Matthew BaileyOne of my favourite things about getting the chance to try out brand-new and interesting games is when something totally takes me by surprise and ends up being an absolute family favourite.
Played here with Jack (9) and Toby (6).
Today, I’m going to present “Jumping Dice”, a Korean import that currently isn’t available in the UK. However, I’m hoping that https://travel-games.co.uk/ will be able to stock it at some point in the new year because I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it.
This is clearly going to be a game we play with the whole family over the Christmas period.
I’m devastated that I can’t tell you to rush out and buy it for this Christmas because, if I could, I absolutely would.
The premise of the game is simple. Each player gets three dice, which are encased in plastic cases. This means you have to roll the dice inside the cases, so you have limited control over what the dice land on.
The game starts with a pile of cards. On each turn, you simply flip over a card to reveal what’s on the other side. The card will show either:
- A set of three coloured dice,
- A selection of white dice that can be made up of any colour,
- A mix of coloured and white,
- A selection of coloured dice being odds or evens,
- Or a number you have to match by making your dice add up to that amount.
Your job is to, by rolling your dice, match or fulfil the card’s criteria as quickly as possible. When you do, you press the bell in the middle of the table to win the round and claim the card.
You keep playing until all the cards are gone, and the person with the most cards wins.
Now, I know what you’re thinking—bear with me! It sounds super simple, but this is honestly one of the most compelling reaction-speed games I’ve ever played.
First and foremost, there’s so much more strategy than you might expect. When a card turns over, your first decision is which of your dice to roll. The smart move is to try and fulfil the card’s criteria by rolling as few dice as possible. Especially for cards where you need to hit a total, this means doing some very quick mental arithmetic to work out the most efficient rolling solution.
The feeling of glee when a card flips and you already have almost everything (or even everything!) needed to complete it is unreal—one of the most joyous gaming moments I’ve had all year.
This clever mechanism also helps level the playing field. I usually avoid reaction-speed games because, let’s face it, I can generally beat the kids every time. But with “Jumping Dice,” the nature of the game means that sometimes, when a card flips, one of my kids already has a perfect or near-perfect roll on their dice. This adds a brilliant element of chance that levels the playing field and gives everyone a fair shot at winning cards.
Now, let’s talk about the bell. Absolute genius! I cannot stress enough how much of a difference this makes. Instead of grabbing a pile of cards with all the uncertainty of “who touched it first?”, the bell gives a clear, decisive winner for each round. It’s tactile, it’s satisfying, and honestly, I’ve started using it for every reaction game now.
When we first played “Jumping Dice,” I thought we’d mess around with it for 10 minutes before moving on. In reality, our first session turned into over an hour of playing it over and over again. It’s so simple yet so incredibly compelling. You get a mental workout—and a bit of a physical one too!
There’s also an expansion called “Jumping Dice Jr.” which comes with absolutely no instructions. However, it’s pretty easy to figure out. It includes cards showing only two dice instead of three, which makes the game simpler in theory. But since it doesn’t restrict the dice you use, you sometimes have to think even harder. We found it best to mix these cards into the main deck. The cards have different backs, so you know whether a two-dice or three-dice challenge is coming, but this didn’t bother us. It added some variety to the game.
All in all, “Jumping Dice” is an absolutely joyous game. I cannot recommend it enough, and it’s maddening that it’s not currently available outside of South Korea. Unfortunately, importing games from South Korea is nearly impossible
Ben Davenward from https://travel-games.co.uk/ has already said he’ll look into stocking this in the new year, and I’ll definitely repost this review if that happens. This is a must-have for kids and families, and I’d love to see a Western distributor pick it up.
