Cthulhu Dice
2-6
10+
5+
Serving Cthulhu is fun . . . except for all those other cultists out to get you. So get them first!
Cthulhu Dice lets you drive your rivals mad . . . very, very quickly. Players take turns rolling the big, beautiful, custom 12-sided die, embossed with tentacles, Elder Signs, and more. Destroy your opponents' sanity! Better yet, steal it. But watch out for Cthulhu – when he comes up, he takes sanity from everyone! 18 glass Sanity marbles are included. Lose all your marbles and you're mad. The last sane cultist wins . . . unless everyone goes mad together. Then Cthulhu wins!
Cthulhu Dice plays in 5 to 10 minutes, and is fun for 2 to 6 players.
images © Steve Jackson Games
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Cthulhu Dice
This is a REALLY short game! Consisting of a single oversized D12 featuring Cthulhu Mythos symbols and a handful of glass pebbles you would be easily forgiven for overlooking this game as more a novelty item and les a game.
I would be lying if I said there was anything resembling strategy to this game but the simplicity is half of the fun and it makes a useful five minute filler game whether you are waiting for dinner, for a bus or the men in white coats coming to return you to Arkham!
Gameplay
The rules are straight forward and you only need reference them once or twice until the icons are learned…..
Players begin with three of the glass markers. These are Sanity Tokens.
Each turn you choose a victim from among the other players and roll the die applying the result to their chosen player:
Yellow Sign = Your target loses one sanity to Cthulhu and pushes it to the centre of the table.
Tentacle = The caster takes one sanity from his/her victim unless they are already insane themselves in which case it goes to Cthulhu.
Elder Sign = You gain one sanity from Cthulhu’s pool in the middle of the table.
Cthulhu = EVERYONE loses one sanity.
Eye = Players choice from the above!
Once this is resolved, the victim immediately retaliates by rolling the die and applying the result to their attacker then play moves to the left and the next player chooses a victim, and so on.
One interesting element of play in this game is that if you lose all of your sanity you are NOT out of the game, instead you are merely insane! A gibbering maniacal servant of Cthulhu. When the turn comes back around you may attack anyone as usual, but you may not be attacked in retaliation, nor can anyone choose you as a victim. You may become sane again by rolling an Elder Sign to reclaim some of your marbles from the mighty Cthulhu but with the odds at 1 in 12 this is a slim chance and more often than not the game ends with you, mad as a sack of badgers, causing all kinds of grief for the remaining sane players until only one remains (in this game the Elder Gods seem to follow the Highlander rules!)
The game takes between five and ten minutes for a full group of six players and I would say that you should only play if you have four or five people as it doesn’t play well with less.
For a quick distraction and a mainly thinking free game to kill a few minutes this is worth the £5 price tag. I will give Cthulhu Dice 6/10, It is a really simple little game and there isn’t much to it, but it is still a fun little addition to a collection.
Notice: This is not a strategy game at all. If you want a game that is not purely luck based, and requires making any sort of decision other than rolling dice… this game is NOT for you. Don’t even bother reading the rest of this review. There, I saved you 45-50 seconds of your life.
Hello my Lovecraftian poptarts,
Today, we are going to talk about Cthulhu Dice.
Cthulhu Dice is really not much of a game. You pick someone to attack and roll the die. Oops, I gave everything away already. Yes, it’s a simple game with a pasted on theme, but it is easy to carry, teach, and learn… which accounts for something. Let’s take a look. You can make your own mind if this little thing is right for you…
How to Play…
Cthulhu Dice is a game for 2 or more players. The game consists of a 12-sided die, 18 glass stones, and a rule booklet. Each player takes three sanity tokens (stones). The starting player picks a target player and rolls the die. Here are the possible outcomes:
1) Tentacle: You take 1 stone from the target (extra token for you). If you are already mad, the stone goes to the middle of the table.
2) Yellow Sign: Your target loses 1 stone, and pushes it to the middle of the table (Cthulhu).
3) Elder Sign: You get a stone from the middle pile.
