And if you want to know the criteria that I’m using, or the conversation starting point, you can read that article here.

What Roll and Write Games Do I Own?

Two lists like every time. We’re talking of course, played and unplayed. It’s less likely that an unplayed game is going to be leaving the collection without having been tried first.

Played

• Welcome To…
• Cartographers
• Ganz Schon Clever
• Yahtzee
• Long Shot: The Dice Game
• Twilight Inscription
• Welcome to the Moon
• Railroad Ink
• Fleet: The Dice Game
• Doppelt So Clever
• Three Sisters
• On Tour
• Paper Dungeons
• Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade
• Bargain Basement Bathysphere
• Clever Hoch Drei
• Metro X
• Trek 12: Himalaya
• Sonora
• Super Mega Luck Box
• My City: Roll & Build
• Clever 4Ever
• The Isle of Cats Explore and Draw
• Patchwork Doodle
• Criss Cross
• Knister
• Delicious
• First Class Letters
• Mind Space
• Doodle Dungeon

Unplayed

• Hadrian’s Wall
• Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write
• Silver & Gold
• Get on Board
• Sagrada Artisans
• Welcome to Dino World
• Riverside
• Kokoro: Avenue of the Kodama
• Motor City
• Cascadia Rolling Rivers & Rolling Hills
• Pioneer Rails
• Fliptown
• Arabella
• Merchants of Magick: A Set A Watch Tale
• French Quarter
• Zombicide: Gear Up
• Boomerang
• Number Drop
• Vengeance: Roll & Fight
• Lantern Dice
• Astra

Unplayed Games

This list is massive for both played and unplayed. I’m not 100% sure that I own all the ones still that I have yet to play. In particular I think Arabella might have left the collection as might have Number Drop and Kokoro. But looking at that list, is there anything where I think it should just leave? The only one that jumps out at me is that I don’t think I need both Rolling Rivers and Rolling Hills. From what I know they are basically the same game.

There are a few others that I’d want to get played on the list to see if they stay. Those are the ones that I mentioned that I might not have still. Also Boomerang is another one that I need to see about. It looks like a simple little game so that begs the question of if I need to keep it. Getting all these little roll and writes is easy, but often times they need a more limited player count, which means that for game nights even though they are easier to learn games they are hard to get played.

Played Games

So what on that massive list is at the danger of going away. And I think there are a number of them that fall into that category of maybe are similar to other games.

Easy Leaving

In particular I think of games like Metro X, while it’s not too similar, it’s not a game that feels that different any time that you play it. And while I’ve enjoyed it, it’s been in my Top 100 Games in the past, it’s also something that is a less appealing on future plays. Bargain Basement Bathysphere is another one that is going to be going because it’s fine but I have played it.

Another one that might be a surprise is Welcome to the Moon. I thought it is a fun game when I played it and streamed it. But as a campaign game, I now feel like there is only so much interest in going back to it. I haven’t even gone back to it recently on Board Game Arena. And Welcome To… is more fun with the same main mechanism.

I also think that Twilight Inscription is leaving the collection as well. This is one where it could stick around because it is really different. But honestly I don’t want to teach it to someone. And I don’t want to learn it again. I really had a lot of fun with it at Gen Con and if someone is up for teaching me again I gladly will play. But at the same time, it’s that category of I don’t want to do that.

Easy Staying

There are a handful that are staying for sure, games like Railroad Ink, Cartographers, Sonora, Fleet, Three sisters, and Paper Dungeon are all games that I love. And with them also all of the “Clever” games. Yes, they are similar in some ways but they are different in other ways. So that is going to keep them around, plus I like them for that combotastic nature.

Isle of Cats: Explore & Draw is another one where it make it easy to keep. In fact it might be so easy to keep that it spells the end for Isle of Cats. But I want to play that one again at a higher player count. Because I like a lot of elements of the game. I think at two it is possible for it to just get out of balance score wise pretty quickly.

Questioning

So that leaves a handful that are in that questioning range. Some of them like Trek 12, Knister, and Criss Cross I know I like and are going to be kept as well. It is just less of an emphatic keep. Same can be said for at least some of Super-Skill Pinball: 4-Cade, though I might have sold expansions already and Super Mega Lucky Box.

The ones that I’m really thinking about right now are Delicious, Mind Space, On Tour and My City: Roll & Build. With all of them I enjoy the games. I think that Delicious is leaving because it is just simpler. Mind Space and On Tour are good, but in particular with On Tour it is not the best the score and I can always play it on my phone. So I think both of them are going to leave as well. And that leave My City: Roll & Build. I was through a campaign and half way through another. I think it goes because it is fun but I’ve played it.

What Roll and Write Games Do You Love?

Let me know your thoughts. Do you think that there are any of them that I should give another chance from what I’m talking about getting rid of. Just to recap that list:

• On Tour
• Mind Space
• My City: Roll & Build
• Delicious
• Metro X
• Welcome to the Moon
• Twilight Inscription
• Bargain Basement Bathysphere
• Cascadia Rolling Rivers or Rolling Hills

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Five Types of Board Games To Play With Non-Gamers

Now, I am going to skip a bit one, mainly because some of these will fall into that same category or they can. But cooperative games are always good. Often times people don’t like games because they played Monopoly and Risk as a kid and had bad experiences with that. So competitive games are kind of a trigger for a bad time, but turning it on it’s head and everyone working together is great.

