Dice Words Review

Dice, Dice, Baby.

Dice Words is exciting, thoughtful, and fast-paced. Working like a more randomized mix between Boggle and Scrabble, It feels like the perfect ice-breaker for family gatherings and parties, as the games can be relatively short (around 20 minutes for the short version) and the mechanics are quite simple.

Product: Dice Words

Developer: Tim Phillips

Publisher: Thames & Kosmos

Price: $22.95

Age: 8+

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Getting started is extremely easy, as well. First, each player chooses a color-coded dice set and matching drinking straw board. Next, the ice cube dice are rolled showing the target letters. The objective is to make the highest scoring words possible with each player’s set of dice. Individual letters are worth assigned points, and matching your letters with the target letters adds a multiplier to that score based on how many you use. Additionally, longer words are worth additional points, although how much varies based upon the variant you are playing. Once scores for the round have been tallied, the player with the fewest points earns the “sugar cube” an additional die that can be used in formulating words. At the end of five (short game) or fifteen (long game) rounds, the player with the highest number of points wins.

Very much in the “easy to learn, difficult to master” territory, as the game relies heavily on your vocabulary and dice-rolling decision making, as well some good old-fashioned luck. That randomness combined with the timed element encourages quick thinking, forcing players to make snap decisions on both dice re-rolls and word choice. That said, while the time does add some pressure, it doesn’t feel short enough to be punishing — just the right spot for a family game like this.

What’s in the box?

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The game comes with four dice-rolling cups, four full sets of seven dice for players, a 4-piece set of ice cube dice for the target letters, an ice cube tray, a sugar cube die, a sand-timer, a score-keeping pad (50 sheets), a rulebook, a storage bag, and four “drinking straw boards” (a cardboard piece that helps track the number of letters used in a word plus bonus points awarded). It’s everything you need to play the game minus a pen or pencil for each player, which will be needed to track scores on the score pads.

Verdict

Dice Words is an excellent game for family gatherings and parties, full-stop. The pieces are limited, meaning it can be played in a large variety of spaces, even those with limited table room. On top of that, the timed element ensures things keep moving along, even if some players have a tendency to get distracted to take their time normally. While the rules and gameplay are exceedingly simple, there is a massive ceiling here for player strategy and decision making, especially in how re-rolls are handled.

Image Credits: Thames & Kosmos

Disclosure: We received a free review copy of this product from the publisher.