Strike

While I didn't get many growing up, my wife's family plays a lot of dice games. Not because dice games offer a depth of gameplay, but because they get the family around the table yelling and swapping nickels. Strike is a dead-simple game that makes a great addition to any dice-throwing family's game closet.

How it works: Everyone gets an equal amount of dice, and each turn you can throw any number into the "arena" and hope for matches. Any dice that match, you can return to your hard, and any dice that lands on the dreaded "X", are out of the game. Pass the roll after a match, or press your luck and look for more. Unmatched dice have to stay in the arena. The winner is the one that holds on to their dice the longest.

Why it's clever: Inside the "arena", anything goes. Players can throw their dice directly onto dice already inside, to knock them around and change the outcome. There's also a great "push your luck" angle (if you follow the site, you know that's one of our favorite mechanics), where the more you roll, the more you can win (or lose).

Price: $25

PS: There's also a Harry Potter version of the game, if you're into that sort of thing. If you've got kids that are fans, this might be an easy way to drag them into dice games.