Escape Room Games

Let’s start out with board games that are escape room or puzzle games. These are going to feel really unique to players. And this is a situation where the games are cooperative as well, so players are going to like it for that, potentially. But it is also going to feel not like a normal experience. A game like Micro Macro Crime City where you explore a map and spot a criminal or crime across a map in a “Where is Waldo?” style experience is going to be unique.

Or there are the Exit and Unlock games. These are going to give you more of the puzzle feeling that an escape room might be. And there are a lot of people who do escape rooms who might not board game. So it’s a good branch between an activity that some people might like and a board game. Or even things like Sudoku and Crosswords and Cryptograms that people do for a brain teaser activity daily will help them be interested in an escape room style of game.

Trick Taking Games

Next up for a type of board games is trick taking games. This one makes a lot of sense because even if people don’t play too many games, they often at least know Hearts from the computer. So trick taking games are a nice safe and soft entry into more board games.

Now it might seem like this isn’t really an entry point, but it is. It is because there are so many variations or board gamer type things done with trick taking games. Things like The Crew make it cooperative, so that is interesting. Or there is Schadenfreude where you want to come in second to score points, but you also don’t want to go over forty points. And Rebel Princess which is just hearts, but there are powers and rules change each round. So it is going to feel familiar but there are a lots of trick taking games that add in more.

Dexterity Games

Next up is Dexterity Games. These are great board games to use when you have a variety of ages and a variety of interest. Why, because they can become a funny good time or a really tense time, it’s up in the air, literally, depending on the game that you decide to play.

A game like Ice Cool or Pitchcar are going to be more on that funny good time as you either have Penguins who are skipping class to get a fish snack and trying to avoid the hall monitor as you flick them around. Or you are racing around a track in Pitchcar. Either way it’s lighter and more of the excitement comes from someone making a great shot.

Then you have a game like Menara. This is going to be a stacking game, but unlike others, say Jenga, where you are removing things and the person who knocks it over loses, this one you are building up the tower, kind of like Jenga, but it’s cooperative. So you want to complete a target objective before it gets knocked over. And that is going to provide that cooperative and dexterity that can make it easier to play.

Roll and Write Games

The next time of board games are roll and write games. Now, with this one be careful. There are roll and write games that are very complex. But there are a lot of easy ones as well. And you want to target those that are a step up from Yahtzee. That is why they are on the list. People know Yahtzee, so it is going to be familiar to them. And a roll and write will seem less intimidating.

I think that something like Ganz Schon Clever (That’s Pretty Clever) can be a great option. There is a bit to learn in scoring, but for the most part it’s a fast and easy teach. Or a game like Metro X where you fill in tracks, that could bed good. And Mind Space or Qwixx over simpler game play but with just that little bit more for it. There are a ton out there, so a lot of good options.

Drafting Games

Finally are drafting games. This, like Roll and Write Games, you need to think about a little bit. I don’t know that I’d jump straight into Seven Wonders. But there are great games out there like Sushi Go and Draftosaurus that work really well. And the themes help those games.

The reason I think these board games work well is that you all go at once. There isn’t that downtime. And you learn as you go, often times with these games. Often, I feel like, for a competitive game, you get the question, what’s a good strategy. Or, I don’t know what to do. Drafting games I often find you get the question, but the answer is pick something for the first card. And as options get fewer it is easier and becomes more reactive. So I say often times the first card doesn’t matter.

And because you play all at once it means that games are often shorter. A game of Draftosaurus, for example, is maybe twenty minutes if people are really slow. So it’s great to play once and then play again.

Final Thoughts

These are just some of the types of games. I think there are a lot of types of games that can work for people to try for a new game. One important thing, though, is to remember that not everyone is going to like every type of game. So try some things and see what works, and ask people why they maybe don’t like board games. And then if you want to try, try and find something that’ll avoid those things they don’t like.

What types of board games do you introduce to new prospective gamers?

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Catch up on previous videos here

100 through 91
90 through 81
80 through 71
70 through 61
60 through 51

Top 100 Games (of all time) 2024 Edition – 50 through 41

50. Via Magica

• Published by Hurrican in 2020
• Beat your fellow magic students in a bingo-esque game and utilize your powers best

This is a great filler level game. It’s a ton of fun to collect materials and use them to open gates. And then try and figure out what games and what elements you want to focus on opening first to get benefits from either immediately or throughout the game. As as well you need to grab points, so it’s a fun balancing act in what you’re doing. This is not going to be for everyone as it’s a light game, but I really like Via Magica for a nice relaxing and fun time.

Buy Via Magica

49. Too Many Bones

• Published by Chip Theory Games in 2017
• Chuck dice and battle enemies as you level up your Gearlocks to faceoff against the final boss

This is a fun short campaign style game. It’s not a big story game, but you get that mechanical feeling of leveling up in Too Many Bones that makes it such a fun time. And each Gearlock is unique and plays differently. I think that is part of what makes the same so special. Each characters want to level up in their own ways. And sometimes you just want better stats. But other times, getting and using your unique dice is going to create for some really fun game moments. The game isn’t a story game, but it can provide it’s own story.

