Ship, Captain and Crew: rules and a game to play here
Five dice, three rolls: find a 6, a 5 and a 4 in that order, then the last two dice are your cargo. Play rounds for chips below against the computer or pass one phone around, and use the re-roll helper to decide whether to keep your cargo or chase more.
Play against the computer or friends
Game log
Settings: players, chips, house rules
The game in 30 seconds
- Five dice, two or more players. Each round, everyone puts one chip in the pot.
- On your turn you get up to three rolls. Set aside a 6 (ship), then a 5 (captain), then a 4 (crew), only in that order. Several can come in one roll.
- With all three set aside, the other two dice are your cargo: their total is your score.
- Rolls left over? You may re-roll the cargo for a better total, but the new total stands.
- No full crew after three rolls: you score 0. Highest score takes the pot.
The rules in full
Players take turns going round the table, once each per round. On your turn, roll all five dice. If a 6 shows, set one aside: that is the ship. With the ship down, a 5 can be set aside as the captain, and with the captain down, a 4 as the crew. A 5 or 4 that comes before its turn in the order does not count, so roll it again. Wikipedia's example: a roll of 6, 4, 3, 3, 1 banks the 6 only, because the 4 has no captain yet.
Roll the dice that are left, up to three rolls in all. Once all three are down, the two remaining dice are the cargo, and their total is your score for the round. Finish the crew on your first or second roll and you may stop, or re-roll the two cargo dice with the rolls you have left. Whatever comes up on the last roll you take is your score. A player who never completes the crew scores 0.
When everyone has had a turn, the highest score wins the round and takes the pot. Our game deals the first roll of each round to the next player round the table, and a player with no chips left is out. The last player with chips wins.
The odds
- Full crew in one roll: 15.8%; by the second roll: 35.6%; by the third: 54.0%. Nearly half of all turns score 0.
- Average score for a player who plays for the most points: 4.08, counting the zeros.
- Playing first with nothing to beat, keep cargo of 8 or more with two rolls left, and 7 or more with one roll left; re-roll anything lower.
- Later in the round, play to beat the best score so far. With 8 against a best of 8 and one roll left, keeping the tie is worth 50.0% (a tie counted as half a win); a re-roll does worse.
Keep or re-roll? Helper for a real table
House rules that differ
Wikipedia's article is short and is our only source that writes the rules down, so these choices are labeled as house rules. Ask your table before you start.
- Re-rolling cargo. Many tables allow re-rolling both cargo dice with rolls to spare; some allow one die; some forbid it. Our game allows both dice, with a setting for one.
- Ties. A roll-off between the tied players, or the pot stays for the next round. Both are settings.
- The pot. Wikipedia mentions an agreed ante to a pot, winner takes all. Our game uses one chip a round.
- Drinking versions. Wikipedia notes one; we leave it out.
Tips
- Going first, aim for 8 or 7. The table above is the most points on average; anything less is worth a re-roll.
- Going last, play the number. You know the score to beat, so keep the cargo only if it wins, and re-roll anything that loses.
- A tie is often worth keeping. One roll at 8 against 8 wins less often than it ties, so hold the tie unless your table pays nothing for one.
- Count the zeros. Nearly half of all turns miss the crew, so with several players a modest cargo still wins often.
Play online or at home
Online: the game at the top of this page, against up to four computer players or passing one phone.
At home: five dice, a cup if you have one, and chips, coins or matchsticks for the pot. The dice games page has a cargo checker that works with your own dice.
Common questions
How do you play Ship, Captain and Crew?
Each player gets three rolls of five dice. You need a 6 (the ship), then a 5 (the captain), then a 4 (the crew), set aside in that order. Once you have all three, the other two dice are your cargo and score their total. No full crew after three rolls scores nothing. Highest cargo wins the round.
Can you re-roll your cargo?
Most groups say yes: if you finish your crew with a roll to spare, you may roll the two cargo dice again to try for more, but you must keep the new total. Some let you re-roll just one cargo die. Agree before you start; our game has both.
What are the odds of a full crew?
About 54.0% of turns end with a full crew if you take all three rolls, by our exact count. In a single roll it is 15.8%.
What is a good cargo score?
The highest cargo is 12 (two 6s). Counting the turns that miss the crew as 0, a player who plays for the most points averages 4.08. Against several players, 8 or more is usually worth keeping.
What happens in a tie?
The tied players roll off, or the pot stays in the middle for the next round. Neither is set by a rulebook; pick one before you start. Our game offers both.
What other names does the game have?
Wikipedia lists 6-5-4, Ship of Fools, Clickety Clack and Destroyer, and Cap'n, Bos'n and Mate for the three dice you hunt for.