Derek Thompson
United States
Beech Grove
Indiana
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I was extremely excited for this expansion, as early reviews by Tom Vasel and Matt Drake were extremely positive. While I do like some things about it, I’m afraid I had my hopes set too high. The overall goal of the expansion was to add a sixth player, but to make sure most players still win something, each action space now has two options: one for the winner, and one for 2nd place. The winner at each space picks which option they want, leaving second place with the other.
My original understanding was that one new action was available and this single option was available at every space, while in fact there is a new action for each space. The problem is that the game is now twice as difficult to learn and to explain. The game feels more like a gamer’s game with tough decisions, but at the end of the day you’re still just rolling a ton of dice and hoping for the best, which means the game now lives in a space too luck-based for serious gamers, and too difficult for beginners. It also greatly extends the length of the game with more than two players, making it too long for what it is. I recently taught my parents the game and had a great time, but first we made sure to remove the expansion and I don’t think they would have appreciated the game at all with the expansion included.
My wife and I also play the game often with just the two of us, and in that situation we appreciate the added depth brought by the expansion, but there are still some weak aspects that keep the expansion from shining - primarily the rules and components. The rules have some typos in them, but more frustratingly so do some of the cards. I know it sounds like I’m nitpicking, but it really breaks the immersion during the game, and makes the game feel cheap. With a $75 MSRP for the game together with the expansion, I expect more. In addition, the Aces on the dice for the sixth player don’t match the symbol on the original dice, which can get confusing.
The typos in the rules aren’t as irritating as the ambiguities. There are some new General Store cards whose rules are unclear, and the rulebook offers no help other than repeating what’s written on the cards. However, the worst offender are the new Outlaw cards. The Outlaw cards can be used to "fix" your dice before a roll, which leads to complete confusion when you are trying to keep several players in sync with their dice rolls. One player may end early by using an Outlaw but then the other players get two more rolls - one regular roll that requires money, and one "final" roll. In addition, the rewards for capturing Outlaws are listed in dollars, denoted by a tiny cash sign beside the point values, rather than in points, so they’re each really worth half of what they say. This is counter-intuitive and not at all worth the thematic idea of a cash reward. These rules could have been far simpler, though maybe less balanced, but Dice Town has never been a game of precise balance anyway.
I know so far this review has been largely negative, but once the kinks are worked out, the additions to the game are great for experienced players. As a two-player game, it’s really reinvigorated the game for us, and we enjoy having all the new strategies to explore. Even though I dislike the implementation of the Outlaws, they are a great way for players to further manage their dice without having to use money to do it. However, it’s not the kind of expansion that I’m always going to want to use. With new players, I would absolutely avoid it, but it’s a great addition for veterans. It’s just that at this price point, I expected better rules and components. 7/10
Originally posted on http://meepletown.com
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Andy Andersen
United States
Newark
Delaware
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Excellent review. I agree on all points.
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Emmanuel Aquin
Canada
Mont-Saint-Hilaire
Quebec
And D-Day Dice, too!
I'm an "A"vatar.
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My thoughts exactly.
And that cheap sticker die screams "PnP". A commercial release should do better, especially since it's a DICE GAME.
Thanks for the review.
E
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Randolph Bookman
United States
Los Angeles
California
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Is there anywhere that tells you what side of the dice you attach the stickers?
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Michael J
United States
Folsom
California
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The secondary actions at each space make this game far less frustrating for non-gamers and kids, however. My daughter ran away in tears once when picked on by the sheriff one too many times (her brother, in this case). Second-prize winnings would have prevented her dismay. Of course, that also reduces some if the tension, too. Not sure I love that part, but I like the outlaws and expanded gold panning, too, not to mention ranches. While the game may take longer in some aspects, you can now run through property cards and gold nuggets at a faster clip, too, so it might balance out with experience. You could also remove cards and gold from game to shorten it, too. Overall, I'm happy with expansion, but somewhat agree about it being harder to teach.
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Michael J
United States
Folsom
California
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BTW, I dont know why the Outlaw rewards were bothersome to the OP. Cash rewards are thematic. Instead of saying 3 points on the reward, it says $6. What's wrong with that? you can earn 10+ points just by capturing outlaws!
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Derek Thompson
United States
Beech Grove
Indiana
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shieldwolf wrote: Is there anywhere that tells you what side of the dice you attach the stickers?
I don't think it really matters in theory, as all six sides -should- be equally likely...
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Derek Thompson
United States
Beech Grove
Indiana
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mjacobsca wrote: BTW, I dont know why the Outlaw rewards were bothersome to the OP. Cash rewards are thematic. Instead of saying 3 points on the reward, it says $6. What's wrong with that? you can earn 10+ points just by capturing outlaws!
Because when I see a sign in the game that says "Worth X" whatever, I assume it's points - that's how all of the other cards in the game work. It's not -that- much more thematic, and it's unnecessarily confusing. If the outlaw is worth $5, I don't even necessarily know yet if he is worth 2 or 3 VP because I have no idea if I'll have odd or even endgame cash. It's just one more way that the game is no longer the streamlined, easy family game it was when left alone.
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Posted Fri Sep 23, 2011 5:15 am
