Klondice

Now the half-term holidays are a distant memory we needed something simple to cheer us up midweek so enter… “Klondice.”

“Klondice” is a dice-rolling light strategy game based on the theme of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5)

You start the game by handing out a set number of dice, depending on how many players are participating. In our case, each player had 10 dice, and each player receives 50 gold to start the round.

You also choose a random dice sheet and place it into the dice cart. There are many of these sheets in the game, so each round brings a new dynamic to the gameplay. The objective is to roll five of your dice on your turn and then place one of your dice onto a dice lane. If you are the last person to fill up a lane, you get the score on the right. However, it’s worth noting that some lanes have negative scores that you’ll want to avoid.

The strategy comes from trying to space out the dice you lay to prevent giving an advantage to another player, while also avoiding the negative points, as you must lay a dice every turn. If you either run out of dice or are unable to lay a dice on your turn, your turn is over for that round.

At the end of the round, you bank all the gold you’ve acquired and restart with a new dice sheet, meaning the objective changes each time. Some sheets have particularly challenging negative values.

It’s a simple concept, but the strategic depth is surprisingly deep. We all enjoyed playing, as it reminded us of games like Roll For It or Monster 12, but with a unique twist.

The game flows quickly, and downtime is minimal.

In terms of production value, it’s extremely high. The dice are of excellent quality, and the game comes with a nice bag to hold them, as well as high-quality components like the newspaper-style booklet and the minecarts.

However, the one sticking point is the dice tower. While the idea is cool and the boys enjoyed using it, it’s a bit of a hassle to put together. Additionally, the walls of the dice tower are unnecessarily high, often obstructing the view of the rolled dice, and requiring constant adjustment. If I were playing with adults, I’d likely opt for a dice tray instead.

Overall, I really enjoyed “Klondice”. It’s a fantastic light strategy dice game that can be enjoyed by both children and older relatives. The theming is well done, and everything is produced to a high standard.

It’s a fun and unique addition to the genre of dice games, potentially worth buying if you enjoy this type of game.