Kanka is built by just the two of us. Support our quest and enjoy an ad-free experience — for less than the cost of a fancy coffee. Subscribe now.

  1. Notes

Wizards and Thieves

Dice Game

In smoky gambling dens, raucous taverns, and dim back alleys, the clatter of dice signals a game of Wizards and Thieves.

Wizards and Thieves is a fast paced betting game beloved by gamblers of all stripes. Use it when you want to play out a wager using a quick system.

TO START

  • To begin, the players agree to a number of coins each will bring to the game (typically 20).
  • Each player adds 6 coins to the pot.
  • All players roll 3d6. The player with the highest result becomes the active player.
  • Gameplay moves clockwise from that person.
  • Rolls of wizards (6s) and thieves (1s) cancel each other out on a one-to-one basis when determining majorities.
  • Ignore results of 1 and 6 when adding to or taking from the pot unless no other die type remains.


GAMEPLAY

The active player declares wizard or thief before rolling 3d6.

Declared thief, rolled majority thieves:

The active player takes coins from the pot equal to the lowest remaining die after cancellations/ignores. The active player goes again.

Declared thief, rolled majority wizards:

The active player adds coins to the pot equal to the lowest remaining die after cancellations/ignores. Play passes to the next player.

Declared wizard, rolled majority wizards:

Everyone but the active player adds coins to the pot equal to the lowest remaining die after cancellations/ignores. The active player goes again.

Declared wizard, rolled majority thieves:

The active player adds coins to the pot equal to the lowest remaining die after cancellations/ignores. Play passes to the next player.

No wizard or thief majority:

Play passes to the next player.

Rolled 3 wizards:

The active player takes the whole pot. The game ends.

Rolled 3 thieves:

The pot is split evenly among all the remaining players except the active player. The active player gets any remainder that doesn’t divide evenly, a result called “honor among thieves.” The game ends.


THE GAME ENDS

The game ends when the pot reaches 0. If a player runs out of coins, that player is out of the game. If all but one player loses their last coin, the pot goes to the player whose turn it would have been after the last roll. The game's winner is the person who ends with the most coins.