is a game of strategy, negotiation, and luck. It is set in Las Vegas and players take on the role of ambitious casino owners, competing to build the most successful and lucrative casinos in the city. They must manage their money, make the best deals with other players, and build their casino empire to score points.
Players take turns buying and trading different plots to build casinos of a certain color. Players place dice in their casinos to show how much influence they have in that casino. There is no dice-rolling involved here. Until one of the players decides to take a risk and re-roll all of the dice in a casino, so maybe the owner would change.
Players can also take a gamble action, where they visit another player’s casino and places a bet. They then roll two dice and either win or lose money based on the chart shown in the game, which is a clever mechanism.
ords of Vegas is a great game for those who like high interaction between players and making deals, as well as the excitement of rolling dice.
7. Dice Throne
Dice Throne is an extremely popular set of board games that is sure to bring hours of fun to the table. Each box contains two characters and supports two players, but you can play with up to six players if you own enough copies.
In Dice Throne, each player receives a unique and powerful character, such as a blood-thirsty vampire queen, or a skilled samurai, and enters a battle to the death! Players take turns rolling their special dice and attacking each other until one of them hits zero health and loses the game.
Each player has five beautiful custom dice with the numbers 1-6 as well as some symbols. Each player also has a board that shows their available actions and the dice needed. On their turn, players roll their dice up to three times and try to make a combination to make an attack. Sometimes the numbers create a combination, and sometimes the symbols.
Each character also has a deck of action cards that can be used to do a lot of things, such as manipulating your own or your opponent’s dice. The dice-rolling system well conveys the excitement and pressure of a real fight.
Final Thoughts
Now we see how a simple component as a die can be used in so many fun and innovative ways. Even if you consider yourself an unlucky person, these games show you a way to change fate in your favor. Some people love the aspect of controllable luck, while others prefer everything to be in their power. I personally think every gamer should have a healthy mix of both on their game nights. What other games have you enjoyed rolling dice in? Which game do you think nailed the use of dice?