4) Cthulhu: Everyone loses 1 stone to the middle pile.
5) Eye: Is wild, and you can do any of the options.
Now the targeted player gets to roll the die at you. Same rules apply. Once completed, the player to the left of the initial attacker gets to target someone and roll.
That’s it!
Conclusion…
I may be a little hard on this game, as it’s supposed to be simple, but I just can’t get into rolling a die to attack someone over and over. For me, Zombie Dice succeeds because it is a press-your-luck game, but this game has even fewer decisions to make… All you do is choose someone and roll the die… that’s it! (What is the quota for saying “that’s it!” in a review?) I wanted to like this game, but it does fall flat for me. I also wonder if I expect too much, because I’m a huge Cthulhu fan, and want some theme… which this game doesn’t have AT ALL. In that respect, I feel like there is major marketing manipulation going on… with no follow through. No amount of candle lighting ambiance is going to make this game spooky.
My kids like it OK, so I’ll give it a 6. However, they usually choose Zombie Dice instead. Here’s hoping that Elder Sign gets it right. That might be the better option.
Happy Gaming!
After reading some of the more recent reviews, I felt obligated to review this game as well.
Background: The game obviously is based on the Lovecraft novels. Cthulhu resides in the center of the table. The players (up to six) sit around Cthulhu as cultists in an attempt to cause other players to lose their sanity, whether they steal it or sacrifice it to Cthulhu. The player who has the only remaining sanity wins the game.
Components: One 12-sided die, 18 glass stones, instructions (what did you expect for $5?).
Gameplay: A player must target another player and roll the die. The result of the roll will usually have the target player losing sanity (stone) to either the caster or Cthulhu. Rarely, a target will actually gain a sanity stone. Occasionally, everyone will lose sanity to Cthulhu on the same roll. The target then gets to roll, but that player’s roll often will cause him to lose an additional sanity stone. That completes a turn, and the player to the left of the starting player begins the next turn. Sanity is lost and gained until only one person has any sanity stones left (or Cthulhu wins if all players lose sanity).
Impression: The game is quick, cheap, and simple. You get what you pay for. I don’t see how this game could be rated more than a 5 (average at best). There is very little, if any, strategy involved. In fact, luck or chance determines the winner of this game. (There is a variation in the rules for a 2-player game that actually sounds more interesting and involves some strategy.) I don’t like games that allow players to gang up on another player as this game does. In this game, you could have lost all your stones before you even get your turn; maybe even before you take your first die roll. Since the game lacks depth, I believe it also lacks much fun. For some variety, since the stones are just colored glass, you could go to your local hobby store and get other colors of stones if you wanted to spice the game up a bit. I suppose the creators of the game considered using marbles for sanity, but it’s tough enough to keep the 12-sided die on the table let alone 3 marbles for each player. If you can get this game on sale like I did, you can’t really make a bad investment.
I will come out up front and admit that this game would have limited appeal for a group of game-geek sober adults long term (or at all). That isn’t what it does well.
What it has done well for me is act as a gateway game for my three year old daughter. There are many things that the game does to accomplish this.
For about six bucks, you get a good-sized twelve-sided die with various pictures and 18 glass tokens. There are many color variations available, so you can let your kid pick out their very own. The die is big enough that it is just about impossible for it to get lost when the wee one rolls it off the table. The tokens are easily replaceable and could be substituted with just about anything. The game easily fits in a ziplock baggie in your pocket to take anywhere.
The rules are very simple, and a game is generally over in 5 minutes. This keeps it within her attention span each game, and keeps her willing to play it again and again. This keeps her occupied waiting for a table or her food in a restaurant.
Each player takes 3 sanity tokens. The player who’s turn it is, the caster, chooses a victim and rolls the die. The most common results are yellow sign, which causes the victim to give a sanity token to Cthulu (middle of the table) and tentacle, which causes the caster to take one sanity token from the victim. Other possible outcomes are an elder sign, which allows the caster to take one sanity token from Cthulu, Cthulu, which causes all players to give a sanity token to Cthulu and the eye of Ra, which gives the caster the ability to choose any of the above options.
