Dice Forge Review – Stranded Between Space Base and Dominion

Imagine rolling dice within Yahtzee or Dungeons and Dragons, and getting the exact values you need every time. This is the premise behind Dice Forge. Control the outcome of your rolls, by changing your dice throughout the game. So in the end, no matter what you roll, it’s always good news.

But it’s a journey to get there.

Beginning with everyone having two dice with the same die faces on all sides. During the game, you’ll roll your two dice on every turn, even if it’s not your own. If it’s someone else’s turn, you just collect the resources rolled. When your turn comes around, you get the resources, but then get to go shopping! Spending all your collected resources on new faces for your dice or cards that provide a one-time bonus or an activatable ability.

These cards and dice faces provide you with the victory points needed to win. So developing a strategy around how you’re going to get these points is a must.

But think fast, as while the game ends after nine rounds, these rounds circle the table faster than an indoor cyclist. Before you know it, the game is over. With the winner being the one with the most points.

Never Enough Time

Dice Forge is what you get when you accidentally spill your Space Base all over your Dominion game box. As a result, you’re constantly rolling dice, and have fun with that randomness. But at the same time, you must start the game with a strategy, and relentlessly build towards it. With the game being over too quickly for you to do anything but.

So it gives Dice Forge that quintessential Dominion feeling of executing a preplanned strategy with as few adjustments as possible. Although, since lady luck is never as agreeable as you’d like her to be, you’re guaranteed to make a few adjustments before the end of the game.

However, with this chaos, comes fun and merrymaking. Where the game isn’t about who’s the best, but who’s the luckiest. While strategy is still important, it sits alongside you praying for the needed dice rolls.

This makes for a perfect family game, where everyone has a chance at winning and having fun is more important than victory and defeat. But for those of us who are after a fun but competitive game, you’ll be left wanting with Dice Forge.

Given the massive amount of design legwork packed into the game, this is more disappointing than it otherwise should be. As you’ll notice a vast amount of interesting strategies could work but don’t within the allotted timeframe. So instead of allowing you to experiment and make mistakes, you feel restricted into repeating what worked in a previous game.

On Point Production

Dice Forge’s production is incredible. From the chunky plastic dice, and the simple-to-use player boards, to the insert that the game comes with. Everything serves to make the game easy to set up and pack away. Again, this makes it perfect for family board game night.

Even the game box doesn’t escape from being used. As the art on the game board continues up the sides of the box, leading you to a raised platform of dice faces to select from.

Although, perhaps the irony of this excellent production, is that it makes the dice the worst component. While the idea of modifying the sides of your dice is awesome, the practicality of it means stopping while someone completes the changeover. These interruptions break the flow of the game, causing you to constantly stop and start, like someone trying to learn stick shift.

None of this takes away from the fact that Dice Forge is a wonderful family game. You’ll have a lot of fun coming up with whimsical ways of winning and hoping for some incredible dice rolls. Just don’t expect it to be balanced, or too competitive.