Buy Too Many Bones

48. Ganz Schon Clever (That’s Pretty Clever)

• Published by Schmidt Spiele in 2018
• Place dice, fill in spots, and gain combos to get your highest score

I’ve already talked about this system two other times. But this is the original one to use the system and it’s my favorite of them. I really like how clean the puzzle is for trying to solve this game and do best at it. And there are enough combos that you can end up with some awesome turns. But the combos don’t slow down the game too much which is one element that I can really appreciate about this design compared to others. Though the flexibility in how you play is a little bit more limited.

Buy That’s Pretty Clever

47. Dungeon Kart

• Published by Brotherwise Games in 2024
• Rev your engine, take off, and mess with your opponents in this fast racing game

Dungeon Kart is obviously trying to be a Mario Kart style game. And I think it does a good job of it. I’ve played other games that offer some of that, but Dungeon Kart I really enjoy. It does a great job balancing catching up, slinging spells at your opponents and just a fun time. You get behind, no biggie, you get more and better spells. You’re in the lead, well, it’s your own fault you are there and you’re going to get blasted, but don’t worry, you can still catch-up again.

Preorder Dungeon Kart

46. Super Mega Lucky Box

• Published by Gamewright in 2021
• Combo your way into a bingo victory

This is the second bingo like game on the list where something is drawn and all players use it. But this one is a flip and write game that is more bingo like than Via Magica and has you filling in a three by three grid. Of course as you fill in rows and columns you get bonuses that can give you more. And the game provides great offsetting of the luck of the slip with powers from lightning bolts. It’s just a really fun, easy to play and fast game.

Buy Super Mega Lucky Box

45. Cartographers

• Published by Thunderworks Games in 2019
• Draw your best map as you explore the lands in this flip and write game

The theme is only kind of there, but this is a great roll and write style of game. You flip over terrain and figure out how you want to place it out on your sheet. But beware monsters because your opponents get to decide where that’s going to go and it’s going to be the worst spot for you. Plus the game has fun scoring that rotates throughout the seasons so that one of the scoring elements in spring is going to be scored for winter as well.

Buy Cartographers

44. Res Arcana

• Published by Sand Castle Games in 2019
• Can you get your magical engine up and running faster than your opponents in this race to 10 points

I like how simple Res Arcana is, but how thinky it is as well. You need to really figure out how you want to leverage the cards that you have, or draft, in this game. And drafting really adds some strategy to it as you can try and figure out what your best cards are going to be how you can get them to turn out points. The game has this great build to it until suddenly you can get points and then the game just flies to the finish.

Buy Res Arcana

43. Railroad Ink Challenge

• Published by Horrible Guild in 2021
• Can you connect your routes better than your opponents can?

Another roll and write game, last one in this section. Railroad Ink Challenge is a great game of building out routes of both trains and roads and trying connect as many of them as you can together. Challenge adds in challenges that you can push for to score more points. But beware of leaving too many unconnected pieces, those can lead to your doom as they are negative points.

Buy Railroad Ink Challenge

42. Rebel Princess

• Published by Bezier Games in 2024
• It’s Hearts with Shenanigans, in the best way as you avoid proposals you really don’t want.

That’s really what Rebel Princess is, Hearts with shenanigans. But the shenanigans really do make this game. The princess powers are all game breaking in some way, and you want the ones everyone else have. And then the card that determines the special rule for the hand is great as it messes with everything. So you need to be quick to adjust how you are playing every time, and I think that’s great.

Buy Rebel Princess

41. Rock Hard: 1977

• Published by Devir Games in 2024
• Live your best rockstar life as you go from garage band to playing stadiums in this worker placement game

This game is really about living that 1970’s classic rocker life as you build up your band, gain reputation, write more songs all in hopes of playing on the biggest stage. I love how the worker placement is split up over three different times, day, evening, and after hours. And it’s fun that you need to worry about your job, at least for a little bit, and pay your producer as you become more famous because of course, while they help you, they also hurt you. It’s just very thematic for a worker placement game and a theme that I like a lot.

Buy Rock Hard: 1977

Upcoming Streams

Just a reminder on my streaming schedule. It’s not just all my Top 100 Games (of all time).

• Monday night, time varies, I play different small solo games, though I might be looking to start up a campaign again. And generally the streams do start between 8 and 8:30 PM central time.
• Wednesday at 9 PM central is going to continue my Top 100 Games (of all time) 2024 Edition for another six weeks. After that expect this to be when I play my small games. Only 5 more weeks left of my Top 100 Games, then likely this will switch to smaller solo games and video games.
• Friday at 9 PM central my wife and I are streaming a playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3. Join us for the adventure of Nina and Kaerok and see what choices we make.

The best way to know when we go live, though is to subscribe and click that notification bell. I can’t promise, and in fact it’s pretty unlikely, that I’ll have events to click on ahead of time. Though I do want to get better at it. I hope that you can join a stream and hop into the chat. And let me know what games in this list are your favorite or that you want to try.

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Top 5 Roll and Write Games to Play Solo

5. Paper Dungeons

Paper Dungeons is one that works well solo and multiplayer. So in terms of a lot of a few of the roll and write games on the list, I think it is balanced out a bit more. But this one really does work nicely solo because it makes the game faster. You roll the dice and take your dice actions and are done. The limiting factor on how quickly it goes is you. This is a common thing for a lot of these games solo.