The victim then gets to respond, rolling against the caster. Really, all of the above is exactly the same for them, with the exception that a tentacle causes the victim to have to give a sanity token to the caster.
It also teaches some basic decision making skills. Who are you going to roll against? What should I do when I get the eye. This isn’t rocket science, but it is a breath of fresh air after a game of Candy Land.
In closing, this game has made my daughter enjoy game time and choose it over TV time. I have introduced more difficult games, such as Zombie Dice and Rattlesnake. In addition, there is little in the world cuter than hearing her saying “you have to give one to Cthulu” when she rolls a yellow sign, or “you lost all your sanity!” I really cannot think of six dollars I have better spent. I have essentially rated this game based upon the time she and I have spent together with it, and it has to this point been time well spent.
Cthulhu Dice isn’t a deep game. There isn’t much strategy to it besides picking who you will “attack” each turn.
There is even initial confusion as newcomers get used to the idea of “Caster” and responses (Players get a chance to respond to a caster’s attack, but the rule for Tentacle always benefits the caster, no matter who rolled the die).
Given all of this, you would think the game would be hated by both experienced gamers and newcomers alike. However, I’ve found the exact opposite.
My daughter requests this game almost daily. We can easily play 3-4 rounds in about 5-10 minutes usually. Rarely do the games take very long to play at all (Which also makes it a cool little “pick the first player” mechanic for game groups). Played with just 2 people, it’s not as much fun (just quick time-killer). Throw in a few more, however, and it becomes something a bit more. Kind of like Left Center Right (LCR) with a Cthulhu theme.
Because of some of the limiations (better with more players, almost non-existant strategy/choices), I like Zombie Dice (especially with the expansion, which I wish was listed here to rate because it’s great) much better as a game, but I have to admit even I can’t turn down a round or two (or three) of Cthulhu Dice now and then. It’s quick, portable, and even more fun if everyone gets into the theme.
My daughter introduced this to a new friend of hers, who was also around her age (7-8) and he just giggled with mad glee, yelling “I WANT TO GO MAD! I’M GOING TO BEAT CTHULHU! HOW DO YOU BEAT CTHULHU?”
To which we responded, “You don’t. No one wins against Cthulhu! Just some people don’t lose quite as bad!”
He loved it…lol. He wanted to go mad just to serve Cthulhu and try to take sanity from others (you aren’t out of the game once you go “Mad” by losing all of your sanity tokens, and if you are really lucky you can even gain sanity back).
For all of these reasons, I have to give this “game” at least a 6. It’s not something you are going to base an evening off of, but I can’t see anyone having an objection to a round or two at least. I’d liken this more of an “Experience” than a game, but I can’t deny it’s appeal. Even thinking it would have grown old quickly, it’s still played regularly. To be honest, it’s played more than Zombie Dice due to how quick a game plays and the limited space needed (making it viable in just about any scenario). Unlike Zombie Dice, it’s also quieter (Good lord I need to dump that cup and get another dice bag!).
But I’m not going to rate it higher than Zombie Dice, because that game gives much more strategy and options in play (especially with the expansion dice). For 6 bucks, though, it’s definitely worth the investment imo and a nice compliment to Zombie Dice (And not an exact copy of it, which is another plus. It is NOT a rethemed Zombie Dice at all, for better or worse).
I was really interested in Cthulu Dice when it came out. I even inspired me to learn how to spell Cthulu so that I could keep searching for more information on the mythos.
The game seemed interesting and fun and I loved the look of the giant die. But after I played a couple times, I just couldn’t hold my interest.
The players each represent followers of Cthulu who are trying to rid the other players of their sanity (represented by little glass beads) which will strengthen Cthulu (represented by the middle of the table). Last player who hold onto their marbles (so to speak) is the winner.
Each turn the player will choose a player to target and roll the die. The outcome of the die roll will determine the outcome. The target can lose 1 sanity to either you or Cthulu, or everyone can lose 1 to Cthulu, or you can take one from Cthulu. The then target gets a chance to attack back. And then play goes to the next player.
