SCHEMERS

The Reason for Using Dice in 『The Four Deuces』
2026/5/1 23:05
ブログ

The experience I aim to deliver through the Four Deuces

https://gamemarket.jp/blog/196923

 

Hello, this is Geonil from SCHEMERS.

For this Game Market, I will be presenting The Four Deuces, a two-player trick-taking game that incorporates dice.

There have already been several trick-taking games that use dice. From the well-known Nokosu Dice to titles like Frey and Mino Dice, and even some Western releases where dice are placed on cards, the concept is not entirely new. However, in most cases, dice are rolled and then kept hidden, used as a secondary mechanism, or treated more like a “special card” than a core system.

At their core, dice are tools for generating random numerical outcomes, and they also carry a symbolic charm that is closely associated with board games themselves. I wanted to explore that potential more fully.

To begin with, I disliked the idea of concealing dice values. Having to hide them behind screens or cups felt unnecessarily cumbersome. At the same time, I was not particularly interested in rolling dice at the moment of determining a trick winner. That led me to a different question: what if the values were simply kept open and visible to both players?

The original concept was a 3–5 player trick-taking game built around this idea. However, that approach resulted in too much information to process, making the game feel unfocused. As a result, I refined the design into a two-player format and reduced the total number of tricks to seven.

This adjustment transformed the experience. Players constantly compare their own dice values with those of their opponent, and every die becomes meaningful throughout the game.

Another significant issue with dice is their cost. Using 14 dice is not trivial, and some suggested replacing them with randomized number tokens instead. However, I did not want to give up the unique appeal of dice. The act of rolling and generating true randomness is, in my view, one of the defining strengths of this game.

Consider two players: one begins with five 6s and a 4 and 5, while the other has four 1s and three 3s. From the outset, a certain dynamic is implied—but this game is not defined by numbers alone. The cards in hand and the unique abilities assigned to each player create a much richer and more dynamic interaction.

This is the experience I set out to create through dice:
You know each other’s numbers, but not each other’s cards.
Every action must be interpreted.
A single misstep can feel like slipping on thin ice.
It is a game of calculation, tension, and reading your opponent.

You can experience all of this in The Four Deuces.

The game will be available at Booth W02 on Saturday.
I look forward to seeing you at the Game Market. Thank you.

 

rulebook / reservation : https://gamemarket.jp/game/187776

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