Quick, Easy Set, Perfect Travel Games
Games Played with Dice Only
It is a common question: Are there any dice games that don’t require a board?
The answer is yes! Many of my favorite games are portable, quick to set up, and rely entirely on the dice in your hand. Here are some fantastic options that prove you don’t need a board to have a great time.
Jump To:
Martian Dice – abduct Humans, Cows and Chickens, but be wary of Tanks and hope you have enough Death Rays to defeat the them.
Button Men – Trying to capture each other’s dice
Dice of Fury – Fast and furious simultaneous play trying to achieve what’s on your card.
Booty Dice – roll dice, complete actions, and possibly deal blows to teammates and be the last pirate standing.
Farkle – Risk vs Reward, trying to accumulate 10000 points.
Qwixx – you aim to score the most points by crossing out as many numbers as possible across four color-rows while avoiding penalty boxes.
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Overview of Our Pick of Dice Games That Dont Require a Board
Farkle
- Age Rating: 8+
- Game Time: 15–30 minutes
- Players: 2 or more
How to Play Farkle
The goal of Farkle is to be the player with the highest score over 10,000 points. It is a classic risk-vs-reward game where one bad roll can cost you everything!
Setup
Scorekeeper: Choose one player to track the points.
Determine Order: Each player rolls one die. The player with the highest roll goes first, and play moves to the left.
Scoring Table
Points must be earned in a single roll. You cannot combine dice from previous rolls to create sets.
| Combination | Points |
| Single 1 | 100 |
| Single 5 | 50 |
| Three 1s | 300 |
| Three 2s / 3s / 4s / 5s / 6s | 200 / 300 / 400 / 500 / 600 |
| Four of any number | 1,000 |
| Five of any number | 2,000 |
| Six of any number | 3,000 |
| 1–6 Straight | 1,500 |
| Three Pairs | 1,500 |
| Four of a Kind + a Pair | 1,500 |
| Two Triplets | 2,500 |
How to Play
On your turn, roll all six dice. After each roll, you must follow these steps:
Set Aside Points: Select at least one scoring die (1s, 5s, or combinations) to remove from the table.
Continue or Stop: You can choose to stop and bank your current points or roll the remaining dice to increase your total.
Hot Dice: If you manage to set aside all six dice, you may pick them all up and keep rolling to build your running total.
The Farkle: If you roll the dice and none of them score points, you “Farkle.” You lose all points gathered during that turn, and your turn ends immediately.
Entering the Game
To get your name on the score pad for the first time, you must reach a running total of at least 500 points in a single turn. After this initial score is recorded, you may stop and bank your points at any time during future turns, regardless of the amount.
Winning the Game
Once a player reaches 10,000 points, every other player gets one last turn to try and beat that total. The player with the highest final score is the winner.
I found Farkle to be a delightful, fast-moving game that is easy to learn and perfect for any age. It requires no complex strategy, making it a great fit for family gatherings or casual nights with newcomers.
With straightforward rules and a quick 30 to 40-minute playtime, I highly recommend it as a staple for any family game collection.
Qwixx
- Age Rating: 8+
- Game Time: 15 minutes
- Players: 2–5
- Game by Steffen Benndorf
- Design by Maida Kaderian
- Publisher: Gamewright
How to Play Qwixx
The goal of Qwixx is to score the most points by crossing out as many numbers as possible in four color-rows while avoiding penalties.
The Golden Rule
Numbers must be crossed out from left to right. You don’t have to start with the first number, but once you skip a number, you can never go back and cross it out later.
How to Play
The first player to roll a 6 becomes the “active player.” Every turn consists of two actions:
The White Dice (For Everyone): The active player adds the two white dice together and announces the sum. All players may cross out that number in any one of their four color-rows.
The Colored Dice (Active Player Only): The active player may add one white die to any one colored die and cross out that sum in the corresponding color-row.