My main problem with the game is that there is no choice beyond who to attack on your turn. As much I love rolling dice, I want a little more than that in a game. Really this game is nothing more than a glorified version of LCR.
Unless you have 5 minutes to kill and you really want something to keep your hands occupied, I’d avoid this one. For a quick dice filler, I prefer Zombie Dice.
The latest game from Steve Jackson Games is insanely silly, and that is the point. Cthulhu Dice – or rather Cthulhu “Die” because you only get the single die, but then how can “Cthulhu Die” since he is both alien and immortal – is a dice game in which the aim is to drive your fellow servants of Cthulhu completely mad. It is a game about losing Sanity, sometimes gaining Sanity, and when the tentacles are really on the line, summoning Great Cthulhu himself. This is really bad for everyone!
Designed for two to six players aged ten and up, Cthulhu Dice comes as a blister pack containing one large “Cthulhu Die,” a ziplock bag containing eighteen green glass beads or Sanity Tokens, and a full colour rules sheet. The “Cthulhu Die” is actually a twelve-sided die that is marked with various symbols. Most of these are Tentacle and Yellow Sign symbols, with the rest being made up of single Cthulhu, Elder Sign, and Eye symbols. The “Cthulhu Die” is available in various colours, including some glow-in-the-dark variants that are exclusive to Warehouse 23, but being traditional, I chose the green die (and will probably buy the purple die for a certain perky Goth that I live with).
Game set up is simple. Each servant of Cthulhu receives three Sanity Tokens. Then the servants take it in turns to be the Caster, choosing a victim from amongst their fellow servants to curse, with the victim allowed to counter cast against the Caster who then becomes the victim. Once this Casting exchange has been completed, the next servant of Cthulhu is given the opportunity to target a fellow cultist.
To target or curse a victim, all the Caster has to do is roll the Cthulhu Die, apply the effects of the symbol rolled. The true nature of the metaphysical universe means that casting Mythos spells or at least summoning Mythos entities can have fickle outcomes or at least wildly misunderstood ones. Most of the results on Cthulhu Dice – represented by the Yellow Sign and Tentacle symbols – have the Caster stealing Sanity from the victim and keeping it or stealing Sanity from the victim and giving it to Cthulhu, in which case the Sanity Token is placed in a pile in the middle of the table. The more rarely rolled symbols result in the Caster gaining Sanity from Cthulhu (yes, really!), in the Caster picking the symbol of his choice, or horror of horrors, in the successful summoning of Cthulhu. In which case, everyone loses a Sanity Token to the Great Old One.
If as a result of all of this die rolling, a servant of Cthulhu loses all of his Sanity Tokens he goes Mad. A Mad Servant of Cthulhu cannot lose any more Sanity nor can he gain any unless he rolls the Elder Sign symbol. Even then, he is not exactly sane. After all, not only has gone insane after prolonged exposure to the Mythos, but even after regaining a semblance of humanity, he is still willing to dabble in things that Man Was Not Meant To Know. That really is madness…
Play proceeds like this until there is just the one just about sane servant of Cthulhu left. In other words, the one servant of Cthulhu who has not gone mad. He wins the game. It is entirely possible for everyone to go Mad, though this happens rarely. Anyway, if everyone goes Mad, it is Cthulhu who wins rather than one of his servants. Which he will anyway, come the End Times and it is just the meddling of his servants that hastened his victory…
All of which takes about five minutes to play. During which time, none of the players have done anything more than choose a victim, roll a big fat die, and hope for a really nasty outcome. Which is odd, because Cthulhu Dice is a “take that” style of game, and you would expect to have more choice in the game than you actually do. In fact the only choice available in the game is in choosing your victim with perhaps a slim chance of the servant of Cthulhu rolling an “Eye” symbol and getting to select the symbol and its effects that he wants. Nevertheless, Cthulhu Dice is fun. It can got out of its pack and the rules read through in about a minute with another minute needed to teach your fellow servants of Cthulhu.
Although Cthulhu Dice is designed for two to six players, the game has a problem that it shares with various others in that the two-player option is just not as fun as it is with more than two players. The two-player variant suggests that each player control more than one servant of Cthulhu with players taking alternate turns rather than rolling in for each servant of Cthulhu. I suspect that the primary reason for the two-player variant not being as fun is that it lacks the player interaction and the table talk that you get with more servants of Cthulhu.
Obviously, Cthulhu Dice is very pocket friendly, both in terms of actually fitting in your pocket and in terms of being friendly to your wallet. That said, I would have liked it to have been even more pocket friendly. Carrying the Cthulhu Die, the rules sheet, and the eighteen Sanity Tokens in the ziplock bag is not the best option as there is likely to be wear and tear on all three just through this carrying. For a few dollars more, what I would have liked to have been given is a cloth bag to store all three components in, perhaps marked with a Cthulhu symbol? Does this mean that there is room for a deluxe version of the game?
If you put aside the fact that it is possible to gain Sanity from Cthulhu, then Cthulhu Dice succinctly models the Sanity loss that we know and love all so well from Call of Cthulhu. Of course, in being so absolutely succinct it loses all of those fruity, soggy, squidgy, and squishy bits you get in between the Sanity loss in Call of Cthulhu, but in so cutting to the chase Cthulhu Dice becomes an excellent filler game. There is nothing wrong in that, because Cthulhu Dice is silly, insane fun, and who would not appreciate five minutes of that?
The name of this very portable game is a misnomer as it consists of a single, large, beautiful custom 12-sided die with Lovecraftian symbols: Yellow Sign (5 sides), Tentacle (4 sides), Elder Sign (1 side), Cthulhu (1 side) and Eye (1 side). The single die is all you need to play and comes in a variety of luminescent colors: black, green, purple, glow-in-the-dark, and glowing-ink. While the Cthulhu Dice package also contains 18 glass Sanity marbles, any tokens handy, including pennies or peanuts, can be substituted to keep track of each player’s Sanity. Play is quick, 10 to 20 minutes, making this a good filler.
All players start with 3 Sanity marbles (or whatever tokens you have handy). The Goal: be the only player with any Sanity left. Each player chooses a player to “attack,” then rolls the die. The die determines the effects of the attack:
* Yellow Sign – Target loses 1 Sanity to Cthulhu (place in middle of table).
* Tentacle – Caster (active player) takes a Sanity token from the Victim (Tentacle). The Tentacle is always bad for the Victim: if the Victim rolls a Tentacle in defense, he still has to give the Caster a Sanity token.
* Cthulhu – Everyone gives 1 Sanity to Cthulhu (middle of table).
* Elder Sign – Gain 1 Sanity from Cthulhu (if he has any).
* Eye – Choose any result above.
The defender (Victim) gets his chance to respond: rolling the same die in the hopes of thwarting the attack with the Caster as his target. Use the same chart to determine the results. This completes the Caster’s turn and play passes to the Caster’s left.
The Madness Factor
When a player loses all of his marbles, he’s gone Mad. A Mad player can still attack on his turn, but cannot be attacked. When a Mad player steals Sanity from another player as the result of an attack, he must give it to Cthulhu. The only way for a player to get his Sanity back is to roll the Elder Sign on his turn.
Game End
The game ends when there is only one sane player at the end of a player’s turn. If everyone goes Mad, then Cthulhu wins! Ah, ha, ha, ha!
Observations
Generally play is quick and lively, once players learn the meaning of the symbols. Laughter and groans are to be expected.
Personally, I don’t like Cthulhu Dice nearly as much as Zombie Dice for a filler. While the die is pretty, the game itself just doesn’t do anything for me. The glowing-ink die looks really cool. Fans of Lovecraft will want a copy of the game just because of the cool, pretty die. I’m sure many other uses could be found for it. Perhaps it could be worked into some other Cthulhu-themed game.
I think the best thing about Cthulhu Dice is the single-die component that makes it extremely portable so you can play it anywhere: while you’re waiting for food at a restaurant (use the sugar packets for Sanity tokens), at the park (a few pebbles with do). Well, you get the picture
Beside the taboo associated with cursing people and heeding the call of Cthulhu, this family friendly game is fairly quick and simple. You can smile to yourself for a job well done as you teach your children the proper way to curse others and the consequences they face unless Cthulhu chooses to let them get away with it. Be careful as the student may very well become the master at Cthulhu’s beckoning call. But don’t fret. The dark master may choose to drive everyone insane and take the prize for himself.
On a serious note, this game was very quick. Everyone gets a few sanity counters. Cthulhu sits in the middle of a pile of sanity counters of his own. The goal is to make everyone else lose their sanity. A player chooses who they want to curse, and rolls a big die. That player then gets a chance to roll back in their own defense. Counters get swapped between players and Cthulhu himself.
We had a blast playing. It took a minute or two to educate all the players in how the game was played. We had a table of five people playing. It was fun seeing how a counter would swap between players, and then stolen rite back for the counter curse. I loved the part where players may still play once they lose, and can even get back into the game if Cthulhu grants them some sanity. In one game, one of the players had lost all of her sanity, but came back towards the end of the game and got everyone else to lose their sanity.
OK…here’s the deal. I’m a collector. One of the things I collect are dice. How could I possibly pass up buying this game! I have one of each color (currently 9) and can’t wait for the next couple colors to come out. Sick…I know…but don’t tell me you don’t know someone like me…or are YOU like me? Kinda creepy.
Oh yea! Game review..sorry.
If you want the details of the rules, please see the previous posts. If you are familiar with Steve Jackson Games, it’s another stick it to your neighbor, be the last guy standing kind of game…except sometimes everyone loses(Cthulu wins). My kids (girls 8 & 11) love to stick it to there mom on game nights. I will also say that this is a fun little game you can throw in your game bag for those game lulls(admit it, you all have them)for a quick pickup, but lets look outside of the box…shall we?
The dice are gorgeous(love the glow dice), the game play simple…but have you played with a large group? Say 6-10?
This is a very fast and simple game. It can be played in a few minutes and it can be taught equally quickly.
The whole game fits in a pocket – it is one 12-sided die and a number of glass tokens. In fact only the die is essential, the glass marbles may be easily replaced with buttons, paper clips and such. I guess that along with a dark theme it makes this game a good one to be played during school breaks, or even during classes under back row desks.
The aim is to be the last player still having the tokens. The process of getting and losing them is pretty random (die-driven) and the only way to apply some tactics is choosing the “victim”, the object of one’s attack. By the way basic tactics is “attack the leader”…
Besides a nicely engraved die this game has not too much too offer. But it does not deceives us it has! It fills a certain niche being just a quick and mostly mindless fun based on Cthulhu stories.
I normally give fairly long winded and detailed reviews. I just can’t justify writing a review for a game that takes longer to write than the game takes to play.
The Gist: The players take turns rolling 1 12-sided die. Each players turn, they pick a target and roll. Results occur based on the roll. Players are removed from the game when they have lost all their sanity chips based on the dice rolls. That’s pretty much it.
How does the theme play in? Well, it doesn’t. It is just a game where you move some chips around based on die rolls.
Pretty much, trying to explain the rules is far more trouble than it is worth. Play a party game or something that will be far more satisfying to all involved.
Finally, I could see this game being good for maybe one occasion, a camping trip. This holds true especially if you find some way to tell stories along with the die rolling.
My husband and I use this game in 3 ways:
1) Starter: get people in the mindset of playing board games (especially if it’s an all-day planned event).
2) Deciding: player order or which game will be played (winner chooses).
3) Filler: between games or during breaks.
The components are nice (the die is custom and nicely crafted) and can be used in many ways. Recommended if you want a very quick, easy to learn/teach, fun game.
