grablinThere’s something wonderful about simple dice games, and Grablin fits that description very well. The game comes with 15 dice, all identical. 3 sides of the dice have treasure chests, 2 sides have skulls, and 1 side has a fist.

On your turn you roll three dice, then roll 3 more, and you keep going until you either choose to stop, or roll a total of 3 red skulls. 3 red skulls ends your turn immediately with no points scored. Every 3 treasure chests you roll earn you a treasure to keep, while rolling 3 fists allows you to steal a treasure from another player. The first player to get 5 treasures wins.

It’s so simple, yet the push-your-luck and greed elements keep it interesting.

Unfortunately the game is expensive for what it is. It’s $14.99 for 15 dice that you have to sticker yourself. That’s basically $1 per die. The box, while eye-catching in its 8-bit design, is also just way too big, and is mostly foam inside.

Is the game good? Yes. It’s fun, and light. Not a lot of depth here, but I doubt that’s what the designer was aiming for. Should you get it? Maybe. It’s pricey, and I just don’t know if it’s worth it for the money.

A copy of Grablin was provided free for review by Tanibus’s Games.