Left Center Right (or LCR) is a Dice Game released in 1992 by George & Company. It's a re-release of the 1959 game Never Say Die by Peter Pan Playthings. The game is played by three or more players and contains three, identical, six-sided dice and an assortment of chips.
To play LCR, each person is given three chips. The player then throws the three dice and does the actions for each die rolled.
- L: Pass a chip to the left.
- R: Pass a chip to the right.
- C: Pass a chip to the center. The chip is removed from play.
- Dot: Nothing happens.
The number of dice rolled is dependent on the number of chips a player is holding. So a player holding one or two chips only rolls one or two dice, respectively. A player without chips is not eliminated, as a chip can be passed back to them, but their turn is skipped. The game ends once there's one player left with chips.
A new variant called LCR Wild was released in 2013 and replaces one of the dots with a "Wild" symbol. Rolling a Wild lets the player take chips from other players; rolling three Wilds takes the center pot.
LCR was released in multiple formats such as plastic tubes, a card game, an electronic game, and by other companies. LCR and LCR Wild can also be played using three basic dice and designating what number does what.
''Left Center Right" has the following tropes:
- Drinking Game: As seen below, the players can replace chips with shots. Rolling a C changes from passing to the center pile to taking a shot.
- Exact Words: Cardinal's release replaces L and R with Left and Right. For some odd reason, C is not "Center" but a star symbol.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Downplayed in Never Say Die. A player can store any of their chips over three to their winnings.
- Luck-Based Mission: LCR is simply rolling dice and doing what was rolled. LCR Wild has a bit of strategy, simply choosing who to take chips away from, but it's still the luck of the roll.
- Never Say "Die": Averted, the game's original title is literally Never Say Die meaning that a person without chips is not eliminated/dead.
- Official Game Variant: The back of the tin releases write "Play LCR with chips or whatever makes it fun for you". Replacements include candies, drinking shots, or money.
- Progressive Jackpot: In East West Hold'Em, if the last chip is passed to the center by rolling a P (Center), the game ends with no winner. New chips are given, and a second round starts with the center pile intact.
- Spin-Off:
- LCR Wild is George & Company's variant to their original LCR.
- East West Hold'Em by R&S Marketing replaces the L, C, R, and Dot symbols with W, P, E, and H (West, Pot, East, and Hold'Em), respectively. The game increases the starting chips and dice from three to four.
