Nice or Nasty
1 out of 3
Will you play the nice or the nasty version of this dice game?
Problem
Nice or Nasty - printable instructions sheet
Nice or Nasty - printable scoring sheet
Find a partner and a 1-6 dice, or a 0-9 dice if you have one. You could use the dice in Dice and Spinners.
Each player begins by drawing a set of four boxes:
Then decide together which version you'll play...
Nice version
Player 1 begins by rolling the dice and writing the number rolled in one of their boxes. Player 2 then does the same. Players continue to take turns until all the boxes are full, and then each player reads the four-digit number they've created.
The person with the largest four-digit number wins the round, and the first person to win 10 rounds wins the game.
How are you deciding where to place the number you roll?
Nasty version
This is the same game as above, but with a twist.
In this version, you can choose to keep the number you've rolled and write it in one of your boxes, or you can give it to your partner and tell them which of their boxes to write it in.
You might lose a friend this way! It's really important to take turns to start each round to keep things fair.
How are you deciding where to place the number you roll now?
Rule changes
Once you've played this a few times, you might like to change some of the rules of this game. Have a look below for some changes you could make.
How do the new rules change your strategy?
Rule changes
- Instead of aiming for the largest number, the winner could be the player with the smallest number. Or you could set a target number before the game begins, and the aim is to get closest to the target number.
- Instead of just playing against one other person, you could play with more than two people. (The nasty version of the game becomes even nastier when played in bigger groups!)
- Instead of playing competitively, you could play cooperatively in a group, where all the players work together. Decide in advance which of you will get the closest to the target and who will be second closest, third, fourth, etc. Then work together to decide in whose cells the numbers should be placed, and where.
- Instead of placing numbers as they are rolled, each player could roll the dice four times and then choose where to place all of their numbers in one go.
- Instead of a point for a win, you could work out the difference between the two players' four-digit numbers after each round. The winner will get this score and use it to begin a running total. The first player to reach an agreed-upon target number wins.
- Instead of working with whole numbers, you could introduce a decimal point. This decimal point might be in a fixed place, or you could give each player free choice over where to put their decimal point.
Teachers' Resources
Using NRICH Tasks Richly describes ways in which teachers and learners can work with NRICH tasks in the classroom.
Why play this game?
This games is thought provoking and very engaging. It encourages discussion of place value and strategic mathematical thinking.
Possible approach
This game can be played with 1-6 die but ideally would be played with a 0-9 dice or spinner.
Provide time for learners to play the game several times to refine their strategy, and then introduce some of the possible rule changes. You might like to set learners up so that they are playing the game as one pair against another pair, to provide opportunities for them to discuss where to place each number.
Key questions
What would that digit be worth in the final number?
Why are you leaving that box empty for the moment?
Why are some boxes more important than others?
Possible support
Start with two, then three boxes, before moving onto four. Choose the easiest scoring system or allow calculators for scoring the more difficult version. Allow pairs of students to play against other pairs, so that they can support each other.
Possible extension
You may wish to move the students on to Dicey Operations in Line or Dicey Operations in order to use the same ideas about place value in the context of calculations.