There is a downside to it, which is why it is lower on the list. In Paper Dungeons you lose out on the bonus when fighting the different boss monsters along the way. No one can get the bonus for dealing the most damage because you aren’t playing against an opponent.

4. Cartographers

Cartographers is going to be one where I say that it’s also one of the role and write games where it works well with many as well solo. And Cartographers might be one of the most challenging solo games out there. The scoring objectives you have all have numbers on them. And that combined total is what you’re trying to defeat. Plus they give you negative points, so you need to overcome all of that to just get a positive score. And how you place the monsters on the board changes, but it’s a ton of fun either way.

3. Railroad Ink Challenge

This is the first where I think I really do prefer it just solo. Mainly because I’ve taught Railroad Ink a few times and it’s gone well, but people feel like there is a bit much to keep track of. I like it with everything in there, at least for the base game and the challenges because I think it adds purpose and direction to the game. But for some people, it feels like too much. So since I know the game well, I prefer it as a solo game that I can knock out quickly.

But the route connecting and everything moves along quickly. Even the challenges don’t change from multiplayer to solo. Either way you have a specific round to hit for getting the challenges. So if you get it on that round or sooner you score the max points. If you get it prior to the end of the game you end up with fewer points.

2. Super-Skill Pinball 4-Cade

Another one that is better solo, I think. And Super-Skill Pinball 4-Cade is one of the roll and writes that I’ve mainly just played solo. The reason I like it better solo is that players can get out of sync. So I might lose my ball sooner than you lose your ball. That is the way that pinball tables go. So I play my second ball and it’s unlikely I lose it super quickly, but if i do you may continue playing for a period of time longer.

It’s really that the game can let one person go a lot longer that I think creates a bigger challenge to the game. Especially on some of the boards where a player might end up in a special area of the board. If they do, then it’s possible that they can prolong their game notably. At that point one person might need an extra 10 minutes to wrap up the game. The pinball tables are a ton of fun, but there is a good reason to play it solo.

1. The “Clever” Games

Finally it’s all of the Clever games from Wolfgang Warsch. I really enjoy all of these games. And I think that they are best at two or solo player counts. Why, because at more you lose a little agency in the game. You always get something on an opponents turn, but when your opponents have more turns, you play fewer turns as the active player. So that loss of agency, I think, makes it better as a solo or two player game.

And when you play at solo or two players the rules don’t change. Since in solo you get the rolls of an “opponent” to go against. And that’s really just getting that selection on an opponents turn like you would on a two player game. The dice might be limited in different ways than normal, but the outcome is similar.

Also, yes I did cheat and put four games on the list there.

Final Thoughts

A lot of roll and write games work well solo. Though, so many now hare being made to keep that feeling similar no matter what. By that I mean that most of these games now rely upon everyone going at once. So when you take an action or roll the dice, all of us get to go on that roll of the dice or the flip of the cards. I love that about the games because it lets you really play pretty quickly without losing an interesting game and interesting choices.

What are your favorite roll and write games to play solo? I know that I need to learn and play Hadrian’s Wall solo as well as there are others like Metro X, Fleet the Dice Game, that I like solo or still others like Three Sisters, Motor City, and more that I know people like solo. So I want to get even more to the table.

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Top 5 Board Game Apps

Disclaimer, of course, I haven’t played them all. Some are for games that don’t interest me that much. So, like Dominion just has an app in beta or just out on Android, haven’t played it, probably won’t. And list is in no particular order.

5. Fleet: The Dice Game

Let’s start with the one that I’ve been playing the most of recently. Fleet: The Dice Game has a nice and simple app for playing their game solo. No pass and play multiplayer, but when I play a board game on an app, multiplayer is low on the list of things that I care about.

This one takes what’s not that complex a game to run solo in person, but takes up space on the table. So it makes it much more compact. And it makes me want to play the game again, and actually try it multiplayer in person. So that might not be the best sign for the app. But the app lets you get in a game much faster, as an app should, and let’s you mess around with strategies easier.

4. Super Mega Lucky Box

Next up is another roll and write style game. Actually, I could do a top 5, possibly Top 10, on this type of game. Why, because a lot of them end up with simpler rule sets and thus are simpler to program into an app. And Super Mega Lucky Box is another one without a pass and play, at this point, but one that you can play solo.

Now, I give this solid marks as a board game app not because it’s that much easier than the board game. No, I give it that because it’s more portable. I can play Super Mega Lucky Box solo easily enough in person. But there is a minor amount of set-up. With the app, it’s pull it out and play. And they give you a few ways to play which are fun to mess around with. Honestly, it’s a really good way to learn how to play the game.

3. Sagrada

Now one that isn’t a roll and write. Though, Sagrada does have rolling dice as you roll each time for drafting. This one does have multiplayer, which I have yet to use. But it also has a challenge/campaign mode. Not like the Sagrada Artisans legacy game, no, the campaign is just progressively better AI opponents. I like that sense of progression, and it walks you through the different ability cards and scoring cards.

And while the other games on the list are definitely faster in an app, Sagrada flies speed wise. I really like it for that, if I were to play a game of Sagrada solo, well, I haven’t before, but I imagine it might take a little bit. On the app, it’s about five minutes to play a whole game.

