Two Cavemen Stopped at a Pub for Drinks … Introducing a New Series : Dice and More Dice

After a hard day’s work at the stone quarry, two cavemen (I think their names may have been Fred and Barney) stopped at a pub for drinks but neither of them had any money. And neither of them wanted to let on that their pockets were empty. So, being cavemen and being passionate about their beer, they each opened their lunch buckets and rummaged around for anything that might be worth vending.

Now you might think this story is about Fred and Barney and about their wives that scolded them when they got back home later than they should have. And how their supper was cold and how they each had to spend the night on the sofa – all of which actually happened.

But this story is not about them. Not really. This is a tale of 2 knucklebones. The remnants of Fred’s lunch. The part that was too hard to eat, even for a caveman.

While Fred was proposing that the bones might be worth at least one beer and that half a beer would be better than nothing (presuming that he shared the rest of the glass with Barney, which he might just do. He’d have to wait and see …) a hustler came to their table and explained the game of craps. Which, believe it or not, turns out to be older than the paleolithic era.

“You see,” the hustler began, “these bones could land like this (on their sides) or like this (on their other side) or even on end. All you have to do is guess which way they’ll land, toss them on to the table, and be right in all your guesses – or at least more often than you’re wrong. (smile) Wanna play?”

“Sure, sure.” And thus were born the very first of a long line of suckers who have almost learned the game. And gone home empty handed. Only to return to work the following day with no lunch in their now non-existent buckets.

What are dice?

How are they used?

And what forms do they come in? (Other than as knucklebones.)

Starting with our next post, we will present an eight part series dealing with dice and their role (no pun intended) in table top games. 🙂

What will we talk about?

• Dice and More Dice – Part 1 – The Traditional Role of Traditional (cubic, d6) Dice.

• Dice and More Dice – Part 2 – Modern Use of Ancient Shapes – How Plato Influenced Modern Role Playing Games.

• Dice and More Dice – Part 3 – All These Stats Give Me a Headache – A Simplified View of Dice Mechanics.

• Dice and More Dice – Part 4 – Dice and The Law – Regional Opinions That Have Varied Over Time.

• Dice and More Dice – Part 5 – Your Invention Really Matters – How Inventors Have Infused New Life Into a Dying Industry.

• Dice and More Dice – Part 6 – Who Moves and How Far? – Randomizers Other Than Dice.

• Dice and More Dice – Part 7A – “Like a Man Obsessed” – Dice Collectors Tell Their Story

• Dice and More Dice – Part 7B – “Like a Man Obsessed” – Dice Collectors Tell Their Story
• Dice and More Dice – Part 7C – “Like a Man Obsessed” – Dice Collectors Tell Their Story

• Dice and More Dice – Part 8 – “I Hate Dice” – Game Purists Speak Their Mind

• Dice and More Dice – Concluding Remarks On an Eight Part Series

Here we’ll wrap up our series with a few miscellaneous tidbits and, of course, with your take on dice as well. Just contact us to have your two cents worth included in our concluding remarks.

So, are you ready to talk about dice?

We sure are!

And to think, it all started with two knuckleheads – I mean knucklebones – and a glass of beer!