Yu - Gi - Oh ! Dungeon Dice Monsters Dungeon Dice Monsters , or DDM for short , is a board game in the anime created by Duke Devlin from " Yu - Gi - Oh ! " . It is seen in the manga and in the anime Game stats . In Dungeon Dice monsters , there is a tiled board of 13 x 19 tiles ( 13 tiles wide ) on which play is conducted . On either end of the board sits a " Monster Lord " ( on the 7th tile from each side on the row closest to the players ) representing either player . Each Monster Lord has 3 Life Points . The first player to lose all their Life Points loses . In the Yu - Gi - Oh ! Anime , these were referred to as " Heart Points " . Terminology . Monster Lord - Also called the Die Master , this is a representation of the player . Dungeon Masters cannot move or defend but may attack ( for 10 damage ) . Each has 3 Heart Points . The Dungeon Master is not affected by items or abilities that affect monsters in the Dungeon . The only way to destroy the Dungeon Master is by attacking it . Dice Pool - The 15 Dice a player uses . When a die is used for a Summon , it cannot be used again . Players are only allowed 10 Summons in a game , so they will always have 5 Dice left over for Crest rolling . Crest Pool - The place where a player ' s Crests ( Except Summon Crests ) are stored . The Crests rolled are stored in the Crest Pool until a player uses them . A player cannot use Crests from the opponent ' s Pool . Dungeon Piece - Created when monsters are Summoned , it is needed so players can attack each other and move about the board . An appropriately rolled die is selected , placed down on the field , and is unfolded to create the path . This is called a Dimension . The rules for such are as follows : The end result is 10 patterns ( 5 , and 5 inversions ) which can be rotated for a total of 40 . Obstacles - Also known as " Shelled Ground " , these are squares placed on a board . Neither player can Summon a monster in such a way that their Dungeon Path would lie adjacent to the Obstacle . Strategic placing of Obstacles can cut off a player ' s main route of Summoning and make the game much more difficult . In the Game Boy version of Dungeon Dice Monsters , later levels have Obstacles placed in such a way to only hinder the human player , giving them a large handicap . History . In the manga and anime , Dungeon Dice Monsters is created by Ryuji Otogi ( Duke Devlin in the English anime ) . In the manga , Otogi creates the game under pressure from his father , Mr . Crown . Mr . Crown lost to a Shadow Game against Sugoroku Mutou ( Solomon Muto in the English anime ) . Mr . Crown wants Otogi to avenge the defeat and harm Yugi Mutou , Sugoroku ' s grandson . In the anime , he idolizes Maximillion Pegasus ( Pegasus J . Crawford in the Japanese versions ) and strives to create a game just as great as Duel Monsters . He emails the specifications to Pegasus , who challenged him to a match of the game at Duelist Kingdom . Using the Millennium Eye to read his mind and thus , easily master the game , Pegasus defeats the creator . However , he was impressed with the game and agreed to market it . This is shortly before Yugi Muto arrives at Duelist Kingdom . Upon being defeated , Pegasus goes into hiding , and the contract to market Dungeon Dice Monsters is never signed . Thus , the game does very poorly , and the only shop selling it is the one the creator himself owns . The creator blames his failure on Yugi . In the English anime , he believes that he cheated to beat Pegasus , crushing his spirit . In the Japanese versions , Otogi also accuses Yugi of cheating to win , that causing Otogi to lose contact with Pegasus . In the anime , he provokes Yugi into challenging him to a match by dueling his friend Katsuya Jonouchi ( Joey Wheeler in the English anime ) and forcing him to wear a dog costume . In the manga , he has one of the store security slip DDM packs into Yugi ' s pockets . He is then promptly ' found out ' as the guards pretend to think he was trying to steal them and taken to a room . Otogi reveals himself and challenges Yugi . Yugi does poorly early on , obviously having little clue on how to play the game . However , he makes a comeback and defeats Otogi , displaying enough understanding of the game to summon the Dark Magician even after Otogi had dismissed it as impossible for Yugi to carry out another summoning , allowing him to turn the tables and defeat his opponent . Otogi admits defeat . In the manga , his father ' s game shop burns down to the ground . In the anime , shortly after the match , he receives another email from Industrial Illusions , telling him they will sign the contract to market Dungeon Dice Monsters worldwide . It is later mentioned that he travels briefly to the U . S . to market the product , but later returns to Japan . Sets . Although they are not featured in any real life sets , two cards featured in the " Yu - Gi - Oh ! " second series anime " Dice Dungeon " and " Dimension Dice " modify the normal " Yu - Gi - Oh ! " card game to be similar to Dungeon Dice Monsters . The two cards combined use dice rolls and a board - like playing field to change the style of play to resemble Dungeon Dice Monsters . The two cards are played by Devlin himself . Gameplay . The central part of Dungeon Dice monsters is , obviously , the dice . Each player has 15 6 - sided dice . There are 6 symbols on each die , called Crests . A player rolls 3 dice each turn , and from the Crests rolled , makes their move . Players alternate turns rolling dice until a player ' s Dungeon Master loses all its Heart Points . What makes the game a true challenge is that a monster cannot move except along Dungeon Path , which is created when a monster is summoned . So , careful placement of pathway can mean an easy path behind opposing lines . But sloppy dimensioning could spell defeat for a player . Monsters . The monsters in Dungeon Dice Monsters have 3 main stats : Attack , Defense , and Health ( Health is sometimes referred to as ' Hit Points ' ) . The