2. Railroad Ink

Now, yes, another roll and write game with Railroad Ink. This is another one that take a roll and write game that isn’t hard to play solo and makes it even easier. Railroad Ink is a game of connecting routes, which is not hard in person. But the app highlights were you can put railroad sections and makes it easier for you that way. And it keeps track of your round to help with scoring the challenge cards.

This is another one that is only solo. But it works slick, and games are definitely a little bit faster than playing solo in person. Out of all of these, I think that Railroad Ink probably saves you the least amount of time. But, it’s fun to be able to play it on a small screen in your pocket.

1. Clever Games

Finally, yes, this is a lot of games. Four games actually, though, I hope that they’ve improved the fourth one, Clever 4Ever on the app because, well, it doesn’t size correctly to all screens. But the other three are great ways to play and learn the various “Clever” games. And all of the apps work nicely.

It is only solo play, but it handles some of the solo elements like which dice end up on the platter on the “opponents” turn. No more guessing, though, the rules for that are simple in the real game. The nice thing is that it highlights what you can do when you click on a die, and shows you the options well. It’d be nice if it had a tutorial mode, but the rules are on there so you can read them as well. And mainly, if you know how to play, you just need to learn the scoring and new ability.

Honorable Mentions

Let me wrap up with some honorable mention board game apps.

Ascension – this has a nice app for the deck building game. And it comes with the base game and an expansion. You can pay for more to unlock them. The downside to this one, is it’s small on a screen. So until you know the cards it’s a bit fiddly. But it does have pass and play.

Hero Realms – Another deck building game, Hero Realms is a head to head battler. The AI is strong in this one, and you can set it and unlock more cards as you go. The system works well in this setting and it helps you remember everything, like if you haven’t attacked your opponent or your opponent has a blocker.

Potion Explosion – Finally, I want to end on Potion Explosion. This one you do lose some playing it on the app. Obviously you don’t have the tactile thing of pulling out a marble and watching everything else fall into place. That said, it still is slick and it does some of the work, auto placing ingredients if you want. I like it for that, and I like the challenge it offers.

What are some of your favorite board game apps?

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Is Ganz Schon Clever Solvable?

I like Ganz Schon Clever a lot, but I think for some people it might have a bit of a shelf life. Why, because Ganz Schon Clever might be solvable. What do I mean by that, I think that Ganz Schon Clever likely has an ideal way to get an ideal score in the game. Or at least to score consistently well, there might be another strategy that is better, but there is one that is consistently good. I never got it on this stream, nor will I go over it here, you need to find it out.

But that is the concern about a game like this, I think, for some people. Once you’ve played it a number of times, it is going to be one that there is a right answer to. I think, that for some people, this is going to get the game on their shelf, to solve the puzzle, then off their shelf once they do that. But it hasn’t left mine yet, is there a reason for that?

Firstly, I think some of it is that I just like the simplicity and the combinations of this game. When I sit down and play it, I need to think about what I am doing. But because I know my strategy, I don’t need to spend a lot of brain power on it. So it’s that nice balance of a game where I can chat through it or use it to clear my head. So I believe that is some of why it hasn’t left my colleciton.

I also enjoy trying to solve the puzzle. It’s like putting together a puzzle versus having their very dynamic every changing game. I know the end results that I want to get in Ganz Schon Clever. But the question is, will I be able to get those results in time? Or is this going to be a game where I just miss what I want. And will the dice let me, and rerolls let me, fill in what I need?

But that is not going to be the right reasons for everyone. Do you feel like it is too solvable?

Upcoming Streams

Let’s run through the stream structure like I normally do. You might already know the schedule but in case you don’t. Wednesday at 8 PM Central I stream either a campaign game, or with this time of year it’s my Top 100 Games (of all time) 2023 Edition. This upcoming Wednesday I’m back to my Top 100 Games (of all time) 2023 Edition the following week for 30 through 21.

Then on Monday I stream at 9 PM Central time. It’s generally a solo game. Though I’ll also do pack openings for things But normally it’s a solo game and a one off for the game like a roll and write, or sometimes a game like Under Falling Skies or For Northwood, which was on the list today.

But the best way, if you want to know when I go live or a new video goes up (it’s basically always live), please consider subscribing. You can do that here. And click that notification bell on the channel and you’ll always know when I go live.

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Clever Board Games

I really enjoy this series of roll and write games. I think I’ve played on the app all of the games at least 30-40 times and well more than that for Ganz Schon Clever. And the apps for these games are solid. It is odd to me that there aren’t asynchronous games or other options to play with people, but it’s a solo game. Not even pass and play.

The upside is that you only play a couple of minutes when you play the game. Which I think that works really well. It is also a very good way to learn the game(s). Not just because the rules are in English. I expect most people will get rules in their language. But I bought two German versions so the app is a great spot for rules.

It is also nice because it shows off the moves that you can do. That means that you don’t need to think what is possible. You click on a die and it shows you where it is going to go. That also makes it very good for learning how to play all of the games.

Upcoming Streams

Next week I am back to my normal time. That means Wednesday stream will be at 8 PM Central time. You can find the link for that here. The plan is to wrap up exploration if possible. Though, while I suspect I’ll be able to this time. In future streams some of the planetary exploration might take longer to complete. But join me for that and for the ship phase as well as I stream.

