Underground Movement (Dice Game)

This relatively simple dice game for three or more players is popular and a little controversial at the same time. Played for coin in taverns and market streets, or just for fun among friends it is a game of strategical thinking and diversion.

History

The particular origins of the game aren't entirely clear, first descriptions of its rules dating back to the era of Aman. The ruling Iovana at the time, Davar, was known for his paranoia and belief in conspiracy theories in his last years. At the time the old Avon Julanor was also at the height of its power and influence throughout Ivendarea, and even more mysterious and secretive than the reformed order is today. It is not surprising that a game at the core about secretive underground organizations pitted against each other could have been originally conceived in those days.

Execution

At least two players - although the motto "the more the merrier" applies definitely for this game - sit together on a table. Each player has two cups from an opaque material in front of them, as well as five six-sided dice. With fewer players involved or to make the game last longer, more dice can be given to each player.
The goal of the game is to have all owned dice show the same number of eyes. This is achieved by rolling dice and swapping them with other players.
At the beginning of the game every player rolls their dice, hiding the result by keeping them covered with one of their cups. Should someone already, through immense luck and coincidence, roll five times the same number on this first round, they need to re-roll until they achieve a different result.
For the first round, every player can pick up to three dice they want to pass along to the player sitting to their left. The selected die/dice are hidden under the second cup, all cups passed around in a circle. Moving more than one die at a time is always tied to a risk, as the player can't be sure to receive the right amount of dice back from the next player to complete their own set of five again.
After the dice have changed players, everyone gets the chance re-roll one or several dice, or keep the currently showing eyes. The next round begins with passing on dice to the player on the left. This continues on until the first player has five dice all showing the same side, achieved either by rolling dice or switching them with other players. They win in the instant moment they manage to hold five identical dice, be it:

• As they receive the correct amount of dice showing the correct numbers to complete their set from another player during the movement phase
• As they roll one or more dice to show the needed sides between movement phases
• As they pass on all redundant dice to the next player, leaving themselves with five dice all showing the same side

Underground Movement, as much as it is a game of luck, is also a game of deception and bluffing though, keeping the following additional rules in mind:

• Players are not allowed to pass on all dice they own currently, leaving them with an empty cup during the movement phase.
• They are also not allowed to pass on an empty cup.

This though, of course, does not mean that players need to stick to these rules at all. Cheating and breaking these two rules is part of the game, too, nodding at the fact that real underground movements, such as the Omrai Omvalis, also don't always stick to conventions and rules to achieve their goals. In fact, one could say, that every player in a game of Underground Movement, is the leader of their own underground organization, managing resources, and deceiving opposing forces, also known as the other players on the table.
The fun begins when players start breaking these two rules and other players at the table begin to voice suspicions. It is possible to call out players for bluffing - for example when Player A is sure that Player B currently has no dice in their possession currently. Such accusations can have two consequences: either, the accusing Player is correct, which makes the accused lose the game, or the accusing Player is wrong, and has to leave the table while the accused may stay. The revelation of whether or not the accused players has dice in their possession - or not - is only discussed between them and the accuser though. Other players at the table don't learn the truth until one of them leaves the table. If the accuser has to leave, their dice leave the game with them.
Of course, cheating the rules by passing on an empty cup is much more obvious - because the player receiving the empty cup will know immediately that the player to their right is cheating. It is up to them to call out the instance of cheating, resulting in the cheater to leave the table - or to allow it, quietly pretending that nothing strange occurred and being an accomplice in the cheating. Reason to choose to be an accomplice could be that a player is already very close to winning - or they just want to keep the game interesting and hope that the cheating player will also not call them out on their own cheating behaviours.

Components and tools

• Two empty cups from an opaque material per player
• At least five 6-sided dice per player

Participants

Minimum of 3 players, the more the merrier