Dice Wars, a game of a little bit of luck and a lot of math, requires patience to learn. It is fun and addictive, but without a guide, it can be very easy to lose.
The Rules of Dice Wars
Each player starts with a limited number of territories, each with a stack of dice on them. When players try to take over the territory of other players, they roll the dice of their territory against the territory of the opposing player. If the attacker gets a higher number, they take that territory, and move all of the attacking dice except one to it.
If it's a tie or a loss, then the attacker loses all of the dice in their territory except for one. At the end of each players turn, they randomly get extra dice deposited randomly onto their territories. The number of "extra dice" is always displayed at the bottom of the screen and depends on how many connected territories a player controls. A player wins by taking over the entire map.
Dice Wars Strategy
The best starting positions are ones in which the player already has a lot of territories connected or very close to being connected. in the start of the game, the player should try to connect as much of their territory as possible so that they can obtain the best possible "extra dice" payout at the end of their turn.
The more players that are in a particular game, the less aggressive a player should be because there is a greater chance of being completely vulnerable if they lose all of their attacks.
A Win in Dice Wars
When any player gets about half of the entire map under their control, the rest of the computer players will stop attacking each other and start ganging up on that player. This can make it better to be cautious if one is close to getting half of the map.
After waiting a few turns and building up forces, the coalition can be effectively battled against.
Avoiding Pitfalls
In general, a player who is attempting to amass a large amount of territory in the middle of the map will never be able to win a game of Dice Wars. It is too easy for the other players ganging up to attack weak spots and to split their territories into weak little chunks.
The best places for a "home base" is an isolated peninsula, or if one does not exist, one side or pocket of a map rather than the center.
Attack the Weak or Attack the Strong?
If a player is losing, it is better to attack the strongest player to prevent their influence from becoming overwhelming. However, if a player is winning, it may be easier to attack a weaker opponent because it is easier to completely finish them off. This is especially true if one finds themselves with a large amount of territory in the center of the map. It is extremely helpful to attack a weaker player and quickly relocate forces to a safe corner.
This is the winning strategy of Dice Wars: Connect forces, don't allow opponents to connect forces, seek out peninsulas, avoid being attacked from all sides in the center, attack the strongest player when weak, and attack the weakest player when strong. If this advice is followed, one should reasonably expect to win about 75% (or more, if one plays only the best maps) of the time.
Jared Plotkin - I recently graduated from UC Irvine and I am trying to make a career out of freelance writing. I enjoy writing about a wide variety of ...
Join the Conversation