LCR is a simple, straightforward game that is fun for the whole family. It’s also very affordable; LCR retails for under $10. It’s cheap because there isn’t much materially involved in the game, but it boasts a level of fun equal to that of much pricier alternatives.
LCR comes with twenty-four plastic chips, each about the size of a penny. The game also includes three custom dice, each one with a combination of dots, L’s, C’s, and R’s. L means you pass a chip to the player on your left; R means pass a chip to your right. The C stands for center, where chips go to retire when their time has come.
A dot means do nothing, which is the best thing you can do on your turn. You can gain chips on other player’s turns, but not on your own. Three dots, meaning you don’t have to give anything away, is the best possible roll. The last player with chips remaining wins.
LCR is a joy on several levels. There’s the aforementioned cheapness. There is also the advantage of such simple rules that a four year old who can’t read yet can play. Unlike traditional board games, set up and clean up is a breeze, and pieces generally don’t get lost. Unlike modern Collectable Card Games, like Pokemon or Magic, LCR requires only one purchase and is comprehensible to grown-ups.
But the laughing and fun around the dinner table, with the whole family together and no TV or video games, that is the real pleasure in LCR. The game itself is not attention-consuming. It is breezy and fun and fairly non-competitive (we Rowe men can make just about anything competitive, but this is definitely on the low end of the scale).
LCR certainly isn’t the most involved or comprehensive game on the shelf, but in terms of bang for the buck LCR really delivers.
It can also double as a great drinking game for after the kids have gone to bed.
Every time you receive a chip, you drink. Every time you put a chip in the center, you drink. If someone rolls an LCR, everyone drinks.
Simple as that.