A Cult of the Lamb fan made their own Knucklebones dice game

What a cool physical take on the mini-game

Have you ever become so absorbed in a mini-game or side activity that it starts to overshadow the main game? It can be hard to pull yourself away! The most recent example I can point to is Cult of the Lamb and its snappy dice game, Knucklebones.

This game is compelling enough that players are sticking with it long after they’ve toppled all of the competitors and no longer need extra money earned from bets. Much like the fishing mini-game, Knucklebones is meant to flesh out the world of Cult of the Lamb and help you pass the time when you need a break from dungeon raiding or cult raising.

It’s good fun, the kind that sticks with you longer than it should — and fans want more.

One Cult of the Lamb fan created a browser version of Knucklebones, and another, who goes by BenY-S on Reddit, whipped up their own physical adaptation of Knucklebones.

As you can see from this in-game comparison screenshot, they nailed it.

According to BenY-S, they used a Cricut Maker “with a mix of cream card, balsa wood, vinyl, and red/black foam sheets.” The slots on the side of the board are for noting wins, and the instruction sheet’s numbers show what single, double, and triple dice are worth.

To keep everything tidy, they even created a nice little Knucklebones box.

If you haven’t tried Cult of the Lamb yet and you’re intrigued, here’s a probably-too-brief breakdown of Knucklebones. Players take turns rolling and placing dice into one of their three columns, with the goal of having the highest point total when there are no moves left to make. By matching dice in a column with a pair or triple, you’ll multiply their value — but a player can also wipe out the opponent’s dice by matching it in their own column.

As such, there’s luck involved, but you can smartly hedge your bets.

As others have suggested, it would be awesome to see the game developers (or a partner) come out with an official mobile or physical version of Knucklebones. I’d play it.