Long Shot: The Dice Game

A day at the races that somehow works for eight people and a pen each.

Eight horses, one track, and a grandstand full of players all convinced they've spotted the winner. You buy horses, place bets, nudge the running order and use one-off abilities, and when three horses have crossed the line everybody totals their winnings. Most money takes it — which is not always the person who backed the winner.

The design trick is that a single roll drives everyone's turn at once. The dice determine which horses move and which options open up, so nobody is sitting out while somebody else plays, and the game scales to eight players without adding a minute to the running time. Chris Handy's design has picked up a shelf of awards for exactly that reason. Twenty-five minutes, start to finish.

Perfect for: The awkward group size where somebody usually has to sit out, and anyone whose Melbourne Cup sweep is the highlight of their year.

1–8 players | 25 minutes | Age 14+