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United States
Greer
South Carolina
Entropy Seminar:
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When I first saw the box for Cosmic Cows, I dismissed it as a kids' game, but given that Playroom Entertainment has had a run of releasing Eurogames for the kids' market lately (David & Goliath and Poison being two examples), I did some research and saw that this had a decent rating here at the Geek. I read the rules, figured it was worth a shot, and picked it up.
Cosmic Cows is a rethemed version of Kniffel Duell, which is Yahtzee with more choices, and that's a good thing. When I was a kid, I loved Yahtzee, but the time I played it again when I was an adult, I was disappointed. In Yahtzee, it's too easy to get locked out of good categories, and the end of the game can feel predictable and prolonged. In the case of Cosmic Cows, you're using the same mechanics that you would in Yahtzee, but you can re-use previous categories, since you're moving your cows closer and closer to the aliens, depending on how many of a number you roll. If you roll 3 6s, then you move the cow 3 more spaces closer to your end of the board in the 6 column. If you roll a Yahtzee, then you get to move the cow directly into your scoring area. If you roll a full house, you move a cow three spaces in one column, and two in another. The first person to get 3 cows in their end of the board is the winner.
I like this, partly because I don't mind dice games, and partly because you'll only ever be locked out of two categories during the game. If you've secured two cows in your area, then you don't really want that number any more, so your choices aren't as limited. The game tends to run a bit long as the players enter the back-and-forth phase where you and your opponent keep rolling similar things, but if you don't count the middle row on the board (the one where the cows start), then it might be just right (we played that you counted it when counting spaces).
If you don't mind a little dice in your games (i.e., Can't Stop), then it would probably be worth your while to try Cosmic Cows. You can even make a board on a sheet of paper and try it with some extra dice in your house.
(Review based on one play.)
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Entropy Seminar:
