kickstarter Game Preview: Luck O’ The Dice

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Feelin’ lucky lads and lassies? Grab the dice and roll to earn your pot o’ gold! But watch out, tricky sneaky Leprechauns are waiting to spoil your fun!

The following is a paid preview for a current kickstarter project. The art work the component and the rules are not in their final form.

Overview

In Luck O’ The Dice players take turns rolling dice and attempting to score coins by completing Dice cards they hold in their hands. Players can also play special Leprechaun cards that can steal dice, force payers to skip turns and even create negative points for other players. The game ends as soon as the first player scores five dice cards.

Set Up

Each Player takes six dice. The coins are placed in the center of the table within easy reach. The deck of cards is shuffled and five cards are dealt to each player. The remaining cards are placed face down and form the draw deck. Get ready to roll and may the luck o’ the Irish be wit ye!.

Goal

The object of Luck O’ The Dice is to gain the most bonny coins of course! Silver coins are worth 1 point each, and Gold coins (the best kind o coin laddie! ) are worth 5 points each. The game ends when one player has completed 5 dice cards. However there are several end-of-game bonuses and penalties that may affect your stash. The player with the highest value in coins wins!

The Cards

The game has two key card types that players will need to get to know:

Dice Cards

Dice cards list a certain dice combination across the top of the card. Underneath is a reward (in coins) a player will receive for rolling that combination. The reward decreases the more rolls it takes.

For example: The most difficult card to achieve in one roll is the “5 of a Kind” card which if completed in one roll, nets a player 7 points in coins, 2 rolls get you 6 points and if completed in 3 rolls nets a player 5 points. The easiest to achieve is the “2 Pair” card which will net player 3, 2 or 1 points respectively. There are 8 different Dice Cards and each provides various rewards.

Leprechaun Cards

Leprechaun Cards allow player to perform specific actions that create mischief in the normal game play. The card itself describes how to play it, and they can target one specific player, or all players!

Lucky Charms

While not a card type itself, some of the cards above have a shamrock border. These can be played to block opponents’ Leprechaun cards! Of course! They’re Lucky Charms!

Gameplay

A Player’s turn is comprised of three phases:

Leprechaun Play

This phase is optional but if taken, the player may play one Leprechaun card from their hand and follow the instructions. Only one Leprechaun card may be played and only at the beginning of a player’s turn. Once played and the effect is resolved, then the Leprechaun card is discarded.

Players may react to the playing of a Leprechaun card before any dice are rolled, and discard a Lucky Charm card from their hand in order to avoid the Leprechaun card’s effect.

Dice Play

In the Dice Play phase, a player has a choice. They can try to complete a Dice card, roll to Gain cards, or roll for a Pot O’ Gold combo. But only one of these options may be completed on a player’s turn. A Player may decide after their first roll what specific action they wish to take.

Complete a single Dice Card from their hand

The player rolls all six of their dice. If on a player’s first roll, the dice show a combination matching a Dice card in their hand, the player may play that card face up, collect the reward in coins listed on the card as “In 1 Roll” and end their turn.

If a Player does not complete a Dice card on their first roll they may set aside any dice they wish, and roll the remaining dice. Once again if the dice rolled and any dice set aside from the first roll match a Dice card in the player’s hand, they may play the card face up and take the reward in coins listed “In 2 rolls.

If a Player is still unsuccessful in completing a Dice card in two rolls they may choose “Press their Luck.” In this case, they must play the Dice card from their hand they wish to complete and roll any of their dice. If the roll is successful, the player gains the reward listed under “In 3 Rolls.” And their turn ends. If unsuccessful, the player faces a possible penalty. They must roll 2 dice and total the results: if the result is even, that player loses 2 Silver coins. If the result is odd, they lose 1 Silver Coin. But if the player rolls doubles, no matter the total, they lose no coins.

Gain more Cards

If a player chooses to gain more cards, they must attempt to roll 3 of a kind within 2 dice rolls. If successful, that player draws three cards from the draw pile, then chooses and discards two cards and ends their turn. Leprechaun cards cannot be discarded.

Pot O’ Gold Combo

A Player may choose to roll for the big bucks with a Pot O’ Gold combo! There are five different combos possible that range in rewards from 5 points up to 10 points (Two gold coins).

Tis the end of the game!

The game ends immediately when a player completes five Dice cards. But not so fast! There are some end-of-game bonuses and penalties that may occur.

