This week’s game was supposed to be a brew-and-pretzels gem.
At least, that was the hope for Sports Dice Hockey from designer Andy Geremia and publisher FunWiz.
So Trevor and I grabbed the dice, yes, this is a pure luck, dice-chucking game with zero strategy and a rink full of randomness, which was still supposed to offer some fun.
The dice themselves are chunky, and the faces are specific to the game and well defined, so that’s a positive.
Other components are simple cardboard “chits,” but they do the job.
Everything comes in a conveniently small, portable box, which is fitting, as this game begs to be played over a few brews with a friend, whether at a pub or a coffee shop.
Both players throw their handful of dice, six each, check which face appears most often, and then actions occur in the hockey game.
Most often, that means moving the puck one space or taking a shot, as roughly half the faces correspond to those options.
You might get the chance to make a saucer pass (moving two spaces) or roll referees, which can send an opponent’s die to the penalty box until a shot or goal occurs. Sadly, these options don’t add much.
The final face is a re-roll, and that often leads back to more “sticks,” as they appear on three faces.
While the variety of symbols fits the theme of hockey well, the distribution of faces bogs the game down.
You roll dice, see who has the most “sticks,” and repeat, over and over, with no meaningful decisions to make or strategy to apply.
Sadly, this one grows dull rather quickly, leaving you wishing you had a deck of cards to play Ida A. Spence’s 1961 creation, simply called Hockey, a far more entertaining, yet still quick, hockey simulation.
About Author
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
A SLAPSHOT THAT MISSES THE TWINE
At least, that was the hope for Sports Dice Hockey from designer Andy Geremia and publisher FunWiz.
So Trevor and I grabbed the dice, yes, this is a pure luck, dice-chucking game with zero strategy and a rink full of randomness, which was still supposed to offer some fun.
The dice themselves are chunky, and the faces are specific to the game and well defined, so that’s a positive.
Other components are simple cardboard “chits,” but they do the job.
Everything comes in a conveniently small, portable box, which is fitting, as this game begs to be played over a few brews with a friend, whether at a pub or a coffee shop.
Both players throw their handful of dice, six each, check which face appears most often, and then actions occur in the hockey game.
Most often, that means moving the puck one space or taking a shot, as roughly half the faces correspond to those options.
You might get the chance to make a saucer pass (moving two spaces) or roll referees, which can send an opponent’s die to the penalty box until a shot or goal occurs. Sadly, these options don’t add much.
The final face is a re-roll, and that often leads back to more “sticks,” as they appear on three faces.
While the variety of symbols fits the theme of hockey well, the distribution of faces bogs the game down.
You roll dice, see who has the most “sticks,” and repeat, over and over, with no meaningful decisions to make or strategy to apply.
Sadly, this one grows dull rather quickly, leaving you wishing you had a deck of cards to play Ida A. Spence’s 1961 creation, simply called Hockey, a far more entertaining, yet still quick, hockey simulation.
About Author
Calvin Daniels
Calvin Daniels is a Saskatchewan-born, self-taught journalist. He is currently Editor of Yorkton This Week, with 35-years in the newspaper business.
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