Being a parent means sometimes we set aside the latest Stefan Feld game in order to play something lighter with the kiddos. One of our go-to game companies on Family Game Night is Gamewright, and lately we've been playing Gamewright's Dodge Dice. Let's take a closer look.

The Goal

Have the fewest points when another player reaches 100 points.

The Components

18 Skip chips
10 custom dice

There's one Penalty die, which has a blue 10 on three sides, a green 20 on two sides, and a red 40 on one side. There are eight Dodge dice, which have the same colors and distribution as the Penalty die but without the numbers. Finally, the Action die has six distinct symbols--one on each side.

X2--Collect double the points on the Penalty die.
X3--Collect triple the points on the Penalty die.
Minus symbol--Subtract the points on the Penalty die from your score--even into the negative.
Arrow--Give the points on the Penalty die to an opponent.
Skip chip symbol--Take a Skip chip.
Stop sign--the round immediately ends and the current player collects the points shown on the Penalty die.

This comes in a small, portable box with a flip-top lid--perfect for gaming on the go.

The Setup

Give each player three Skip chips. Grab something to keep score on.

The Gameplay

Someone starts by rolling all 10 dice. Set aside the Penalty die, along with any Dodge dice that match the color of the Penalty die. If the Action die shows the stop sign, the round ends immediately and the player who rolled scores the points shown on the Penalty die. If it's another symbol, you just pass the remaining Dodge dice and the Action die to the next player, who rolls, sets aside any Dodge dice that match the Penalty die, and passes the remaining dice along--unless he rolled the stop sign.

But there's another way the round can end, and where the other symbols on the Action die come in. If someone ever rolls such that all of the remaining Dodge dice match the Penalty die color, then the round also ends, and the symbol on the Action die might affect how many points the player takes. As the round proceeds, and more Dodge dice are set aside with each player, this becomes a more-likely way for the round to end.

Still, the round usually ends with someone rolling the stop sign.

But what about the Skip chips? Glad you asked. You can spend one chip before you roll to not have to roll the dice at all. You can spend two chips after you roll to just pass the dice along to the next player.

The Verdict

Dodge Dice is not strategic. Dodge Dice is full of luck. But my kids LOVE playing Dodge Dice. Love it. The game is short enough that you can easily play multiple games.

The person who rolls the most Skip Chips on the Action die is likely to win. And, of course, the person who rolls the best overall is even more likely to win. But there is a genuine choice to make, as to when to spend Skip Chips and when to just take 20 points. It's not a lot, but it does let my kids start thinking of risk vs. rewards. And my 6-year-old likes keeping score, so he's practicing his arithmetic.

I'll never bring Dodge Dice to game night, but my kids ask for it constantly. That's a win in my book.

I'd like to thank Gamewright Games for providing a review copy of Dodge Dice. This in no way affected my opinion of the game.