And then next Monday, I keep on promising smaller games. I have a couple new roll and writes I could try or other smaller games to get to the table. So that’s going to be the plan, it might even be revisiting a roll and write which I’ve already enjoyed. The next game that I want to try I mentioned yesterday, Planet Unknown and see how the solo play goes with that game.

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Board Game Holiday List – 12 Roll and Writes

12. Super Mega Lucky Box

I talked about this one on Monday with my Top 100 Games list, Super Mega Lucky Box is a bingo style game where you are trying to get a “blackout” on your cards. But each time you fill in a row or a column it gives you a bonus. It might be crossing off a specific number on any of your cards. Or it might be getting you more ways to score points. Either way, it gives a lot of light fun play, but for a very simple game, more choices than you’d expect.

11. Isle of Cats Explore and Draw

Isle of Cats Explore and Draw is the roll and write version of Isle of Cats, which in the US you can find in Target. Explore and Draw takes the same concept but you are activating a column of cats and scoring objectives. Each player is doing that while trying to get families of cats onto the board all of the same color. Pick the scoring cards that work well for themselves. And, at the right times, use bonuses that allow them to break the rule of using only a column to get what they really need.

10. Super-Skill Pinball 4-Cade

A lot of roll and write games are pretty abstract. And this one is to some extent as well, but at the same time, there are also surprisingly strong elements of playing a pinball. You roll two dice and use one of them to bounce around the board in this game. The ball moves in specific ways as it bounces and it’s all about trying to get those combos, complete certain shots and see how many points you can get over two balls. And each set of boards, well, they are a different pinball machine.

There are three versions of the game, I’d probably recommend either the base game, or if you like Star Trek, there is a version like that as well. And, I believe soon, a fourth version, with holiday themed boards from classic holiday movies.

9. Sonora

Sonora is the most different of the “and write” games because it isn’t flipping cards, it isn’t rolling dice, it is flicking discs onto a board. That determines what number and area you get to fill in. Sonora isn’t the best introductory roll and write game. But if you like roll and writes that give you combos, Sonora might be the perfect game for you. Sonora gives you combos upon combos and is amazing for that. And it manages to feel different in the different scoring area. I’m still waiting for a new scoring sheet for this game to give more and different experiences while playing.

8. Paper Dungeons

Paper Dungeons is one that you can see a full playthrough of the game over on Malts and Meeples. I’ll like a video below, but it’s a roll and write with a “campaign”. I say that loosely, but you can play through a story. What Paper Dungeons tries to do, and I think does pretty well, is try to be a dungeon crawler.

You level up your heroes, go fight boss monsters, get treasure, and craft items. All in an attempt to get the most points and not to die. Now if you die, thankfully, you aren’t out of the game, but it is a lot of negative points. It’s a bigger roll and write but a ton of fun.

7. Patchwork Doodle

Patchwork Doodle is on the small side. You are making a quilt in this game. But really you are trying, at the end of each round, to have the biggest square possible. A 4×4 square scores 16 points, whereas a 3×5 rectangle scores 3×3=9 + 2 for each additional row.

I could have picked Second Chance as that game is really similar to Patchwork Doodle, But Patchwork Doodle offers a few powers and a few more choices. Not to the point where it is too complex, but to the point where it feels less like, flip something and fill it in. There are decisions to be made every time.

6. Ganz Schon Clever (That’s Pretty Clever)

I’ll start out by saying, this could be any of the Clever games. They are all a lot of fun, and I like playing all three in an evening. When you do that, well, you can find the “ultimate champion”. But if you are starting with one, Ganz Schon Clever is maybe the easiest to understand.

The mechanics are simple, roll some dice, pick one to use. Cross off something or then fill in a number. But, it does two clever things. Firstly, any number lower than the one I pick goes on a platter. So when you roll next time, you roll three times, you are rolling fewer dice. And those dice on the platter, at the end of the round, your opponents get to pick one of them to use. The game is clever and fewer combos than Sonora but still offers a lot.

5. Welcome To

Welcome To is another bigger roll and write. But kind of a classic roll and write game at this point. In Welcome To you are making your perfect Stepford neighborhood. White picket fences all go in the right spot, and house numbers all counting up the best that they can.

But, really, you are trying to build out neighborhoods, designated by fences, to score points, complete objectives, and build parks and pools. All of which give you points. One thing I like is that you have three combinations. A number and an action on each turn. So while this can play an infinite number, you feel like you can try really different strategies.

4. Metro X

Metro X is a game about building a bus route. Another one that I’ve played on Malts and Meeples, but I’ll let you find that one. In this game you are building out your routes, crossing off stops. But for each route you can only use so many numbers to cross it off. And route overlap. This means you need to plan out your routes carefully.

And as the routes overlap, they create short little bits. If that happens, now you’re dealing with filling in those spots. Because every time you hit a spot that’s been filled in, you stop. So if you fill in three spots and could have filled in six, but you hit a station that’s already filled in, you stop. It’s a light game, but clever.

3. Trek 12

Trek 12 is a game about mountain climbing. Who am I kidding, it’s one of those roll and writes with a theme, but the theme doesn’t matter. It’s about creating sets of numbers and runs. But it does so with a fun scoring way. How you score is based off of the highest number of a run or the number of the set. So a run of 4, 3, 2, 1 scores you 4 points, plus an additional one for each number in the run, so 7. And the same idea with sets, a 4, 4, 4, 4 is 7 as well.

