Calling LCR a “game” is a bit of a stretch. LCR Dice is more like an activity than a game, since it is 100% luck and no strategy or skill. But it can be an entertaining gambling activity, especially when played for money.
LCR dice and tokens come in a small portable package. You can replace the tokens with coins easily.
Basic stats: 3-12+ players, 20 min, ages 5+
I first played LCR Dice at a bachelorette party. We played the first round with pennies, then with nickels, then dimes, and then quarters. I have since played with many other groups, using coins, candies, and even dollar bills.
Each player starts out with three coins or tokens. (The game comes with tokens, but it’s more fun if you replace them with something more fun, like money or candy.)
Then players take turns rolling three or fewer dice on their turn. You roll one die for each coin you have, unless you have more than three coins. The max you can roll is three, so if you have more than three coins, you are only going to roll for three of them.
If you only have one token or coin, you only get to roll one die.
The dice have the letters L, C, R, and dots on them. If you roll an L, you pass one coin to the person on your left. An R means you pass a coin to the person on your right. A C means you put a coin in the center, where it stays until the end of the round. A dot means you get to keep the coin.
This roll means you give one token or coin to the player on the left and on the right, and you keep one for yourself.
If you run out of coins, you don’t roll any dice on your turn, but there’s still a good chance that your neighbors will end up passing you more coins and getting you back into the game. You’re never really eliminated until the game ends and only one player has any coins left.
Two Cs mean two tokens or coins go to the pot and the one dot means you get to keep one token/coin.
The winner gets the collection of money or candy from the center. I have played this game with big groups, and it’s definitely more exciting when there is some money involved. We played with dollars once, so each person put in $3, and I ended up winning, so I left the game with $21!
LCR is a pretty mindless game, and you have no control at all over your fate. But it can be a good social activity for interacting with the other players and getting to know them a little.
Pros:
- Entertaining social activity
- Exciting gambling feel when playing for money
- Simple and easy to teach
- Attracts non-gamers to play (we have introduced this game to interested friends and family–and even strangers who were curious)
- Nobody gets eliminated
- Small, durable, waterproof
Cons:
- 100% luck
- Not much of a game really, more of an activity
- No variety