Recently, I had the opportunity to play Roll for the Galaxy for the first time. In this post, I'll share my quick overview and thoughts about the game. Once again, while at my friend Troy's, I got to play a new game. Though it was released in 2014, this game is new to me. Roll for the Galaxy is a strategic dice game based on the popular board game, Race for the Galaxy. Not your typical light, family dice game. Roll for the Galaxy takes Euro-style board game elements and masterfully executes the mechanics with dice. Players roll dice to advance their empire by expanding to new worlds, creating new technologies, populating the planets, etc... Eventually one player will go on to have the most advanced intergalactic empire, winning the game. Overview of Roll for the Galaxy As I alluded to above, there's a lot more going on in this game than just a simple family dice game. This is not your re-skinned Yahtzee! clone. Each player starts with the same base player mat on which to build their tableau of tiles. Each also receives a special two-piece home world tile with its special "power" and starting colored die, as well as one additional starting tile. Currency in the game is used to recruit units (dice)... the more money you spend, the more dice can be rolled. Each player has a privacy screen to roll behind. Players use a cup in the color of their faction to roll their available dice. Dice are then assigned. Each player secretly elects which action they wish to take by placing one die on the card and places the other dice under their matching action/phase symbols. Once the privacy screens are removed, each player reveals the action/phase they selected for the round. These phases are noted by large action icon cards on the table. This action selection process is interesting because it may allow for players to gain additional actions if other players chose an action/phase in which they had extra dice allocated. Going in order of the phases each player places dice on cards and/or performs the actions indicated by the selected phase.
Thoughts and Comments
Roll for the Galaxy has a lot to offer. This game is much more in-depth than it appears at first glance. I really need to get a couple more plays under my belt before I provide a definitive opinion. I will say that I would like to play again. The choices and action selections offset the luck of dice rolling nicely. There's a wild emblem on the dice that sometimes saves you from having to take an action/phase you didn't need. I've heard many say that they prefer this dice version to the larger/longer board game version Race for the Galaxy. This Euro-style dice game has the kind of decisions that keep me interested and wanting more. There is a definite "engine-building" aspect to the game as players select and play tiles in their tableaus that could create a victory-point machine. There's not a lot of player interaction. You don't steal any resources or cause damage to other players, however the phases each player selects might allow other players to gain additional actions that round. The victory point pool and tile limit for end-game conditions create a race that requires players pay attention to each other's progress as well. After my initial play, I have to say that I really enjoyed Roll for the Galaxy. I recommend trying this game if you get the chance. There's an early learning curve, however by the end of your first game you should feel like you have an understanding of the gameplay and mechanics and be ready to truly tackle strategy in following plays. At least that's the way I felt. A fun and strategic space-exploration themed game. I'm ready to play again, right now! To read more about Roll for the Galaxy on Board Game Geek click here. Leave your comments on the post and let everyone know what you think of this one or how it compares to Race for the Galaxy. Keep watching for more gaming posts on King's GameNight and... Game on!
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