1. First Out!: The player who was first to complete their Dice cards rolls one die and receives silver coins equal to the result of the roll.
2. Subtractor Penalty: Any players who have Subtracter cards in their hands lose five silver coins per Subtracter card.
3. Dice card Penalty: Any players who have dice cards in their hands lose two silver coins per card.

Players total their points from their remaining coins and the player with the most points is declared the bonny winner!

Learning Curve

Low. The dice do the talking in this game. Roll and react to the cards you have in your hand. You can set up and play instantly with very little instruction.

Who would enjoy this game?

Family Gamer {yes}
Very accessible for family gamers. Dice rolling is fun and this promotes setting goals and trying to achieve them. Also the whimsical and mischievous Leprechauns can take on their own personalities depending on the specific cards that are played.

Social Gamer {maybe}
The game is very easy and has a high level of luck and interactivity. A party of four will have fun with lots of “take that!’ moments. However, the game currently only plays up to four players. This may not be as social a game as some folks would like.

Strategy Gamer {no}
Luck O’ the Dice is a bit too random for the strategy gamer. The same thing that makes this a great casual player game makes it a tough choice for strategy players. The game does have strategic moments – holding cards and waiting for the right moment for a Leprechaun to spring on an opponent. But the game is much more reactive due to the random elements.

Casual Gamer {yes}
Very accessible, good interactive game play, turns move quickly and the game plays in less than an hour. Has great portability too!.Luck O’ the Dice is the perfect game experience for casual players who want a light but intense game.

Avid Gamer {maybe}
A must for avid gamers of dice games as there are some great “Press your Luck” moments. The dice combinations vary in difficulty, so players have good gameplay options. But Avid gamers who don’t enjoy the risk/reward game mechanics will find the game less than enjoyable.

Power Gamer {no}
Bad luck o’ the dice for Power gamers. Although competition in the game can reach a fever pitch, this is just not the sort of game for you.

First Impressions

At first glance there doesn’t seem to be much game here – especially compared to the extravagant level that many games attempt to achieve visually these days. Dice, cards, coins. But don’t be fooled by appearances. Like a lush, green unassuming Irish countryside, there is something magical hiding in plain sight…. A Leprechaun!

Ok, it’s not a Leprechaun

First and foremost the game is accessible. Luck O’ the Dice employs the same dice mechanic made famous by “that classic dice game” of another name, and used recently in other games. Rolling and freezing dice to achieve a specific goal is a timeless mechanic and when used well it can provide a great sense of personal achievement in any game. After all, although the dice rolls are random there is perceived control as you choose to keep or reroll any results. In this game, however there is a tangible penalty if you don’t succeed.

That’s a great foundation. Now add the Dice cards that will define those goals for each player. The cards are secret, not like most of these style dice games where the goals are common knowledge. In addition, players don’t reveal those cards until the goal is achieved, so the feeling of suspense is elevated as you wonder what action the acting player is going to take. At any time in rolls 1 and 2, a player can shift gears and take a Pot o’ Gold bonus or draw cards.

Now add, the Leprechaun cards and the interactivity is elevated even farther. They are titled after the mood that that leprechaun happens to be in at the moment. Most are still luck based (Leprechauns are fickle little guys!) but they can be devastating if successful. You can take other players coins (Stealer), take cards from their hand (Snatcher), force them to skip their next Turn (Skipper) and discard one of their completed Dice cards… ouch! (Staller). The Subtracter card also allows for an in-game affect by taking coins (points) from the current leader. But also after the game ends, will be worth negative points if you still are holding on to it. In fact all Dice cards are also worth negative points if you are caught holding them when a player goes out. In this way the game (or is it that Leprechaun again?) forces you to play and not just collect cards because…

Luck O’ the Dice is a race! There are real penalties for not going out first, and if you simply focus on rolling for Dice cards, odds are the Leprechauns will be paying many visits. The leader will be targeted as soon as victory appears to be within their grasp. Playing these powerful cards do take a bit of patience. The game provides a great balance of risk / reward and tension. It moves very fast as long as the players aren’t to “thinky.”

Almost Final Thoughts

There is more here than meets the eye. That’s the appeal of Luck O’ The Dice. The simplicity of the components offers the opportunity for intense player interaction. If a “push your luck” experience is what you enjoy in games, this will give you that and then some. Watch out for those tricky leprechauns and you too may find your Pot O’ Gold.

Support this game on kickstarter.com!

{Backing ends July 17th, 6:00pm MDT}
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