I also agree that the harsh critiques of this game are a little overboard. I eyed it for a couple of Comic Cons in San Diego before finally letting go of that hard earned $5 and it was totally worth it. The value to enjoyment ratio is definitely there if you want it. If you want something more intense, then save up another $50 bucks and get something with more parts.
I think they even mention on the back it’s great for standing in line, so when I got it at SDCC, that is exactly what I did with it and it was great fun! Standing in line for a movie? It’s like a cubic inch of space in the backpack, take it out and laugh with some friends. It’s safer than shooting ***** in the alley with strangers!
I do agree that a 2 person game can go a little too fast, so when that comes up we always play with “2 hands” each. You get 5 or 6 involved and the social aspect of the game increases with great results. Also, working up some cthulhu jokes might help!
I really like this game. This game can be played quickly and easily. The rules are easy to follow. You get to pick the person or “target” and rule the dice to see what the outcome will be. You are given some sanity chips and you can win or lose them depending on the roles and if you have a fellow play “out to get you” or not.
The game can have up to six players but we usually have three to four players for our game. It’s a different type of way of playing a Cthulu game. Usually in Cthulu no one has a choice and is given a fate. This time, you can decide others’ fate or sometimes it turns on you and you lost your sanity chips. If you lose all of your sanity chips, you will be “mad” and will need to roll the Elder sign.
The dice look cool. The consequences are easy and kind of fun to think about. Also if you like accessories this is your chance to get some nifty looking stuff such as a Cthulu dice bag, pins, shot glass, markers and more!
Having really enjoyed zombie dice I decided to pick this one up. For $5 you get some green stones, 1 Cthulhu die, instructions, a plastic bag. Doesn’t look too good on the shelf but for five bucks *shrugs*. SJ Games does offer a bag modeled of Cthulhu himself for $30 but that seems a tad excessive.
First off this game is not designed to be played between two people. While you can have some fun by playing as multiple casters it really isn’t all that enjoyable. Later on we got 7 people playing (the game only has enough sanity stones for 6 so we used some pennies) and while it was more better the game just isn’t that interesting.
Overall it’s not nearly as much fun as Zombie Dice and while it’s probably worth the five bucks I cannot recommend this game.
3/10
The name is misleading, this should have been called Cthulhu Die, not dice since there is only one 12 sided in the game.
Of course you could spend upwards of 70 dollars for some of the better games out there with lots of parts and do-dads…. but this simple little gem still packs a lot of fun.
For the money… this is a must buy.
Perfect use of this game… If you are playing the Call of Cuthulhu RPG and your game master has to meet with another player out of the room for a private conference, whip this out. It helps you forget about the screaming in the other room 🙂
Based loosely on the H.P. Lovecraft world, Cthulu Dice is a fun little filler or social game. Each player starts with 3 sanity, and is stiving to make sacrifices to the elder gods.. of the other players! Play is attack and response with 1 of 5 reuslts being shown on the die. Repeat player may want to copy the rules, so newcomers can decipher the die results.
It’s fun, espicailly with a group that gets into such games, and is easy enough for all ages.
This is a bad game, simple as that. Good games have meaningful choices. This is just an excercise in dice rolling, which gets pretty boring fast.
It may work as a filler game, if you have nothing else to play. The theme is fun, and it’s hard to dislike anything with a Cthulhu-theme, but the theme isn’t really relevant here, and as with many SJG products it’s a lot of surface and litle depth.
Holy **** at the hate on this thing. It’s a 5$ game that consists of the die and some rocks.
really. That’s it. No secret TARDIS packaging. What did you think you were gonna get for 5$ in that totally see-thru package?!? Upset that it’s not the next Agricola? well, you’re about 65$ short on that expectation. It’s not designed to cure world hunger or simulate the dominance of Dutch traders in East India.
C’mon, it’s a Steve Jackson game. The guy who brought you 37 flavors of munchkin, SPANC, and 4 different sizes of chibi-thulhu.
It’s a seven minute king-of-the-hill party game for geeks, designed for something to do while your cousin Lenny remakes his GURPS character sheet….again. that’s all, end of review.