| Recommended Age: | 8+ |
| Players: | 2-8 |
| Play Time: | 20 Minutes |
| Company Site: | www.calliopegames.com |
| Cost: | $15.00 (Red or Purple Editions) |
| Contents: | Rule Book, 30 Cards, 24 Dice (6 dice in 4 colors) |
Roll for It! is a dice management game so to speak. You have cards, get to roll dice and keep points…what more can you ask for in a game? Oh wait…there is more! It is inexpensive and portable and if you want to play with more than 4 people simply get the other color of the game! I love games that I can take with me and expand to allow for more people AND are tons of fun!
Roll for It! is recommended for ages 8+ but my 5 year old Gentleman plays with all normal rules but not a lot of strategy yet. He does get really lucky on his rolls though…who rolls that many numbers he needs in a row!! Yeah I stopped “letting” him win months ago…he beats me on luck mostly or maybe my lack of dice skills but the game is still fun. My 3 year old Diva also plays but we adjust for her of course. She is just learning how to count the pips and identify what number is rolled so we focus on matching them to the cards. I will explain later but first let’s talk a bit about the game.
If you buy one copy you have the option of either the Purple or Red box. One box will work for 2-4 players but if you want to play with more than 4 or if you want to play two games at the same time because your daughter can’t play at the same level, then you should get the other box too. Both boxes together means you can play with up to 8 people which makes it a GREAT party game.
The box is small and easily carried in a purse, bag or man’s pocket (they are always bigger than women’s pants pockets). Another bonus is the game is pretty quick taking only about 20 minutes. Play time of course varies with more people but still a quick, portable fun game. The cards are standard card material so they can rip and the dice are standard dice just smaller. If you have a younger child that wants to play just make sure they don’t put the dice in their mouth or tear cards and you should be ok. Now let’s get on to the Setup and How to Play and let’s start that with a video from Calliope (who can probably explain it better than me).
Now for my version! Which could confuse you but then you have the video handy if that happens so here we go!
Objective:
Be the first to score 40 points. Of course you can adjust this if you want. Make it higher for a challenge and make the number lower for an easier game or for kids.
Setup:
Each Player chooses a dice color and takes all 6. Shuffle the cards and place them face down in the middle of all Players. Flip up 3 cards face up in the middle for everyone but if you are playing with 5 or more players flip up 4. Now each Player rolls 2 dice and the Player with the highest total gets to be first. Pretty easy setup.
Play:
Every Player will do the same…ish…thing on each turn. Roll the dice you have available. The number will change so choose wisely as the game goes on. Remember those 3 cards in the middle? Well when you roll your dice you get to match them to those three cards. You can spread your dice out among all 3 cards or put enough on 1 card to get that card in your turn. You can even choose NOT to place any dice on any cards which is smart if you only have a couple dice left. Once you place a die it cannot be moved to another card or taken back. Every Player can put dice on a card but once ONE Player has put a die to match all the numbers on that card they get the card and the points for it.
Once you win a card you put it in front of you and you get the points marked at the bottom in red. Then flip a new card from the deck and put it in the empty spot and continue. If you still have dice that were NOT part of that card you just won you can place them on any of the remaining cards or even the newly placed one. When you
can’t place any more dice or you choose not to then your turn is over and the next Player can do all of that too.
There is a Special Rule in Roll for it! that is kind of cool. All matched dice stay with the cards they are placed next to until the card is scored UNLESS you use this Special Rule. It is called Take Back: At the start of your turn, before you roll any dice, you can choose to take back ALL of your dice. You then get to roll all 6 dice again. Use this option wisely.
We leave out that rule when playing with my kids though. My son is still learning strategy and my daughter has barely learned the basic way to play. I will explain how I play with the Diva but as far as my 5 year old Gentleman we play normally, leaving out that Take Back rule and just sort of help him a bit by giving him choices sometimes as needed. He can win mostly by luck but he is learning not to put all his dice down and to try for a bigger point card.
Setup for Preschoolers:
Let the little one (or ones) choose a die color and give them all the dice. Shuffle the cards and lay 3 face up in the middle.
Play for Preschoolers:
Now for the difference. Have your child roll all the dice and then go from the first card on either their left or right and ask them to find 1 match in the dice they rolled. Then have them count the pips on the picture and the dice to make sure they match. Now in this case it will be easier to have them put the dice ON the picture since most kids are visual learners. Eventually you can have them put it next to the cards as this is an easy rule to correct later.
Once they find a match on the first card have them find a match on the next and then the third. Since it is a game you then get to find matches. Go down the line and of course pretend to think really hard and eventually find your matches. Keep doing this until either you child gets a card. If this is the first time your child is playing you can start with one card and just match as many dice as they can or 1 die per turn.
This version adjusts the rules but does not change them completely giving you the ability to add the rest of the cards in along with the full rules later. However, if you are playing with kids ages 3-5 keep in mind these dice are small and the cards are easily torn and also that since they are learning so young they will be beating you by the time they get to the recommended age of 8+.
Roll for it! is a really fun game that is perfect for just about any age. As long as a child can count you can play a version of this game with them and for kids who are older it is just a fun way to bring the family together. I know a lot of people with teens and tweens are looking for games to play that their kids won’t think are boring or baby games and this is about as perfect a game for that age as you can get. So if you are looking for a game for adults, a party, kids, preschoolers, that is portable, quick and fun then this game is seriously perfect.
Great review! Thank you so much!