Martian Dice Review

Martian Dice Review
Published by: Tasty Minstrel Games
Website: http://www.playtmg.com/
Price: Change back on your $20

This afternoon over lunch I finally had the opportunity to play the dice game Martian Dice with my good friend Mr Glacier.

Martian Dice is very similar to Zombie Dice (see past KGS review) in that the game contains a cup and a bunch of dice (13).  The dice are unique with pictures of Tanks, Death Rays, Humans, Cows, and Chickens on them.  Your job is to act as Martian kidnappers and try to collect as many Humans, Cows and or Chickens  as you can.  The tanks are trying to stop you but no worries you have death rays that can take out the tanks.

Like Zombie Dice this game is strictly dice management and playing the odds based on previous rolls of the dice.  You start with 13 dice as you roll you pull out tanks and death rays and re-rolling until you have and equal over overwhelming number of death rays to tanks.  Your score is equal to the number of human, cows and chicken dice you were able to collect. 

This is a very fast paced and extremely easy game to play.  We played 3 games (and sudden death overtime) in less than an hour and we both wanted to continue playing.

For the record I lost my first game, won my second game, we tied our third game.  With ties you roll 6 dice and the person with the most death rays win.  Well me tied on our first roll with 1 death ray each.  Then we were forced into sudden death overtime 2.  This time Mr Glacier edged me by 1 to take the ClixPals Martian Dice Championship (at least for now).

Rating: This game is a solid 5 (very close to a 6).

Catan Dice Game (Deluxe)

Yet another strong Catan Game from Mayfair - The Catan Dice Game. There are two versions of the Catan Dice Game - Deluxe and.... not deluxe. Go for the deluxe version - the alternate game board adds a great option and replayability to the board.

I won't bore you with a detailed explanation of the gameplay - you roll the dice and use the result as resources to build stuff. The same core mechanics of Catan are still present. The game is nicely balanced and moves quickly. Oddly, the gameplay is very similar to Yahtzee Jr: Toy Story 3 Edition. My three year old son picked up on the game's mechanics right away.

A couple of oddities, however. The cup that comes with the deluxe game is oddly large. Much bigger than it needs to be. Also, the game is packaged in a clear plastic that is awkward to store. The playing tablet is too big to fit into the cup and falls apart very easily leaving you with a slight mess of a game to store. I'm using a shoebox to store mine. For $25 you'd think they could have put it in a box for you.

I would call this game a must-have for fans of the Catan series of games (and, really, who isn't a fan of Catan?).

KGS Podcast - Episode 00006 - Zombie Dice Review

KGS Podcast - Episode 00006 - Zombie Dice Review

KEYSTONE GAMING SOCIETY REVIEW
GAME:	Zombie Dice
PUBLISHER:	Steve Jackson Games
WEBSITE:	http://www.sjgames.com/dice/zombiedice/
PRICE:	$13.13
THE RATINGS:
SCOTT:
OLD BRIAN:
YOUNG BRYAN:
DAVE:
SAM:

Yahtzee Junior: Toy Story Edition Review

If you have kids you know how it goes. You endure endless games of Chutes and Ladders, Hi-Ho Cherry-O and Candy Land. As a strategy gamer, games like this can suck out your soul.

Which is why when I find a game that's worth the cardboard it's printed on, it is worth noting. Don't Break the Ice is one. Trying playing that with another adult as a strategy game some time! Very good game!

Much to my surprise, Yahtzee Jr. Toy Story 3 Edition is another fabulous game. I think I actually like it more than regular Yahtzee. My initial impression was, "Oh no! A movie tie in game! Probably some repackaged slop that they peeled the Monsters Inc. stickers off of and repackaged for Toy Story. Well, I can't say I've played a wide variety of Yahtzee Jr. games, but this one is a keeper.

The trappings of regular Yahtzee are here: Roll five dice trying to get different combinations. But the scoring system and game board is very clever. You can only score in each character's row one time, from 0-5 (five being a Yahtzee!). The catch is that if you tie with another player who's scoring marker is already on the board you go back to the nearest available slot.

Also, the dice intrigue me. Four dice are identical, with Woody being "wild" on each die. But on the fifth die, Zurg replaces Woody. If you roll a Zurg, that die is removed from your turn - no rerolls! At the gaming table, even my three year old yells, in the deepest voice he can muster, "ZURG!!!" when a Zurg is rolled.

The gameplay is quick and fun. My three year old can play this game independently and make simple strategy decisions ("I don't want to go for Woody because Mommy already has the five!"). So in my house, when it comes to family game time, we'll choose Yahtzee Jr. Toy Story Edition. That is, until the three year old can master Primordial Soup and Ablaze, which I've begun teaching him.