An original dice game by Kenneth P. Langer.

CORE BREACH

Cool the reactor before the Pressure Gauge blows the pipes.

Rolling the initial Pressure Gauge…

Pressure Gauge (the reactor)

—

Safe at 0 or less • Meltdown above 30

0 (safe) 30+

Last Pressure Roll

no roll yet

Water Gauge (this attempt)

Target: land between 22–25

Last Water Die

no roll yet

Bank Roll (white die, subtracted from pressure)

no bank yet

Event Log

How to Play — Core Breach

Objective: You're a solo operator trying to cool a breached nuclear reactor. Lower the Pressure Gauge to 0 or less before it climbs past 30 and the reactor melts down.

Setup

The Pressure Gauge starts at the sum of 5d6 (a random number from 5–30). From there it's tracked as a running total — the number is what matters, not any particular dice showing it.

The Water Gauge (your turn)

Each attempt, you build a total by rolling blue dice one at a time — 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12, and 1d20 — choosing which one to roll next. Each die can only be used once per attempt. Your goal is to land your running total between 22 and 25.

Go over 25, or use all five blue dice without ever reaching 22 — that's a bust. Roll 3 red d6 and add the total to the Pressure Gauge.
Land in 22–25 and you can Bank (roll a white die to lower the Pressure Gauge) or Push for a bigger reward by rolling another unused blue die — but any push risks busting.

Water Gauge total	White die rolled on Bank
22	1d4
23	1d6
24	1d8
25	1d10

Worked example

Rolling d20 then d6 lands on 19 — not yet in range, so a d8 is rolled next. 19+5=24 lands in the safe zone: bank now (roll white 1d8) or push with the remaining dice for a shot at 25.

Winning & Losing

The Pressure Gauge total dropping to 0 or less means the reactor is safe — you win. The Pressure Gauge total going over 30 means the pipes explode — you lose.

This and other original games can be found in the book 36 New Dice Games by Kenneth P. Langer.