How to Play the Dice Game Volcano

The dice game Volcano is a Family Game Shelf original creation. This dice game is good for all ages and any number of players.

The idea for Volcano the dice game came to me when I was researching summer ideas and then Hawaii.  Volcanos are beautiful, powerful and a force to be reckoned with. And maybe I’ve watched one too many cheesy 80’s movies where there’s always someone being sacrificed into the volcano. Anyway, there I was thinking of Volcanos and games and then it came to me: Volcano Dice.

Volcano is also a prefect fit for our Luau Party Games.

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What you Need for Volcano Dice

For this dice game you will need 6 dice and three chips or tokens for each player. You don’t even need a paper and pen to keep score.

We love to play dice where everyone has their own colour of dice. You can shop for dice here, Canadians can shop here.

How to Play Volcano

Lucky Charm

First, everyone picks a number to be their lucky charm. It is okay for more than one player to have the same lucky charm number. Once the number has been picked, it stays the same for the whole game.

Turns

Next, the first player rolls all six dice trying to roll a 6. If he is successful, the dice with 6 on it is set to the side and play moves on to the next player. Instead of rolling a 6 a player can also use more than one dice to add up to the number. For example, if rolling for a six and no six was rolled but a 4 and a 2 were rolled they can be used to add up to six. In this case, both the 4 and 2 dice are set aside.

Next, the player on the left rolls the remaining dice to try to roll a 5.

Play keeps going in this fashion until 1 is reached. If 1 has been reached and rolled, then play starts over at 6 with the next player.

Missing the Mark

On the other hand, if a player does not roll the number that she is trying for and can not add any dice to make the number, she is in jeopardy. She is standing on the edge of the volcano, waiting to see if she will survive or be sacrificed.

She has one turn to roll the same dice that she just rolled and try to get her lucky charm number.

If she rolls her lucky charm, she is safe. Play starts over at six with all six dice with the next player.

If she doesn’t roll her lucky charm then she is sacrificed and thrown into the volcano. She loses one of her chips. Play starts over with all six dice and then next player.

Out of Chips

When a player loses all of his chips, then he is out of the game.

Winning Volcano

Play continues until all the players but one have run out of chips. This last player is safe. The Volcano Powers are satisfied with the sacrifices. This player is the winner.

Explosive Fun

Volcano is an easy to play game with suspense and drama and a whole lot of fun.

If you’re looking for a fun summer dice game, then this is it. And if you’re looking for a whole game night of summer fun, then check out out Luau Games and our Luau games in our Family Game Shelf Shop–there’s a party game bundle, a kids game bundle, a dice game bundle, Scattergories and even a Luau Whacky Putt (that’s our mini golf game)

If you’re looking for more dice games, you’ll find a good selection in our dice game section. Don’t forget to also download our free Quick Play Book with straightforward rules and supplies for 11 dice games that the whole family can play together. You can get it in the Fun Library here.