AllPlay has put out a new printing of a simple roll and write game, Roll to the Top! You’ve seen me play it on Malts and Meeples but is it a board game that works at solo or multiplayer? Now it is one that I’ve played both ways, so what do I think of it?

How To Play: Roll to the Top!

Roll to the Top! is a simple roll and write game where you are trying to fill in the landmark to the top with numbers and be the first to do so. On each turn someone rolls all of the dice available and players fill them in on their board. You always fill in no matter who rolls and you can use as many dice as you want.

The conditions are that you need to add numbers that are higher or equal to the numbers on the lower level. Which means as you need to plan out how you place your numbers and not go too high too quickly. To get those higher numbers sometimes you need to add the dice together.

There is also a die that determines if you add or remove dice from the pool. This gives you some choice as to how to setup the pool to get the numbers you need more likely to show up.

What Doesn’t Work?

This is a very simple game. So I think that it suffers in that area for both solo and multiplayer. There is no dice manipulation available. And everyone is doing everything on a turn. So it just depends, often, on who pushes their luck. You push your luck too far by getting high numbers, you will slow down and might lose. You push your luck not enough, sure you can place numbers but you’re behind on spots filled in.

The solo really doesn’t work for me. It is basically a board that fills up next to you and forces you to push your luck so that you can get everything in. But you roll an 18, doesn’t matter how good you are doing otherwise, you’ll skip it and now the opponent will catch up. And you get too high numbers and roll low numbers, it easily passes you.

The final issue is that there just isn’t enough variance in the game. It is a better multiplayer because you have a choice about how risk adverse you want to be. But the game is so simple that often times everyone just does the same thing. So it’s just a matter of a few times where you might consider pushing your luck throughout the game that makes a difference.

What Works?

I think that the changing up of the dice pool is interesting. Now it isn’t a standout item in the game but it isn’t bad. Because if I was risk adverse earlier I might have lower numbers. Now I toss the D20 out of the pool and that hurts you because that might be the high number option that you need. So there is a bit of strategy and decision making there. Of course, I might need high numbers and keep the D20 because a high number is bad for you and I roll a three.

The pool of dice is interesting as well. I like that you go from a D20 all the way down to D4 with a few stops between. That creates a fun combination and some turns where nothing really works out for you. So it is a balancing element to the game. Like I said, that dice pool can matter in the game.

The game is also very simple. I can have this as a negative and a positive. But for the most part this is a very easy to teach and play. The die that changes up the pool is a bit confusing, but only a tiny bit so once you are in a game it is easy enough to track. But Roll to the Top! is an introductory roll and write experience.

Who Is It For?

I think this is a decent gift idea for a person who maybe has only played a few games and wants to get some new easy games to play. The production quality is great and the game play is, like I said, easy to learn.

Final Thoughts on Roll to the Top!

For me this is a big miss and a flop. And I know that there are people who really enjoy the game out there. I think it is the push your luck element in the game that would make it interesting for people. And maybe it is just that I don’t love push your luck games, but this one just didn’t offer enough choices.

In my opinion, most of the turns the decisions are obvious and the push your luck is limited. So now if everyone is doing the same thing, everyone one will win at the same time. And if the rolls come out a certain way, it might be so obvious that no one changes up their strategy. I just want more decision making space in the game, but wit more than a handful of plays under my belt now, it just doesn’t feel different or like I have much choice in what I do.

And I think the big thing is that I own other games that I would teach people first. I own a lot of roll and write games and a lot of them are easy like Patchwork Doodle, Super Mega Lucky Box, Criss Cross, Qwixx, Railroad Ink that I’d teach first. And that is a lot of games. So each of those offers an interesting choice or few throughout the game that Roll to the Top! doesn’t.

My Grade: D
Gamer Grade: D
Casual Grade: C