This is the second post in a series on fictional board games. If you want to learn more, check out the previous 2 posts, as well as the one coming up.
This is another of my favorite games that is used in SFF. I say ‘used in’, because unlike the other two, Liar’s Dice does not have it’s origin in a piece of fiction. Instead, it is a real world game that was used in Pirates of the Caribbean as a storytelling device. However, all the rules of the game were followed in the film, and as it is portrayed the game is completely playable.
(This post does contain some spoilers for the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest)
Gameplay
First, let’s talk about how the game is actually played. Liar’s Dice, as the name suggests, is a bluffing game involving dice. Each player (2-6, usually) is given a dice cup and five regular, six-sided dice. At the start of a round, players roll their dice and may look at them, but should not show other players. Starting with the player who lost last round, players then start bidding.
They bid on how many of a certain die face they think is in the game by stating a number and a face, for example: 3 fives, or 2 sixes, or 7 threes, or something like that. Then, the next player either ups the bid, or calls “Liar”. If they up the bid, they may up the number (i.e. 4 fives to 5 fives), up the face (i.e. 6 twos to 6 fours), do both (i.e. 4 threes to 6 sixes), or lower the face but up the number (i.e. 3 sixes to 4 threes).
Play continues clockwise like this, with players upping the bid until someone calls “Liar”. Then, all dice on the table are revealed and counted. If they do not at least match the last bet, the player who made that bet loses. If, however, they do match (or exceed) the bet, the player who called “Liar” loses instead.
Play can continue like this over multiple rounds, though in the movie version they only play one round. If multiple rounds are played, a player who loses a round also loses one of their dice, which is kept away in such a place that no one can see how many dice each player has lost. If you lose your last dice you are eliminated, and the last player standing wins!
There is also a common variant of the game called Aces Wild. In this variant, any ones also count as the bet face and towards the total number, i.e. 2 ones and 3 fives would be enough to make a bet of 5 fives. When betting on Aces, they count as double the number of any other faces. For example, 3 Aces is a higher bid than 5 fours, and 7 twos (or threes, or fives, etc) would be needed to outbid it.
If you want to play Liar’s Dice for yourself, you can! All you need are a set of 5 dice and a cup for each player. There is also a published version of the game called Perudo, which features matching dice and cups for players in six shades of bright rainbow, and a special symbol on the dice for the Aces (which are always wild).
I really enjoy playing Liar’s Dice with my friends. We usually play it in-between big games. It is a sort of casual game that can be fast-paced, but is also full of strategy and clever plays. It can also be very fun for two players (with the winner losing a dice instead, to keep it balanced).
In-Universe
With all that in mind, let’s take a look at how one phenomenal scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is used to really highlight the characters in that scene.
Oh, and SPOILERS of course. You have been warned.
First of all, there are people who could, and already have, talked about this better that I ever can. I will leave a link here to a video by Lord Ravenscraft, who goes into a detailed, round-by-round exploration of the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T44LuxdH0iw
The scene in question takes place aboard the Flying Dutchman, the cursed ship of pirate captain Davy Jones. Will Turner, one of our protagonists, has been tricked aboard the ship by captain Jack Sparrow, with the task of finding the Key that goes to the titular Dead Man’s Chest, which contains Davy Jones’ still beating heart. Only Davy Jones himself knows where the Key is kept. Also aboard the ship is “Bootstrap” Bill Turner, Will’s father whom he presumed dead but is actually now a member of Jones’ crew.
With the stage set, our scene starts when Will, observing a dice game some of the other crew are playing, challenges Davy Jones for a game. He bets his soul of servitude against the Key. Davy Jones, cruel and heartless that he is, accepts and shows Will that he keeps the Key on his person. But before they officially start their game, a third player puts his cup of dice on the table. Bootstrap Bill, not wanting to see a horrid fate for his son, announces that he is also in and matching Will’s wager. Jones is irked, but he also knows that they cannot best the devil.
The dice are cast, and the game is afoot. Will bets almost naively and tries to play a rational game. Bootstrap starts betting almost carelessly. For Davy Jones, very quickly it becomes clear that he is a master at this game. Not only does he have great dice, he also knows when and how to bet. He does so arrogantly and confidant. Soon he has Will backed into a corner. Will has only bad options, and everyone knows it. But then Bill makes an incredulous bid, and saves his son by sacrificing himself.
So Bootstrap loses and Jones gloats how he has to spend an eternity aboard the Dutchman, then leaves the two men in their misery. Father and son share a heartfelt moment afterward, in which Will reveals it was never about winning or losing, he just wanted to know where the Key was.
I love this scene. It really serves a great purpose in showing the different character aspects of our three players.
Will Turner is focused and practical, to the point of naiveté. He is also overly optimistic, thinking he can find his way out even if when the odds are massively stacked against him. He is still learning how to live in this pirate world, and it shows, but at the same time is learning and figuring things out, and he is slowly making plans for himself.
Bootstrap Bill is cursed, and has been for a long time, so he is resigned to his fate. But suddenly his son has shown up, so now he has something to fight for. He doens’t care for his own safety but recklessly sacrifices himself for Will.
My favorite is how this scene depicts the captain of the Flying Dutchman. Davy Jones is one of the best villains ever put to screen, and this scene helps that. It is only a small part of his characterization, but the Liar’s Dice game really highlights how cruel and heartless he is. It is not enough for him to just win; he already knows he can. Instead he really wants to twist the knife. He sees Will’s vulnerability and enjoys toying with him before crushing his spirit. He sees how much Bootstrap cares for his son, so he enjoys punishing Will to see Bill suffer. The game also shows Jones’ confidance and arrogance. He is the master of the seas and has been for centuries now, it is he who can postpone judgement after death (“Will ye serve?”). He is literally the devil. He doesn’t think for even a second that this boy can beat him.
With all of this said, I think you understand why I love Liar’s Dice, and why I have chosen it for this series. It is another reason for me to love the Pirates films, and it is a fun game to play as well. I hope you enjoyed!
Next up: Sabacc
Love,
~ Sanne