But how you fill in numbers is what makes the game fun. You have a grid of options, and as you pick an option, you cross it off meaning you can do them only so many times. You can pick the high or the lower of the two numbers, easy enough. Or you could do the difference, combined total, or multiplied total on the dice, but each of them can be done only so many times. It’s a great puzzle.

2. Railroad Ink

Railroad Ink or Railroad Ink Challenge are great roll and writes about completing train routes and roads. You are trying to get your area as connected as possible. What I really like about it, compared to say Metro X which is about routes as well, is that Railroad Ink, you are rolling dice and those dice show you the specific type of route that you are adding.

I personally like the Challenge version of the game a ton. While the original is fun as you connect up routes. It’s simpler. The Challenge version gives you goals. If you can complete a whole column by the end of round 4 you get bonus points. Either way, though, I think it’s a simple roll and write that people can really enjoy.

1. Cartographers

Finally we have cartographers. And while most of these games are pretty solitaire, Cartographers has monsters that work best with others. Cartographers as the name suggests is about building out maps. But, as the cartographer, you are also putting where monsters are on the map. It’s silly, but monsters are bad and give negative points. Everything else, they can help you score.

What stands out about this game is the scoring. You score two things in the first round of the game, spring, let’s say goals A and B. But then when the fourth round comes back around, you are scoring D and A. So each goal is scored twice, and you need to balance how hard you go after a given goal. Because after summer, round two, B is never scored again.

Final Thoughts

Roll and writes are a great genre of game. Not all of them will be for everyone, but I really love them. I personally think that there are levels of difficulty for everyone if people gives them a chance. I have heavier ones than I listed, most of these are pretty light or medium weight, on my shelf. And I have ones that are even lighter as well.

Which of these games would you want to get as a holiday gift this year? Or are there any you’d want to give someone because of a theme you know that they’d love?

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The Board Games

All three of these games are roll and write games in a series, connected by some basic mechanics, designed by Wolfgang Warsch. The base mechanics of the games, like I said, are similar across the board, but the games each offer their own twist.

The basic mechanic in the game is that you roll your dice, pick one to use, get rid, to a common pool, all the numbers lower than it, and repeat the process until you’ve used three dice, or fewer. Then the other players use a die from the common pool. Then the next player rolls and you repeat that process. Your goal, get as many points as you can.

There are two other things that are always true. The white die is a wild. And if you use the blue die or the white die in the blue section, it’s always the combined total of the white and blue dice. But the white ie you can use anywhere that you want. I guess a third thing, which is could be an afterthought when teaching is the foxes. If you get a fox, at the end of the game, multiply the number of foxes times your lowest scoring section.

Ganz Schon Clever – Doppelt So Clever – Clever Hoch Drei

Let’s talk real quick about each of them. Mainly compare how they work and actually maybe a slight change in my opinion after last nights play.

Ganz Schon Clever

Ganz Schon Clever is maybe the most basic of the games. Which makes sense being the original one that came out. That isn’t to say that it doesn’t have combos, it has a lot of them. But Ganz Schon Clever, doesn’t have the more complex sections like some others do. It is basically always simple on how to use the dice. It’s the one that I started with and it’s the one I’d use to teach, even if you like others better in the series.

Doppelt So Clever

Doppelt So Clever has always been the toughest for me and been the lowest of the three for me. Now, I’m not sure that’s the case anymore. Mainly, I think I’m seeing the puzzle better now, and I have some ideas of how I want to handle the game as I play. It definitely ramps up the complexity in the game with basically every section. While some, pink and blue might not be too complex, they offer more to think about.

Clever Hoch Drei

Finally we have Clever Hoch Drei, probably the one that clicked with my fastest and the one that I get the highest score on. A lot of the things just make sense to me as I play them. I didn’t do a great job comboing as I could have last night in the game. Mainly not using the yellow section as effectively as sometimes. But you fill in a whole lot more and get many more combos, it feels like in Clever Hoch Drei.

I think that Doppelt So Clever went up in my estimation last night and Clever Hoch Drei went down. Mainly you can do so much in Clever Hoch Drei that decisions matter a little less. Where as Doppelt So Clever being a tighter game, what you do matters more.

Upcoming Streams

On Monday I am streaming my Top 100 Games (of all time) 2022 Edition – 50 through 41. The video down below. So join me on that journey, then the following Monday, the 31st, I might take off for Halloween. I suspect it’d be cutting it close with podcast, Trick or Treating, and getting a kid into bed.

As for my Wednesday stream, next week my hope is to get Chronicles of Drunagor to the table at least for an unboxing. And I know a I have a few other boxes coming in as well. So I might play Final Girl, or we’ll see what my mystery package coming in might be. But soon I will get Chronicles of Drunagor to the table. And next week might be an unboxing of the game and picking out of characters, actually.

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100 through 91 here.

90 through 81 here.

80 through 71 here.

