Why play dice games on one device
Dice games are made for passing around a table. Here the dice live in the game, so you can play on a train, in a tent or in a waiting room without packing anything. Every roll is random, and the game applies the rules for you: which moves are legal, who gets sent home and what a roll is worth on the scorecard.
These four games also cover the full range from luck to skill:
| Game | Players | Dice | Luck or skill? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yacht dice | 1 to 6 | Five | Luck, plus scoring choices |
| Ludo | 2 to 4 | One | Luck, plus which token to move |
| Backgammon | 2 | Two | Luck, with deep strategy |
| Snakes and Ladders | 2 to 4 | One | Pure luck |
The games
- Yacht dice: roll five dice up to three times, keep the ones you want and chase a full house, a straight or five of a kind. The hard part is deciding which category to fill and which to save. The Yacht dice guide lists every scoring category.
- Ludo: race four tokens around the board and into your home column, landing on rivals to send them back to start. Safe squares give you somewhere to hide, and computer players can fill empty colors.
- Backgammon: two dice, fifteen checkers each and a race to bear off first. Doubles let you move four times, and a single checker left alone can be hit and sent to the bar. Read the backgammon guide for the starting setup.
- Snakes and Ladders: roll and move, climbing ladders and sliding down snakes. There are no decisions at all, which makes it ideal for young children. Computer players in this game simply roll.
Tips for better dice games
- Yacht: keep a dump category. When a turn goes badly, score a zero somewhere you were unlikely to fill anyway rather than wasting a valuable category.
- Ludo: spread the risk. Having two or three tokens on the board gives you more choices with every roll than racing a single token home.
- Backgammon: watch your blots. A single checker within reach of your opponent is a target. Pair checkers up when you can, and take more risks when you’re behind.
- Mix luck and strategy. Start a group with Snakes and Ladders or Ludo, then move to Yacht dice. For two players who want more strategy, see the 2 player games.