Dice Archery Game: Rules, Target Chart and Odds
Dice archery turns a roll of two dice into an arrow. The higher the total, the closer the arrow lands to the gold in the middle of the target, and a double 6 is a perfect 10. Two players or two teams shoot six ends of three arrows each, and the higher total wins. All you need is two dice and a pencil, and a match takes about fifteen minutes. Below are the rules, the target chart and the exact chance of each score.
What you need
- Two six-sided dice, or a dice roller set to two dice.
- A score sheet with six rows for the ends and a column for each archer.
- Two players or two teams. In a team, the archers take turns shooting.
- A coin flip to decide who shoots first.
Who shoots first?
Toss a coin flip. The winner chooses whether to shoot first or second in the first end, and after that the archers swap in every end. Because each arrow is rolled the same way, the order makes no difference to who wins. The toss just settles it fairly and quickly.
How to play
- A match has six ends. In each end, each archer shoots three arrows.
- To shoot an arrow, roll both dice, add them up and find the total in the target chart below. Write down the points.
- After three arrows, add them up to get the score for the end. The most an archer can score in one end is 30.
- After six ends, add up all 18 arrows. The higher total wins.
- Tie: if the totals are equal, each archer shoots one more arrow. The higher arrow wins, and if those are equal too, shoot again.
A real archery target has ten scoring rings in five colours: white on the outside, then black, blue, red and gold in the middle, with two rings of each colour. The chart below uses the same rings, so the dice version feels like the real thing. It is a home game, not an official one, so agree on the rules before the first arrow.
The target chart and the chance of each arrow
In the table, “Roll” is the total of the two dice, “Where the arrow lands” is the ring and its points, and “Chance” is the exact probability out of the 36 ways two dice can land.
| Roll | Where the arrow lands | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Gold, inner ring: 10 points | 1 in 36 |
| 11 | Gold: 9 points | 2 in 36 |
| 10 | Red, inner: 8 points | 3 in 36 |
| 9 | Red: 7 points | 4 in 36 |
| 8 | Blue, inner: 6 points | 5 in 36 |
| 7 | Blue: 5 points | 6 in 36 |
| 6 | Black, inner: 4 points | 5 in 36 |
| 5 | Black: 3 points | 4 in 36 |
| 4 | White, inner: 2 points | 3 in 36 |
| 3 | White: 1 point | 2 in 36 |
| 2 | Miss: 0 points | 1 in 36 |
The score of an arrow is simply the dice total minus 2. Blue is the most common colour, because 7 is the most common total of two dice, as explained in our guide to dice probability. On average one arrow is worth exactly 5 points, and an arrow in the gold, a 9 or a 10, comes 3 times in 36, or 1 in 12.
What score wins?
An average archer scores 15 points in an end and 90 points in a match of 18 arrows. Most scores land between 80 and 100. In the next table, “Final score after 18 arrows” is a total an archer can reach, and “Chance” is how likely one archer is to score at least that much, rounded.
| Final score after 18 arrows | Chance |
|---|---|
| 100 or more | about 18% |
| 110 or more | about 3% |
| 120 or more | about 0.2% |
| Exactly 180, a perfect match | 1 in about 1028 |
A perfect end of three 10s comes 1 time in 46,656. Two archers finish on the same total in about 3% of matches, so the tie-break arrow is not often needed. These numbers are worked out exactly from the rules, not simulated.
Tips
- Say “Nock, draw, loose!” before each roll, the three steps of shooting a real arrow.
- Draw a target on the score sheet and mark each arrow with a dot in the right ring.
- For a shorter match, shoot three ends. For a long tournament, shoot twelve.
- Let the archer who is behind shoot first in the next end, to keep the tension up.
Classroom ideas
- Mental maths: pupils add up three arrows for each end and keep a running total.
- Probability: why is a 10 rarer than a 5? List all the ways two dice can make 12 and all the ways they can make 7.
- Averages: after a match, each pupil works out the mean score per arrow and compares it with 5.
- Tournaments: draw the pairs for a class tournament with a random name picker.
Variations
- Set match: each end is a set. The archer with the higher end score gets 2 set points, an even end gives 1 each, and the first to 6 set points wins. Olympic recurve matches use a set system much like this one.
- Wind: before each end, roll one die. On a 1, every arrow in that end loses 1 point.
- Bullseye bonus: a double 6 earns an extra arrow straight away.
- Team round: teams of three each shoot one arrow per end, and the team total counts.
In the set match, the game is decided in three sets about 20% of the time and goes to a 5-5 shoot-off about 10% of the time. The next table shows how a set match ends.
| How a set match ends | Chance |
|---|---|
| 6 set points after 3 sets | about 20% |
| 6 set points after 4 sets | about 34% |
| 6 set points after 5 sets | about 36% |
| 5-5, decided by a shoot-off | about 10% |
If you like sports played with dice, try dice darts or dice boxing next.
For a race on the water, try the dice rowing race, 2,000 metres with power strokes and crabs.
FAQ
How do you play archery with dice?
Each roll of two dice is one arrow. The score is the total minus 2, so a double 6 is a 10 in the gold and a double 1 is a miss. Shoot six ends of three arrows and the higher total wins.
What is the chance of hitting a 10?
1 in 36, because only a double 6 makes 12.
What is a good score?
The average is 90 over 18 arrows. About 18% of archers score 100 or more, and only about 3% reach 110.
How do you break a tie?
Each archer shoots one more arrow, and the higher arrow wins. Equal totals happen in about 3% of matches.
Does it matter who shoots first?
No. Every arrow is rolled the same way, so the order does not change the odds. A coin flip settles it.
How many players can play?
Two players or two teams. More players can each keep their own score and compare totals at the end.