Game Jargon Definition: “Dice Chucker”

Dice Chucker (noun) - dice chuck ‧ er. / dīs ˈ CHəkər /

A game in which dice are one of the principal components and dice-rolling (or “chucking”) is one of the principle mechanics for deciding what actions to take next.

Dice chuckers tend to be highly thematic and lighter on rules, although there are plenty of exceptions. Ameritrash games tend to be much higher on the dice chucker spectrum than Eurogames. It is fairly self-evident, even to players with little gaming experience, that the outcome of a dice chucker is almost entirely dependent on the player who has, on average, the superior dice rolls (or superior dice rolls in critical moments). That being said, tactical or strategic play can still be brought to bear on many dice chuckers to one extent or another.

Another common (though not universal) property of dice chuckers is reverse exponential turn importance (i.e., the initial turns or rounds of the game have more impact on the game than mid-game or late-game turns). This is usually seen as a flawed game trait, as it often results in players being able to accurately predict who will win well in advance of the game’s end, which can sour the gaming experience for players who know they are almost certainly going to lose yet are obligated to slog through another hour (or more) of play. 

Dice chuckers are distinct from dice festival games: in the former, dice are used for the purpose of rolling a result and then engaging in actions based on the rolled outcome alone; in the latter, dice are used as tokens, markers, and point counters as well as for rolling results.

Examples of dice chuckers include: Risk (1959) and virtually all iterations of Risk; Axis & Allies (1981) and virtually all iterations of Axis & Allies; Attack! (2003); Red Alert: Space Fleet Warfare (2019); Overbattle: The All War (2020); and Trench Club (2021).