Note: If the active player does not cross out at least one number during these two actions, they must mark a penalty box (worth -5 points).
Locking a Row
To “lock” a color and remove its die from the game, you must:
Have at least five crosses already marked in that row.
Cross out the number at the extreme right (the 12 for red/yellow or the 2 for green/blue).
Cross the lock symbol. This counts as an extra cross for scoring!
Once a row is locked, no player can mark numbers in that color for the rest of the game.
Ending the Game
The game ends immediately when:
A player marks their fourth penalty box.
Two color-rows have been locked and their dice removed.
Scoring
Points are awarded based on how many crosses you have in each row. The more crosses, the higher the score:
- 1 Cross: 1 pt
- 2 Crosses: 3 pts
- 3 Crosses: 6 pts
- 4 Crosses: 10 pts
- 5 Crosses: 15 pts
- 6 Crosses: 21 pts
- 7 Crosses: 28 pts
- 8 Crosses: 36 pts
- 9 Crosses: 45 pts
- 10 Crosses: 55 pts
- 11 Crosses: 66 pts
- 12 Crosses: 78 pts
Final Score: (Sum of points from 4 rows) – (5 points x number of penalties). The player with the highest total wins!
I highly recommend Qwixx as a high-quality, portable game that is perfect for every generation, from kids to grandparents. It is incredibly easy to learn, and while you may eventually need to restock the score sheets, the endless replayability makes it well worth it.
Martian Dice
- Age Rating 8+ (though kids as young as 5 can play)
- Game Time 10–15 Minutes
- Number of Players 2–99 (Best with 2–6 players)
Objective – The goal is to be the first Martian to reach 25 points. You earn points by successfully abducting Humans, Cows, and Chickens. However, you must ensure you have enough Death Rays to defeat the Tanks sent by the Earthling military, or you’ll leave the planet empty-handed!
How to Play Martian Dice
The Turn Sequence
- Roll the Dice: Roll all 13 dice.
- Lock the Tanks: You must immediately set aside all Tanks rolled. These represent the human military and are “locked” for the rest of your turn.
- Abduct or Defend: From your remaining dice, choose one type of symbol to set aside (Humans, Cows, Chickens, or Death Rays).
- Keep Rolling or Stop: You can stop now to score or re-roll the remaining dice to get more points. If you ever roll only symbols you’ve already taken (and no Death Rays), you “bust” and score nothing.
Booty Dice
- Age Rating: 8+
- Game Time: 20 minutes
- Players: 2–4
- Objective: Be the first person to reach 25 points by stealing from other players.
- Designer: Eric Olsen.
- Publisher: Messy Table Games.
How to Play Booty Dice
Prepare to set sail on a dicey adventure! In this game, pirates compete to outlast their rivals by managing their doubloons and protecting their lives.
Initial Setup
Before the first roll, every pirate must prepare their supplies:
- Starting Health: Each player begins with 10 Lives.
- Starting Wealth: Each player begins with 5 Doubloons.
The Supply Piles:
- Davey Jones’ Locker: The discard pile for lost Lives.
- The War Chest: The supply pile for Shields.
- Buried Treasure: The main supply pile for extra Doubloons.
Turn Structure
Choose a starting pirate. Play then proceeds clockwise around the table. On your turn, follow these steps:
Roll the Dice: You have a total of 6 Booty Dice.
Reroll (Optional): You may roll the dice up to 3 times. On your second and third rolls, you can choose to roll all the dice or set some aside and only roll a few.
Resolve Actions: Once you stop rolling, you must resolve all actions shown on the dice.
Dice Symbols & Actions
Actions should be resolved in the specific order shown on the dice roll cards.
Standard Actions
Doubloon: Take 2 Doubloons from the Buried Treasure.
Shield: Take 1 Shield from the War Chest. Shields protect you from Cutlass attacks, but they do not protect you from Walking the Plank or Mutiny.
