The Dicing On the Cake

"Who brought dice?"

(crickets chirping)

Four people timidly raise their hands.

"I brought some Monopoly money"

"I brought darts"

"I want some Mongolian Beef with fried rice and an egg roll"

Somehow, enough dice where scrounged up so everybody had 5 each.  Next, we got into brand new groups of 5 and played "Liar's Dice" - a confusing game that pirates made up while they were semi-delirious from scurvy.  Cool.

Afterwards, we were given an hour to make up our own game using -

- a sheet of paper
- 5 cups
- 25 dice

GO!

The brainstorm drizzles slowly at first.  Just rehashing "Sissy Fight" as a dice game is brought up and immediately brought down.  Then how about trying to toss your die into a little circle drawn on the sheet of paper?  And what if the paper was resting on top of the five cups like....this!?  Try to knock off everybody else's dice!  Or the open ends of the cups were placed beneath each corner of the paper - and you try to balance the dice  "Jenga style" without them all toppling in?  Like this.  Hmmmmmmmmm.  The paper's too flimsy.  We need posterboard or something.

12 minutes has gone by and we ain't got nothin'.  Square one.  What's fun?  What's simple?  Throw the dice into the cup.  Try it.  Hmmmmmm.  Okay, but it's easier to just try and knock the styrofoam cups over.  They're too light.  Here, let's get out of our chairs and arrange them in front of us, like we're at a carnival.  One person plays the carny and has to keep all the dice from rolling under the desks.  Okay, go.  Wait.  We need a new cup.  This one's broke.  Okay, now go.

Loud dice banging all over the place.  Bouncing onto the floor and going everywhere.  Parents would hate this game.  Nobody can get one in.  Okay, how about we put the cups on the floor, against the wall.  But, we'll scuff up the wall!  Who cares.  Just do it.  We have, like 11 minutes left.  Go.  Rapid fire dice throwing commences.  Only one or two of us get one in.  Have we lost some dice?  Yes.  That's okay  We all get 4 now.  Hey, put the cups on the eraser ledge of the dry erase board.  That might be easier.  Try.  Nope.  Everybody else is already deep in the midst of playing their games.  We're still experimenting.  Throwing dice all over the place and making lots of noise.  Allright.  Square one.  Again.  What's fun?  Let's sit at that table.

Here, everybody sit on a side.  Not you.  There's only room for 4.  Okay, put a die under your cup.  Yeah, now what?  Slide it over to me.  Scoop it.  And do what with it?  Air hockey it back to you?  Sure.  No, wait!  Try to trap it in your cup.  Then slide it to somebody else.  Allright.  That's it.  What do we call it?  "Dice Hockey!"  Yes.  Perfect.  With .82 milliseconds left.

The presentation flops.  Let's rethink this thing.  How about "Blackjack Dice".  You try to roll 24 with 4 dice.  Roll.  Keep the ones you want on the table.  Roll the remaining ones.    You just get three tries.  Okay.  Sounds good.  No throwing dice from far away.  No cups.  No rules upon rules.  Simple and easy.

But what about the sheet of paper?  Eat it.  Quick.