Another game I have come up with is a simple dice game called “shambles”. In shambles, two players try to best one another’s rolls for points. On each play, both players roll 1d6. The player with the higher roll gets a point. If the rolls are equal, both get a point.

When one of the players has four points, rolling matching values ends the round. If the players’ point totals are equal, roll again until one player has has more.

This matching feature makes for drama, because you can get into a position to win but need the matching roll to clinch it; but if you then lose a round or two, you can miss clinching the win just when you thought you had it made.

If playing for fun, you can play three out of five. Or you can record the score and play again, and the first to 20 points wins the match.

In D&D

In tabletop role-playing games, this can be used to decide the outcome of a wrestling match, non-lethal duel, wizard dual, footrace, gambling, or other contest. Just give one character a +1 to represent having some advantage, such as wrestling or athletics skill or one duelist being higher level. Since such bonuses are strong on a d6, avoid any advantage more than +1.

Wizard Duels

For wizard duels in D&D (if you want to get rid of Counterspell), spellcasters can try to counter each others’ spells by expending a spell slot of the same level.

Then the magical energies collide, swirling and crackling as the duel is fought. Other characters must stop their fighting and shade their eyes. The loser suffers the effect of the intended spell plus a minor wild magic effect. (That is, if you got your spell countered, you suffer the effects of your own spell and some wild magic; if you win, your opponent suffers the effects as intended, plus the wild magic effect.)

If you prefer, you might say that, regardless of outcome, both duelists suffer the same wild magic effect.

You might be tempted to raise the dice to d10s or d12s and give bonuses for differing spell level and/or intelligence. But the power of the spells themselves should be more important than technique. Don’t go nuts, it’s meant to be simple!

Death Saves

You can even use this to replace disease, poisoning, and even death saving throws. A character reduced to zero hit points is brought to limbo by the Lord of the Underworld and invited to “dice with death”. The character is at -1 against death unless getting aid and comfort from companions.

The two battle it out with the dice while everything around them pauses. If the hero wins, he or she is left barely alive and semi-conscious. If the hero loses, the Lord of the Underworld takes the character down….