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Many board games use dice in their play, but there are lots of dice games that are loads of fun in themselves. Dice make great travel games, partly because they are small and versatile, but also because you might have some in another game you are taking away.

Numbered dice are by far the most common but you can also buy maths dice and specially printed dice such as poker dice and the cricket dice game owzthat.

Dice also make fantastic party games because there are not too many rules to learn, one favourite is the South American dice game Dudo, a variation of this game has also been brought out under the name Perudo.

Dudo is an ancient Peruvian game for two or more players. It is best played with five or six. According to legend, King Atahualpa, emperor of the Incas, refined the game to its present level of skill and luck during his captivity after his defeat by the Spanish conquistadors, led by Pizzaro, in 1532. A game of guesswork, bluff and of course, luck. You have to estimate the total number of dice on the table that show any given number.

Number of Players: 2-6
Game Duration: 20 mins
Players Aged 8+
You will need: 30 spot dice in 6 different colours, 6 dice cups, 1 drawstring bag

Dudo is a game of bidding, bluffing and luck. Players keep their dice hidden and take it in turns to make a bid, guessing how many dice have been rolled in total by all players. On each turn, players must increase their bid - either to beat the previous players call or to force the next player to make an unrealistic call. At any time a player can be challenged - and if you are proved wrong, you lose a die.
To win you have to be the last player left in the game with any dice.

To play
Everybody takes 1 dice cup and a set of 5 dice, all the same colour. Determine who starts by rolling one die. Highest roll calls first, then proceed clockwise around the table.
All players simultaneously shake their dice then up end their cups on the table with the cup covering all their dice. Each player then secretly looks at the dice they have rolled, using the cup to conceal them from other players.
The roll of 1 on a die denotes an Ace or a ‘wild’ die.

First Player
The first player makes his/her call. This should be based on the total quantity of a particular number they think has been rolled by all the players. So you are guessing on the total on the table, not the dice in your own hand.
Before making a call, bear in mind 2 things:
1. The total number of dice in play. It becomes more and more difficult to remember as players lose dice.
2. All Aces are wild. This means that they can be counted as any number on the dice. Wild dice make the quantity of a number more difficult to guess. You may not begin a round calling Aces.

Next Player
The player to the left plays next, there are 2 options:
1.To accept the call and make the next call- which must be of higher value.
2.To challenge the previous player by calling “Dudo”.

Making a higher call
A call of higher value is:
- the same number of dice but showing a higher value (so, a call of seven:3’s is higher than a call of seven:2’s)
- the same value but a higher number of dice (so a call of seven: 2’s is higher than a call of six: 2’s)
- at least half the number of dice previously called but showing an “Ace” - so a call of four:1’s (aces) is higher than eight:2’s.

Example:
The previous player has called eight:4’s. The minimum subsequent call is one of the following:
- Eight:5’s
- Nine: 4’s
- Four: 1’s (aces)

Calling “Dudo”
Whenever a player believes that the previous call is impossible or unlikely, they can challenge the call by shouting “Dudo” (“I doubt” in Spanish). This allows you the chance to discover if another player is bluffing instead of being forced to bluff yourself. Starting to your left, each player in turn lifts his cup to reveal the dice concealed underneath. All the dice that show either the last declared number or an Ace are counted.

For instance, if the challenged player called nine 5’s, then all the 5’s and all the 1’s (aces) are counted. If there are nine or more the call was correct and the challenger loses one die. Dice lost in this way are placed in the drawstring bag in the centre of the table where they will be hidden from sight. If fewer dice than the number called are revealed, the challenge is proved right and the challenged player loses a die.

The player who lost the previous call begins the next round. If you lose your last die you are out of the game and the game continues with the player to your left.

Continuing to Play
When following a player who has called Aces, you may either call a higher number of Aces or revert to the other numbers (2 to 6), in which case the amount you call must be at least double the number of Aces called plus 1. A call of four Aces can be followed by a call of nine: 2's.

At any stage when it’s your turn you may chose to bluff. For example when a player has called nine:4’s and you have neither 4’s nor Aces and think it unlikely there are nine:4’s you can still call ten: 4’s in the hope that the next player will call eleven:4’s and be challenged.

“Palifico” - Play continues until one player is reduced to one die. This person declares themselves Palifico and automatically starts the next round. Aces are not wild and can be called as if an ordinary number. Whatever the opening call, the other players must call a higher quantity of the same number. Only another player who also has only one die in a Palifico round is permitted to change the number

“Calza” - This is an optional rule for advanced play. It allows any player except the one whose turn it is to call, to declare the last call to be exactly correct. When "Calza" is called the round is finished and all players must reveal their dice, starting with the player who made the call. If you have called "Calza" correctly and there is exactly that number of dice, including Aces, you regain a die from the table (no player can hold more than 5 dice). If wrong, however, you lose a die. The next hand begins with the “Calza” player.