It is not often that a review can say "You haven’t seen this before!" and get away with it. Diceland, the new offering from James Ernest Games (a sister company of Cheapass Games) allows this review to stake that claim. The game is one part collectible card game (although it is not collectible itself), one part dice game, and one part traditional miniatures game rolled into an inexpensive and addictive package.
Diceland is played with eight-sided, paper dice. The dice come on 25 pieces of color, glossy card-stock. These are die-cut in two sections. You will have to punch out and assemble each die, which does not take long. Assembled, a die face is two inches on each side. The dice feature nice, comic-book-style portraits by Eduardo Müller in addition to the icons and text needed to play.
Each die has eight faces and a character’s power and defense change depending on which face is showing. Typically, the eighth side is the most powerful and strength decreases as the side number decreases. On the one face a die is weakest and any damage will kill it. The one side also indicates how many points your opponent will get for killing it, typically around six to eight. The first player to 50 points wins.
The dice are divided into 5 teams of 5 dice each. According to the story, these teams are skirmishing on a frozen planet for the right to salvage the Icebreaker, a huge ship that sunk in the Deep White Sea. Whatever, as long as they’re fighting.
A battle begins with two players each choosing a team as well as side of a table. The first player picks one of her dice and places it anywhere on the table with any side showing. From here on out, players are going to have to throw their dice into play.
On a turn, a player can toss a die on to the table and have it shoot wherever it lands. Alternatively, he can shoot with a die that is already on the table or move a die on the table.
The throwing rules are straightforward, although they may be open to abuse by argumentative players. A thrower must release the die behind her edge of the table. In addition, she must release it at least a foot above or a foot behind the table. Dice are allowed to knock into and move any other dice. Players must be careful with this because knocking another die off the table gives points to their opponent.
A thrown die can then shoot at other dice. Every die face has an arrow in one corner that also has an attack value. This arrow indicates in which direction the die is facing. Dice can only see other dice in the direction of the arrow. The arrow also indicates whether the dice can fire at its closest enemy, any one visible enemy, or all enemies it faces. Simply compare the attack value of the shooting die face to the shield number on the victim’s face. If the attack value is equal or higher, the die is killed and the attacker scores the value of the die. If the attack is lower, the victim takes damage, shifting the die to a lower side. If the victim is on side one, any damage kills it.
A killed die is not out of the game. Instead, it simply has to wait out one turn, after which its owner is free to send it back into battle.
While throwing and shooting is the most common action, players can also shoot with a die that is already on the table. This follows all the normal shooting rules. In some situations, a player may wish to move a die. Every die face has one or more green dots that indicate in which direction the die may roll. Players simply push down on the dot to roll the die one side. Moving changes the strength of the die as well as its facing.
Most of the dice have at least one side with a special ability and this is where the game truly shines. Some dice can poison victims, causing them damage every turn. Others can heal allies or add to their defense values. The Call Ally ability is one of the most powerful, allowing players to throw additional dice in one turn. The Command All ability lets every ally on the table take an action, giving players a chance to shoot multiple times in a turn. These powers often create interesting combos such as a Command All allowing you to use Call Ally more than once a turn. Keep in mind that the special abilities are only active when specific faces are showing. As a die takes damage, or gets moved by thrown dice, abilities will appear and disappear.
The rules for Diceland are well written and full of useful illustrations. This game has been in development for years and the thoroughness of the text shows it. Timing issues, combinations, and throwing concerns are all covered in detail. The rules sheet covers the basic game, however the Diceland website (http://www.diceland.com/) promises a set of advanced rules that will allow for more than two players, terrain advantages, and customized teams.
Diceland combines aspects of three different types of games to come up with a unique experience. Diceland is like a dice game because, well, it uses dice. Diceland is like a miniatures game because facing and distance matter for attacks. Diceland is like a collectible card game because it uses combinations of special abilities to create powerful game effects. Finally, Diceland is like a game of marbles in that some physical skill is necessary to throw the dice right where you want them.
If there is a downside to Diceland, it may be that players need several games before they really learn how to play. The first couple of games may be fraught with confusion as to what die to throw when. Over time, you will learn how the dice of a team interact, how to handle certain difficult situations, and when to simply throw hard and hope for the best. Finally, while the dice are sturdy, they are only paper. Use a felt tablecloth and do not sit on them.
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