Ship, Captain & Crew

Find your ship, captain, and crew

Each turn starts with five six-sided dice. You have up to three rolls to secure a 6 for the ship, a 5 for the captain, and a 4 for the crew, in that order. They lock automatically when you find them.

You can find all three in one throw. But a 5 without a 6 cannot be kept, and a 4 cannot be kept before the ship and captain. Roll 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, for example, and only the 6 stays.

Bank cargo or roll again

Once your 6-5-4 is secured, the two remaining dice are cargo. Their sum is worth 2 to 12 points. Choose Bank cargo to finish your turn, or use a remaining roll to try for more. Tap either cargo die to hold it; tap again to release it. Your ship, captain, and crew always stay locked.

A perfect cargo of 12 banks automatically. If your third roll leaves you without all three required dice, you score zero. Otherwise your cargo is banked after that final roll. The computer follows the same rules and cannot see future dice.

Five rounds, one voyage

Both players take one turn in each of five rounds. The opening player alternates so the same person does not always go first. Add your cargo across the five rounds: the higher total wins, and matching totals are a draw. Choose Next turn after each bank to keep the pace comfortable.

This version uses five-round total scoring and lets you hold cargo dice separately. Traditional house rules may instead use a single-round winner or require both cargo dice to be rerolled together. There are no bets, stakes, or prizes here.

Mouse, touch, and keyboard controls

• Click or tap Roll dice, Roll again, Bank cargo, and Next turn.
• Use Tab to reach controls, then Enter or Space to activate them. Once qualified, the two cargo dice become selectable buttons.
• Choose Two players for local pass-and-play. This is one-device play, not online matchmaking.
• Sound is optional and starts off. Reduced-motion preferences remove dice animation.
• Leaving the tab pauses an active match. Resume when you return. New game asks before clearing a match already in progress.

A useful cargo strategy

Before qualification, you need the required dice, not just a high sum. After qualification, a fresh die averages 3.5, so holding a 4, 5, or 6 and rerolling a lower die is a useful starting point. On the last round, check the scorecard: protecting a lead and chasing a large deficit can call for different risks.

Best voyage totals against the computer are saved only in this browser. These are casual personal records, not verified competitive rankings. Refreshing or navigating away clears the current match.

Keep the dice rolling

For another quick game with meaningful dice choices, try Shut the Box. Close numbered tiles to match each roll, or explore our free dice games for your next table.