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Ship, Captain and Crew

Your turn: roll

6Ship5Captain4Crew

Cargo

–

3 rolls left.

Your 6, 5 and 4 are set aside automatically, in order. Then decide whether to roll the cargo again. Your record: 0 wins · 0 losses · 0 draws

How to play Ship, Captain and Crew

Ship, Captain and Crew is an old sailors’ dice game, quick to learn and full of last-roll drama. Each round, both players take one turn, and the most cargo wins.

  1. Roll all five dice. You get up to three rolls a turn.
  2. Find your ship, captain and crew, in order. You need a 6 before a 5 counts, and a 5 before a 4 counts. They’re set aside for you as soon as they turn up.
  3. Roll the rest again. Keep rolling the dice that aren’t set aside to complete your ship, captain and crew.
  4. Load the cargo. Once you have 6, 5 and 4, the other two dice are your cargo, worth their total (2 to 12). If you have rolls left, you can roll the cargo again to try for more, or keep it.
  5. No crew, no cargo. If you don’t have all three by the end of your turn, you score nothing.

Highest cargo wins the round, and the first player to win three rounds wins the game.

Quick tips for winning

  • Know what to beat. If you go second, you only need to beat your opponent’s cargo, so stop as soon as you do.
  • Re-roll low cargo. With two rolls left, a cargo under 7 is worth another try. The average of two dice is 7.
  • Bank a high cargo. 10 or more is hard to beat. Keep it.

Learn when to re-roll your cargo and when to keep it.

Read the Ship, Captain and Crew guide

Ship, Captain and Crew FAQ

Is Ship, Captain and Crew free?

Yes. Play the computer or a friend as often as you like, free in your browser.

Do the 6, 5 and 4 have to come in order?

Yes. A 5 only counts once you have a 6, and a 4 only counts once you have a 5. If you roll 6, 5 and 4 together, they all count at once.

What’s the best possible cargo?

Two sixes, for a cargo of 12.

What if both players have the same cargo?

The round is a tie and nobody scores. Play the next round.

Is this game also called something else?

Yes. It’s also known as Ship, Captain, Mate and Crew, or Clickety Clack, and is played in bars and on boats all over the world.

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