POLYHEDRAL POKER

A luck-and-strategy dice game.

Players: 2–6
Dice Used: D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20
Game Time: 10–30 minutes

Setup

• Each player starts with one of each die type (D4 through D20)

Game Flow

• Each round allows up to 3 rolls
• Roll all six dice
• Keep any dice you want, re-roll the rest
• After the third roll, build your best 5-die hand and compare with other players

Hand Rankings (Best to Worst)

• Nat 20: A natural 20 on D20 (instant win for the round)
• Five of a Kind
• Four of a Kind
• Full House (three of one number plus two of another)
• Straight (five consecutive values)
• Three of a Kind
• Two Pair
• One Pair
• High Die (no combinations; highest single die wins)

Optional Rules

• Nat 20 can optionally win the entire game immediately
• Wildcard D20: Can substitute for another die type. If you lose, you bust
• Re-Roll Token: Once per game, re-roll all dice
• Bluffing Mode: Keep rolls secret and declare your hand rank. Challenges result in round loss if caught bluffing

Winning

• Quick Game: First to 3 wins
• Long Game: First to 5 wins
• Tournament: Track total rounds won

ARENA CLASH

A fast-paced bluff-and-battle dice showdown

Players: 2 or more
Dice Used: Each player selects 3 dice totaling no more than 30 sides

Setup

• Choose 3 dice totaling 30 sides or fewer
• Each player starts with 3 Life Points

Combat

• Secretly select one of your 3 dice
• Reveal and roll dice simultaneously
• Highest roll wins; lowest loses 1 life. Ties for lowest all lose 1 life
• Last player standing wins

Optional Dice Abilities

• D4: Re-roll a 1 once per game
• D6: Ignore first life lost
• D8: Once per game, choose a player to lose an extra life on your win
• D10: Swap dice after revealing, once per game
• D12: Block a loss once per game
• D20: Roll 1-2: lose 1 life; roll 20: gain 1 life

Optional Rules

• Sudden Death: Final two players roll 2 dice; highest total wins
• Power Tokens: Earn by winning a round; spend to re-roll or force opponent re-roll

POLYHEDRAL PIG

A push-your-luck dice race to 100 points

Players: 2 or more
Dice Used: D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20

Objective

• Be the first player to reach 100 points by rolling progressively higher dice and banking your turn total before busting

Game Flow

• Choose any die and roll it. Record the result
• Continue rolling using a different die
• If the new roll is higher than the previous, add it to your turn total
• If the new roll is equal to or lower, you bust and earn 0 points that turn
• You may stop and bank your turn total at any time

Winning

• First player to reach or exceed 100 points wins

Optional Rules

• Three-Roll Max: Only 3 rolls allowed per turn
• Memory Play: Dice used in a turn cannot be reused that turn
• Power Dice (choose one die and its ability):
• D4 – Nimble: If you bust, bank the last successful roll
• D6 – Cautious: Re-roll one die per turn
• D8 – Lucky: Tie values do not bust you
• D10 – Bold: First roll each turn scores double
• D12 – Steady: Ignore first bust once per game
• D20 – Risky: Roll 20, instantly bank 20 points

DUNGEON DELVE

A solo or cooperative polyhedral dice adventure.

Players: 1–4
Dice Used: D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20
Game Time: 20–30 minutes

Choose Your Class

• Warrior
• Attack Die: D12
• Ability 1: Crushing Blow – Once per dungeon, roll attack die twice and take the higher result.
• Ability 2: Protector – Once per dungeon, reduce damage taken by 1 for a teammate in the same room.
• Rogue
• Attack Die: D10
• Ability 1: Evasive Strike – On a loss, reduce damage by 1.
• Ability 2: Scout – Once per dungeon, reveal the next room’s monster strength to help teammates plan.
• Mage
• Attack Die: D8
• Ability 1: Arcane Surge – Once per dungeon, add +4 to any attack roll after seeing the result.
• Ability 2: Healing Aura – Once per dungeon, roll a D6 to heal yourself and one teammate of the same amount.

Starting Setup

• Health (HP): 10
• Gold: 0
• Inventory: Empty
• Optional: Use counters or tokens for tracking HP, gold, and abilities

The Dungeon (10 Rooms)

• Roll a D20 for monster strength
• Roll your class’s attack die
• If your roll is equal or greater, you win; if lower, take damage equal to the difference. Rogues reduce damage by 1
• After battle: Roll a D6 to regain that many HP
• Roll a D4 to gain that many gold

The Shop (Between Rooms)

• Health Potion (2 gold): Heal +4 HP
• Attack Buff (3 gold): Add +2 to next attack roll
• Shield (4 gold): Block one instance of damage
• Revive Token (5 gold): At 0 HP, reset to 5 HP (one-time use)
• Optional: Shop only available every 2 rooms for a harder game

Winning

• Solo: Survive all 10 rooms
• Co-op: All players survive together
• Challenge Mode: Add elite monsters, expand to 15 rooms, or introduce random events

Sources

Ask the Bellhop. (2023). 25 Free tabletop games that only require you to have some standard dice on hand to play. Tabletop Bellhop. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from https://tabletopbellhop.com/blog/free-tabletop-dice-games

Dice Cold. (n.d.). Games. Retrieved January 9, 2025, from https://www.dicecold.com/games

Group Games 101. (2023). 20 fun dice games for kids & adults to play at home or anywhere! Retrieved October 29, 2024, from https://groupgames101.com/fun-dice-games

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