Attack and Defense are in multiples of 10 . All monsters have at least 10 Health Points to remain on the board . When a monster loses all of its Health points , it is destroyed . Damage to health points is determined by attacking and defending . ( see Attack Crest and Defense Crest for more details ) . Some monsters are Tunneler s , meaning they can move past other monsters ( normally , monsters cannot move over each other . ) . There are also Flyer s , who can not only move over other monsters , but can only be attacked by other Flyers or by monsters with Special Abilities saying they can attack Flyers . Also , there are many monsters with Special Abilities , although many require Trap or Magic Crests to use . ( See Trap Crest and Movement Crest for more details ) Crests . Crests are a sort of currency in the game . These are obtained through dice rolls and can be saved in your crest pool . There are six different types of crests : Summon Crests , Movement Crests , Attack Crests , Defense Crests , Magic Crests , and Trap Crests . Each of them has a specific purpose in the game . SUMMON CRESTS : The only type of crest that is found on every die . Like in the regular game , each die has a level that corresponds to its monster ( or item ) ' s power . The levels go from 1 to 4 , with 4 being the most powerful . As a result , the number of Summon Crests on the die decrease with each level ; Level 1 dice have four Summon Crests , Level 2 dice have three , Level 3 dice have two , and Level 4 dice only have one . To successfully summon , or " dimension " as it is called in this game , a player must roll at least two summon crests of the same level . A player is allowed no more than ten dimensions per game . MOVEMENT CRESTS : When a dimension is performed , the die folds out into one of ten shapes , and this becomes a path . The monsters can only move along these paths , and for each space they move , a Movement Crest is required . Flying monsters require two Movement Crests for each space they move . ATTACK CRESTS : If a monster is within range of an opponent ' s monster , they are able to attack them . However , each attack requires one Attack Crest ; if there are none , no attack can be executed . A monster can only attack once per turn . DEFENSE CRESTS : When a monster attacks another monster , the attacking monster ' s power is dealt to the opponent ' s monster ' s health . Each monster has a certain number of hit points , dictated by its quantity of hearts . Each heart is 10 hit points ; when all the hearts are broken , the monster is destroyed . The amount of damage can be reduced , however , by utilizing Defense Crests . When a monster is attacked , if its controller has any Defense Crests , they can make the monster guard against its attacker . In this case , the defense power of the monster that is attacked is subtracted from the attacking monster ' s attack power . MAGIC CRESTS : Not usually a vital part of the game ; certain monsters have special abilities that they can activate by sacrificing Magic Crests e . g : Thunder ball . TRAP CRESTS : Like Magic Crests , not usually a vital part of the game ; certain monsters have special abilities that they can activate when they are attacked by sacrificing Trap Crests . Real life . Dungeon Dice monsters was made as a real game in early 2002 as Yu - Gi - Oh ! : Dungeondice Monsters , with 137 figures and cards scheduled for release . However , it never really caught on and was canceled within a few months . The rules are slightly different , and many of the monsters from the card game were used to expand on the barely - touched game . The game was produced by . Gameplay . Similar to the anime and manga game , two players sit at either end of the field , which is 13 x 19 squares . Each player has a dice pool of 12 dice , 1 for each of the 4 levels of monsters and items available in the game . However , instead of using " Heart Points , " the game incorporates a monster called the Monster Lord ( 3 LP / 10 ATK / 0 DEF ) . Summoning . Summoning monsters works like in the show , where three dice are rolled and if any two have Summoning Crests , a monster of the lowest level crest can be summoned . When a monster is summoned , the player picks a path piece to place on the board , leading from their Monster Lord to the game field . If a monster is destroyed , it is removed from play . Battle . When monsters battle on the field , they can attack once , defend , or use a special ability . Normal Attacks require one Attack Crest , while a Normal Defend uses one Defense Crest . When a monster attacks another monster , the attacking monster ' s ATK is subtracted from the defending monster ' s HP . If a Defense Crest is used , the monster ' s DEF is subtracted from the attacking monster ' s ATK . If a monster is destroyed , it is removed from play . An interesting note is the Monster Lord . Unlike on the show where the Die Master could not defend himself , the Monster Lord has 10 ATK and can strike back at an attacking monster . Regardless of the attacking monster ' s ATK , the Monster Lord only loses 1 LP for each attack . Since a Monster Lord cannot move , this can save a duelist whose monsters are on the other end of the field . Special abilities . Some monsters have Effects not unlike their Duel Monsters counterparts . Some special abilities require the use of crests while others don ' t . For example , a monster may spend a number of crests ( regardless of this kind of crest ) to attack or defend without using an attack crest . Others have effects specific to the type of crest that is used ; Knight of Twin Swords can attack twice for every 2 attack crests used , but cannot perform a single normal attack if the effect is used . Others still have more unique powers , like taking 0 damage from certain monster types . Many also have the ability to " Tunnel " or " Fly " on the game board . Tunneling monsters can pass through other monsters at the cost of two Progress Crests per space . Flying monsters can