Dice

The Red Cathedral

Autumn is not the best time to climb up on a scaffold in Moscow, but it is still far better than doing so in the winter. Tsar Ivan wants to see results and our team will prove to him that we are the best builders in the city. We are sure to finish off those decorative arches with the brightest shining stones and ensure our place on the list of the government’s trusted workers.

Sheila Santos and Israel Cendrero make up the game designing duo known as Llama Dice. To date they have put out various titles with different Spanish publishers (1987 Channel Tunnel, Mondrian, Smoothies), and The Red Cathedral is the first game they have published with Devir. Pedro Soto (Holmes, Sherlock & Mycroft, Papua) and Chema Román (El mundo de Águila Roja) took care of the graphic elements of the game with a grand homage to Ivan Bilibin, an iconic Russian artist from the turn of the twentieth century. Despite being from a far later period, his mark is very recognizable in the game.

The Red Cathedral is a strategic, “Euro” board game in which the players take the roles of construction teams. Their job is to work together to put up St. Basil's cathedral in Moscow, as ordered by Ivan the Terrible. However, only one of them will be able to gain the favor of the Tsar.

During the game, the players can carry out one of these three actions: assign a section of the cathedral, send resources to that section to build it, or go to the game board to achieve more resources. Each of these actions has its own mechanism and requires that the players pay close attention to what the other players are doing.

When the sections of the cathedral are assigned the players take possession of the spaces in each of the columns that make up their section. The more sections built and the completion of each with its own tower, the more points the player will be given at the end of the game.

The players can send resources to the cathedral sections that they have claimed. When they complete each of those sections they will obtain rewards in money and prestige points. They will also be able to install decorations on the completed sections to achieve even more recognition from the Tsar. This part of the game also works as a clock, since once any player completes the construction of their sixth section it brings about the end of the game.

The game board shows us the iconic rondel of The Red Cathedral. It is where the players obtain all the resource types needed to complete their work on the cathedral, as well as to get favors from the guilds and professionals to make the most of their trip to the market. In the central rondel the players choose the die they wish to use and move forward as many spaces as is shown on the top side of said die, in order to obtain the resources indicated in the space destined by the die.

The Red Cathedral is a very accessible game with regard to its rules because it is very easy to understand the various levels of the game, but it remains very interesting with regard to strategy. It is sure to please those who are more interested in the challenge offered by trying to strategically optimize their position in each game rather than the complexity of the rules.

Dice Miner

The Dwarves once lived beneath three mighty mountains. After centuries of war they defeated their age-old enemies the Dragons. Moving to the surface, the Dwarves built magnificent cities and won renown for their heartening beer.

But the Dragons have returned. Now, the Dwarves must remember their roots, clear old tunnels, and return to ancient caverns while fighting their primeval foes.

In each of three rounds, custom dice are rolled onto the mountain. You are a Dwarf hero, drafting dice for your hoard. Scores are tallied after each round before you re-roll your dice and the mountain is refilled.

Ultimately, Dice Miner is a game about drafting the dice you covet, adding them to your hoard, and pushing your luck to build massive combos and score as many points as you can.

Back to the Future: Dice Through Time

Great Scott! Biff stole the DeLorean and went on a joyride through time, disrupting events and scattering items through space and time! Now it’s up to you to help Doc and Marty repair the space-time continuum before time paradoxes unravel the very fabric of the universe. Jump in your time machine, complete events, return items, and help! The future is in your hands!

In this cooperative dice game, you’ll take control of a DeLorean and travel through the entire Back to the Future film trilogy, completing memorable events and returning key items to their proper place and time before the OUTATIME tracker reaches “Game Over.” Each round, you and your fellow players will roll dice to determine your actions, which include time travel, moving meddling members of the Tannen family, and more.

You’ll use your dice to complete events form the films. Once an event is complete, you’ll draw an item card, which you’ll need to return by traveling to the year and location listed on the card. Then, the OUTATIME tracker is reduced—buying you more time—and you earn an Einstein token. Einstein tokens provide one action anyone can use later. In a pinch, you can even "ripple" dice by placing them on your space the board, allowing other players in future years to pick them up and use them!

After everyone has taken their actions, advance the OUTATIME tracker depending on which year has the most unsolved events. Finally, add Paradox tokens to all unsolved events on the board. In later rounds, these will cause the OUTATIME tracker to go up even faster! Return all the items before the OUTATIME tracker reaches “Game Over” to win!

Mickey and Friends Food Fight

A nostalgic invitation to play inspired by the Mickey Short “No Service”! It’s a carefree day at the beach with your favorite Disney friends, until a lunchtime food fight ensues! Get in on a chaos of concessions by tossing different dishes and treats from the Snack Shack to clear your tray the fastest!

Simultaneously roll dice and follow what types of food to toss, how many, and in which direction… while avoiding others’ food! Empty your tray and be the first player with three Mickey Medals to win the Mickey and Friends Food Fight!

Bayou Bash

As gremlins climb on rocks and wade in puddles to catch a glimpse of the big race, their favorite racers gear up at the starting line. Time to find out who’s the fastest, and more importantly, who’s the fan favorite!

Bayou Bash is a chaotic racing game for 2-4 players filled with rambunctious racers who will do anything to win over the most fans before crossing the finish line. Each player takes control of a racer with unique abilities, and must battle for victory across the customizable track while gaining fans along the way. In Bayou Bash, it’s not about who crosses the finish line first, but who pulls off the craziest tricks during the race!

—description from the publisher

Players are represented by one of four tokens, each with variable special ability. The play surface is customizable, allowing for a variety of racetracks. Starting condition cards add additional random elements into the game. Each turn, players draft cards that control movement, provide supplies, etc. The first player to cross the finish line ends the game but it’s the player with the most fans who wins. Cheap shots are encouraged.

—user summary