Cutlass: Attack another pirate! They lose 1 Shield per attack. If they have no Shields, they lose 1 Life per attack instead.
Walk the Plank: You lose 1 Life to Davey Jones’ Locker. Shields offer no protection here!
X Marks the Spot: You must give 2 of your Doubloons back to the Buried Treasure.
Jolly Roger: Steal 2 Doubloons from other pirates (take from one person or split them up).
Powerful Combos
Mutiny: All other pirates lose 1 Life. Every additional “Walk the Plank” rolled during this turn increases the life loss by 1.
Shipwreck: All other pirates give 3 Doubloons to the Buried Treasure. Every additional “X Marks the Spot” rolled increases this penalty by 1.
Blackbeard’s Curse: The ultimate blow! All other pirates lose 2 Lives and must give 5 Doubloons to the Buried Treasure.
Winning the Game
Continue the battle, quoting your favourite pirate movies and calling your rivals scallywags. The game continues until only one pirate remains with Lives left to tell the tale.
Booty Dice is a high-quality, fast-paced pirate adventure that is table-ready in a minute and perfect for all generations.
Its ideal balance of skill and luck keeps every player engaged. Can be enjoyed as a quick warmup or a portable game for a night out. Played with young and “older” individuals.
Button Men
- Age Rating: 10+
- Game Time: 5–10 minutes
- Players: 2
How to Play Button Men
Button Men is a fast-paced dice combat game. Players use unique characters to battle through several rounds, capturing opponent dice to earn points. The first player to win three rounds wins the match.
Equipment & Setup
Characters: One Button Men character per player.
Dice: Various polyhedral dice (d4, d6, d8, etc.) as specified by your character’s card.
Swing Dice (X): If your character has an “X,” you may choose any die between 4 and 20 sides. If you have multiple “X” dice, they must all be the same size.
Starting: Roll all your dice and display them. The player with the lowest single number showing goes first.
Playing the Game
Players take turns performing one of two basic attacks. You must attack if a legal move is possible.
Power Attack: Use one of your dice to capture one of your opponent’s dice. Your die’s value must be greater than or equal to the opponent’s value.
Skill Attack: Use multiple dice to capture one of your opponent’s dice. Your dice values must add up exactly to the opponent’s value.
Resolution: After any attack, remove the captured die from play and re-roll the die (or dice) you used to attack.
Passing: You may only pass if you have no legal attacks. When both players pass in a row, the round ends.
Scoring a Round
At the end of the round, calculate your total points:
Captured Dice: Score points equal to the full size (number of sides) of the die. (Example: Capturing a d10 = 10 points).
Kept Dice: Score points equal to half the size of your own remaining dice. (Example: Keeping your d10 = 5 points).
The player with the highest total score wins the round. If the score is tied, the round is a draw and must be replayed.
Dice of Fury
- Age Rating: 7+
- Game Time: 10–15 minutes
- Players: 2–4
How to Play Dice of Fury
The objective of Dice of Fury is to be the fastest player to match the dice patterns shown on the revealed cards.
Gameplay
Each round follows a high-speed, simultaneous format:
Reveal a Card: Flip over the top card of the deck to show the target pattern.
Roll Fast: All players roll their 6 dice simultaneously as fast as possible.
Lock Dice: As you roll, you can “lock in” any dice that match the card and reroll the remaining ones.
Claim the Card: The first person to perfectly match the card yells out and claims it.
Special Cards
Watch out for “Slow Your Roll” cards. These trigger a mini-game where players roll at a measured pace rather than in a frantic race.
Winning the Game
The first player to collect ten cards is the winner.
This is a fabulous filler in dice game. It really is furious, but fabulous.
I enjoy the no turns, race against each other component for something different than the traditional turn taking.
Dice Trays
Want to make your dice games portable or just keep those dice contained while playing, especially with younger children, who can get expressive with the dice rolling. :). Check out these dice trays.
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