Shield Surfers

Players: 2+     Time: 5-15 mins

Objective:

Use dexterity and strategy to flick polyhedral dice into a target zone while avoiding obstacles and knocking opponents’ dice out of play. The player with the most points at the end of the round wins!

No one is quite sure of the origin of shield surfing, but adventurers from far and wide come to compete, settle their disputes and gain glory in the age-old event. Grab a shield, ascend to the top of the ramp and let the gods guide you to victory!

Setup:

Each player gets a full set of rpg dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20).

Designate a target zone (this can be a circle, a box, or a marked-off section on a table).

Players sit around a flat surface and take turns flicking their dice into the target zone each from the same starting point, can be one location or from a line, decided by the group or games master..

Gameplay:

Rolling for Initiative: Each player rolls a d20. The highest roll goes first, followed by the next highest, and so on.

Taking a Turn:

The player chooses one of their dice and flicks it toward the target zone.

If the die lands inside the zone, they score points based on the die’s highest face (e.g., a d12 showing “9” earns 9 points).

If the die bounces out, no points are scored.

If the die knocks an opponent’s die out, the opponent loses those points unless they get the die back in a later turn

Obstacle Challenges (Optional):

Players can set up small objects (miniatures, coins, erasers, etc.) as obstacles.

If a player’s die hits an obstacle before landing in the zone, they must flick their next die with their non-dominant hand.

Scoring:

Once all players have flicked their seven dice, points are totaled for all dice in the target zone/zones..

The player with the highest score wins the round. Play as many rounds as desired.

Optional Rules:

“Bullseye” Bonus: If a die lands exactly in the center of the target, double its face value for points.

“Ricochet Mode”: Players can bounce dice off the edges of the table for style points (decided by the group).

“Sudden Death”: If two players tie at the end of a round, they flick one last die—the highest number showing wins!

“Instant Scoring”: Tally each player’s points after each turn for the die they flicked rather than at the end of the round.