only be attacked by other Flying monsters or regular monsters with special abilities , and normal monsters can pass under them . Flying monsters require two Progress Crests per space even when not passing over enemies . However , neither of these types can occupy the same space as another monster , balancing out their advantages Game progress . Each player picks their monsters and sets a Monster Lord figurine ( or token , if a figurine is unavailable ) on white space . ( Blue in the Advanced Gameplay ; see below . ) Players decide on who goes first , and that person then picks three dice from his or her dice pool and rolls . While it is suggested they all be the same level , they can be mixed if desired . The player then takes any crests available and uses them or puts them in the crest pool . As more monsters are summoned , the players will begin to form a bridge between themselves and their opponent . Once the two paths meet , the players must attempt to get at the Monster Lord to attack . If two monsters meet on adjacent squares , they can battle . Once one player destroys all of his or her opponent ' s monsters or is able to defeat the Monster Lord , that player wins . Advanced Gameplay . While essentially the same , there is one key difference with the Advanced Gameplay rules . Rather than setting a Monster Lord figure or token on the white starting squares , they are placed on the blue squares , which are farther apart . Basically , this just gives more room for the players to work with , with a larger space to summon monsters and items . This can severely change the length of a game , making it take considerably longer than a normal gameplay session . Public reaction . While quite a bit of hype surrounded the game before its release , sales were low and few expansions were released . A Starter Pack containing 7 figures , 7 cards , two Crest Pools ( an ) , 12 dice , a number of hit counters , several pathway pieces , 4 Monster Lord Tokens , and a set of instructions ( the booklet modeled after the one used for the card game ) was marketed , as well as a limited number of Booster Pack sets , but before the full set was released , the line was canceled due to lack of support and fans . Version differences . DDM has had a number of variants created , namely the Japanese board game , English board game , and the Gameboy Advance video game . They all have a number of differences . Box contents . In the Japanese version , one Starter Set contained 10 Monsters , a Monster Lord , and all the accessories , as well as seven booster packs . Dungeon tiles . Instead of molded plastic six - sided die , the dice were snap - together and unfolded on hinges into the dungeon path tiles . This was to effect the dice going out of use when used ; while good in theory , the dice tended to be hard to lay flat on the board and use as path . It also required players to deal with the fairly complex rules of dimensioning , which weren ' t even explained in the manual . The English version did away with this by simply having ordinary dice and plastic pieces forming the 10 legal Dimension formations . Dice Pool & monster limits . In the Japanese version , the dice pool is 15 , and is customizable with dice obtained from the same booster packs as the miniatures and monster cards . Level 4 dice are limited to 3 per Dice Pool , and monsters and items are collectively limited to 10 , with unlimited duplicates allowed . In the English version , you only have 12 dice ( 3 of each level ) , which are non - customizable . The maximum of monsters and items is still 10 , but you can only have one copy of a given monster ( items are unlimited however ) . In the Game Boy Advance game , dice and monsters are one and the same , with the limit at 15 , and no limit to duplicates . Crest configuration . No matter what version is played , the amount of summon crests is the same for all dice across a given level . Level 1 has four summon crests per die , Level 2 has three , Level 3 has two , and Level 4 has one . They all have other crests on the remaining sides . The Japanese version has different configurations for different dice , meaning you can obtain a specific die that possesses a rich possibility of granting movement crests . The English version has 12 standardized dice . The Gameboy Advance game is similar to the Japanese board game , but has each individual die tied to the monster , so you must include specific monsters to include specific dice in your Dice Pool . Die color . The Japanese version die color indicates the type of monster it is capable of summoning ( such as Warrior , Spellcaster , etc . ) . In the English version , the color merely indicates what level the die is . The colors of the dice in the GBA game indicate the type of monster inside ; red are Dragons , yellow are Zombies , green are Beasts , blue are Warriors , and white are Spellcasters . Black dice contain items . English version rule additions . Some rules were added to the English version to streamline some problems with the Japanese version . The Double Dice rule has players rolling twice instead of once , keeping all the crests , but only making one summon . The Triple Summoning rule allows a roll of three of the same level to summon a monster one level higher . There is also a " basic game " which has players use the inner square as the battlefield instead of the whole thing , as well as a reduced amount of rules and available game pieces . Game Boy Advance exclusives . The GBA game has many other differences from the physical games . If a monster ' s defense exceeds an attacker ' s attack after spending a defense crest , the difference is inflicted to the attacker ' s HP . Dungeon Masters also can ' t attack like they can in the physical games . There is also a Type advantage system , giving an advantaged attacker or defender 10 extra attack or defense . In addition , there are many exclusive monsters that either didn ' t appear at all in the other versions , or appeared in a different form .