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The Curse of the Black Dice
2015
Rules assistance for The Curse of the Black Dice
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 20–40 min
- 14+
- Complexity 1.7/5
Rules assistant for The Curse of the Black Dice
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Curse of the Black Dice is a board game released in 2015 for 2–4 players, 20–40 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Alexander Lauck and its main mechanics are Set Collection and Dice Rolling.
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About the game
The Curse of the Black Dice is a pirate-themed dice game driven by a random mission generator and four possible mission types. The missions are generated by rolling a handful of black dice to determine the difficulty of each part of the mission. By rolling their own player dice and with the help from the pirate crew, the players try to get at least the same amount of dice to each mission part to fulfill this part. Each part grants rewards and penalties, and each mission has another endgame trigger condition: Each mission gives a reward if the crew fulfills it and punishment if they don't. What's more, if pirates don't fulfill the mission, they also risk that the next part of mission will be more difficult because of the curse of the black dice. In the end, only the player who has captured the most amount of gold wins — that is, if the ship doesn't sink and take all players to the bottom of the ocean with it. Sail together to find treasures, board ships, plunder villages, or even kill the mighty Kraken...and betray the other players when they don't expect it. There can be only one winner, but all players can lose together!
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Board&Dice
Questions and answers
The Curse of the Black Dice supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for The Curse of the Black Dice is 20–40 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Curse of the Black Dice for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Curse of the Black Dice has a complexity rating of 1.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Curse of the Black Dice belongs to these categories: Fighting, Dice, and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Set Collection and Dice Rolling. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The Curse of the Black Dice are: Alexander Lauck. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Curse of the Black Dice as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.