Roll For It! Review
Growing up, I played many classic casual dice games like Yahtzee, Farkle, and LRC, with my family. These dice games were great because simple rules made them work for a wide range of ages.
However, as I look to get my own kids into dice games, I find flaws with these classics of my youth. Yathzee and Farkle, while fun, take a bit too long to play, while LRC doesn’t provide players with any choices — it’s all luck based.
That’s why we love Roll for It! A game with all the fun of classic dice games with a few modern touches to keep it interesting!
How Do You Play?
In Roll For It!, players will roll dice to complete scoring cards by matching their dice values with values on the cards to earn points. The first player to reach a set number of points is the winner.
On their turn a player will roll all their available dice (each player starts with six dice) and assign any matching values to one of three target cards. If a player can match all the dice values on the card with their dice, they will claim the card and add it to their score pile. If a player can’t fill the card, their dice are left on the card until they or another player claims the scorecard on a future turn. At the start of their turn, a player can choose to return all of their dice from the scoring cards back into their hand.
In a standard game, the play would continue until one player scores 40 points and wins. However, you can adjust this number up or down depending on what your group prefers.
What Do We Think?
Roll For It! hits all the marks I am looking for in a casual dice game. Simple rules, quick play, and limited but important choices each turn. What’s even better is that Roll for It! is a game you can play when you want to include everyone, young or old. Our kids love it so much its not an uncommon sight to find them huddled around the table playing. And because it is so simple, they can play it without parental supervision confidently.
Unlike some of the classic dice games I mentioned above, players only roll their dice once on their turn, which helps keep the game moving at a good pace. After rolling their dice, players must choose which scorecard they will pursue. Sometimes the choice is obvious if all dice match a card. Other times players will have to pick between chasing a single high point card or spreading their dice out to give them more opportunities on their next roll.
Towards the end of the game, players will also consider going after less desirable scorecards to prevent another player from getting it and ending the game. I found myself wondering, do I challenge an opponent who already has dice assigned to a card and hope they don’t get it on their next turn or do I go after the card with no one on it. Players have to be careful to spread themselves to thin, because once you a assign a dice to card you can’t get those dice back until the card is completed or you choose to return all your assigned dice to your hand losing any progress you had made on those cards.
Since the game ends once a player reaches a specific point total, you can control the game’s length by lowering the winning score. We find that 40-points is the right length when playing with older players, but we tend to use 25-30 points when playing with younger players.
Is the Deluxe Edition Worth It?
We aren’t usually ones to get deluxe editions of games, but here’s why you may want to consider it with Roll for It!
The Deluxe Edition comes with enough cards to play with up to 8 players so you don’t need to use two standard games if you have a higher player count. The cards also have beautiful artwork that we much prefer to the standard editions. While the standard games come in cardboard tuck boxes, the deluxe edition is housed within a tin case that doubles as a dice tray. This dice tray is extra helpful. The dice are smaller, mini dice and since they don’t have the weight of a standard D-6, they can often be a bit unruly when rolled. The tin helps keep them contained so you’re not chasing after them all the time.
For us, the biggest factor to consider when deciding between the standard and deluxe editions is the typical player count you’ll be playing with. We know we’ll almost always be playing with 5 or more so the deluxe edition makes sense, especially when taking the packaging into consideration for the dice tray.
When considering that the deluxe edition is similarly priced to what it would be to order two standard games yet it also has the nicer artwork and tin package/dice tray, we consider it to be a great value. If however you will not be playing it at a higher player count often, we suggest going with the standard edition.
Summary
Roll For It! is our family go-to casual dice roller. It is proof that simple can still be a lot of fun, and good packing can go a long way to enhance the gameplay experience. Fun for all ages and perfect to toss in a bag and take with you on your travels, we highly recommend Roll For It!
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A special thank you to our friends at Calliope Games for sending us a copy of Roll For It! Deluxe Edition for review. As always, our thoughts and opinions are our own.
Game Info:
Title: Roll For It! Deluxe Edition
Players: 2-8 | Age 8+
Designer: Chris Leder
Artist: Echo Chernik
Publisher: Calliope Games