Top 100 Games 2022 Edition – 70-61

70 – Just One

Just One is the first of the party games in this section. This game works well because it is a cooperative party game. And it follows one of my keys for a solid party game, it needs to give players the ability to make choices. Not like something like Cards Against Humanity, where you don’t need to be creative. Here you are trying to give clues but each player only is allowed one word. If you match with another player, both your clues cancel out. So you don’t want to get too obvious, but also a too obscure clue might point them in the wrong direction.

Buy on Cool Stuff Inc

69 – Cross Clues

Cross Clues is another party game. Again a cooperative game, but this time, you want to give a clue that lets other players figure out the combination of two words. You get a grid of 5×5 (or 3×3) where each row and column has a letter or number assigned. So you might get A3, and if A’s word is wood and 3’s word is flying, you might give the clue kite. But kite might work for something else, say tail and wind. So now you need to figure out if your clue is good or not. It’s a simple, but fun game.

Buy on Miniature Market

68 – Marvel United

Yet another cooperative game, Marvel United is not a party game. Marvel United is a Marvel comics and superhero game where you play as heroes to defeat a villain. The game play is pretty simple, you need to complete two objectives before you can take down a villain. All the while the villain is trying to get you out by causing you to expend cards and lose the game. What works in this game is that you play down a card you give symbols to help the next player. And you also get symbols, punch, move, or heroic action, to aid in what you are doing. It gives that superhero team up feel in a simple game.

Buy on Game Nerdz.

67 – The Reckoners

Apparently this section also has a lot of cooperative games. The Reckoners is another cooperative game and another game with super powers. But the super powered people aren’t the good guys in this, they are known as Epics and bad. You play as a team, the Reckoners trying to take them down and eventually take down the big bad Steelslayer. I like that there is no downtime in this game. Everyone rolls dice at once and discusses as they build up their pool. Then everyone plays out their actions at once. It’s a nice game because of that and being a harder cooperative game.

Buy from Nauvoo Games.

66 – Blank Slate

Blank Slate, we’re back to party games. Blank Slate is not the newest (or highest) party game on the list, but it is new to me this year. In this game you are trying to fill in a word and match with other people. The twist comes that you don’t want to match with too many people. If you match your word with one other person, it is three points, if you match with more than that, it is one point. And all you are doing is a fill in a blank like “Truck______”. You come up with the second half, it’s simple and a lot of fun.

Buy on Miniature Market

65 – Clever Cubed

Clever Cubed is a roll and write game from the Clever line of games, which there are four of now. Clever Cubed is the one that I think gives you the most combos. I like it a lot because it’s fun to get a ton of combos and a lot of points in the game. If there was a knock, it could be that it takes away some strategy. But I do think there are some real things you need to think about as you play. And it does have a lot of combos which I really like.

Buy on Amazon (Note German Edition)

64 – Five Tribes

Five Tribes, maybe my highest of the classic Days of Wonder games, I’m not sure if i have any above it. But Five Tribes is a great game with mancala style movement of meeples. By that I mean you pick up all of them from one spot and drop them off one at a time. I talk about it with Fruit Picking as well.

What makes Five Tribes so interesting, though, is the bidding for turn order. Mainly because money at the end of the game is points. So you are losing points to go sooner. Do you have a spot that for sure is going to get you more points back? Or maybe you need to block your opponent from getting a lot of points.

Buy on Cool Stuff Inc.

63 – That’s Pretty Clever!

That’s Pretty Clever is the first of the Clever games and so far my favorite. I need to get and play the fourth more. I have played it on the app. But That’s Pretty Clever I always enjoy because it is a bit simpler. But also because I kind of know how I want to take on the puzzle of the game. I think that’s my issue with Twice as Clever, I haven’t quite gotten clever enough to figure out my strategy, or it seems to score lower. Here I know what combos I want to create, can I do it in a way that will give me the most points is the question.

Not Available

62 – Medium

The final party game for this section of the list. Medium follows a common trend. You want to match words with the person you are paired up with. But with Medium, you do that by each playing down a word. Then you try and come up with a word between. So it might be Mouse and Quesadilla and you need to both land on the same word. You probably could in that time with the word Cheese. But if you miss, you now use your new words and try again. It’s a lot of fun, and leads to a surprising number of laughs.

Buy on Amazon

61 – Century: Golem Edition

To wrap out this section we have Century: Golem Edition. I do think I’d enjoy Spice Road version, but the Golem Edition is just cuter. So that is the one that I want to play. This is an engine building and hand management game. I like how simple the game is, you either play down a card which will get or manipulate the games you have, pick up all your played cards, grab a card to be played, or get a golem. And no action is going to take too long. It’s a very fast moving game with an opportunity to create a really fun engine in your hand.

Buy on Cool Stuff Inc

Upcoming Streams

Next Monday is the continuation of my Top 100 Games (of all time) 2022 Edition. I am going to be going through games 60 through 51, getting to that mid point of the list. Here is a link to the upcoming video. If you want to catch it live, click that notification bell.

And coming up next Wednesday, I don’t know what I’ll be streaming. I think I have two different options, firstly, Chronicles of Drunagor is sitting on the shelf waiting to be unboxed and played. I could dive into a game of that, or do some smaller solo games. For those I have games like Set a Watch, Black Sonata, and Final Girl that I could get to the table as well.

Let me know what you want me to stream next? I am leaning towards Chronicles of Drunagor, if I have time to learn the rules but if not, what small solo game would you want to see?

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