Step into the city’s hippest cocktail lounge where you, an expert mixologist will prepare the finest and most delicious cocktails for patrons! 

We’re giving you our thoughts on this quick competitive entry weight game where you’ll complete cocktails for money and additional tips! 

While themed around alcohol, this is NOT a drinking game.

How do you play?

In On The Rocks you’ll be working to complete three sets of drink orders by drafting ingredient marbles to fulfill each drinks recipe. 

On your turn you’ll roll two dice. The number on the dice lets you know how many marbles you’ll pull from the bag to distribute among the bowls in the center of the table. Beginning with the empty bowl, you’ll deposit one marble at a time clockwise into each of the bowls, then you’ll select one bowl. 

From these marbles you’ll fill up your cocktails with the ingredients. Tips are earned from every completed drink. Tip cards can be used throughout the game to take special actions or can be saved till the end of the game for points. 

Players can also suffer spills throughout the game that can cause them to lose marbles from their player board. This can happen by drafting bowls that contain black marbles or through the use of penalty tip cards other players play on them during the game.

When you complete all your drink orders, you flip the cards over, add them to your completed order section, then draw three or four new drink cards. Once you or another player has completed their third round of drinks it triggers Last Call. 

Players score points from their completed drinks, tips earned, and additional tips for completing all three orders. 

The player with the highest score wins.

What Do We Think?

What I like most about On the Rocks is how inviting of a game this is for new players. It is well produced with simple mechanics that won’t overwhelm those who are new to modern games. This is the type of game that will have a lot of wow factor for guests, especially those that are interested in the theme and perhaps consider themselves mixologists as well. 

Strategically there is not a lot here that will keep the experienced gamer coming back for more. There is a lot of random luck involved and from play to play each game feels exactly the same. Pull marbles, fill marbles, place marbles. We felt like after two or three plays we saw everything the game had to offer for us. While the Tip cards could provide some small element of strategy, we found through our games that sacrificing those points to score a small benefit or mildly harm another player just didn’t make up for the points lost. It’s much better to pocket the points.

It’s also not snappy enough for the lack of progression one feels while playing. There is no difference in feel from round one, two, or three. Each plays exactly the same. The game takes about an hour, sometimes more depending on player count. For games of this weight with very little elements to add tension or excitement that’s just a bit too long. 

Theme + Components

On the Rocks is an excellent example of how a well implemented theme can elevate a game.

I absolutely love the drink menus and clever components included that both set the scene and elevate the lighter game play found within. 

This is the type of game you love to show new players because it really looks impressive.

Can Kids Play? 

While On the Rocks is a family weight game, I probably wouldn’t choose it when playing with kids. 

Why? Mostly because there is a lot of moving parts and I don’t want to chase marbles all over the house. 

Is the game play approachable? Sure. It’s incredibly simple and easy to pick up. All you are doing is placing marbles in bowls and then on your player board. Working to fulfill drink orders by drafting the necessary colors is something that kids will definitely be able to do.

Yet when it comes to playing games with kids, a game about cocktails just isn’t going to be my first or even second choice. There are much better choices out there, even with similar mechanics, for the whole family to enjoy. 

I’d recommend checking out Azul Summer Pavilion for a light weight family drafting game with simple scoring. Review Here.

Summary

On the Rocks is a great choice for players who are new to board games. It is well produced and is easily learned. Experienced gamers will most likely not find enough within to excite them for more than two or three plays. There’s just not enough strategic decisions here to make each game unique. The game play is rhythmic and does not require too much thought. This could be a turn off for some players while others may enjoy that aspect. 

All that said, On the Rocks is head and shoulders better than the majority of the mass market games you’ll find on the shelves of most households. In many ways On the Rocks is more welcoming than other entry weight games due to its visible theme and straightforward rules and point system. While it may not be a game that an experienced player will play frequently themselves, it’s one that you won’t mind introducing to and playing with friends who are new to modern games. 

I’ll Cheers to that!

Bring home a copy of On the Rocks for your home.
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A special thank you to our friends at 25th Century Games for sending us a copy of On the Rocks for review. As always our thoughts and opinions are our own. 

Game Info:
Title: On the Rocks
1-4 Players Ages 14+
Designer: Michael Pittre, Christina Pittre
Artist: Christina Pittre
Publisher: 25th Century Games, PenTree Games
Published: 2021