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There’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.
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Games always seem more pricey when a brief description such as yours allows anyone to play the game with components (ordinary dice) that are around any gamer’s house.
You most certainly can, but for some reason I’d always rather have the game’s special dice. Even if the game were to drop to $10, it’d be more worth it.
I’m working on an expansion (cards deck) that give more depth to the gameplay. The purpose is that Grablin’s first edition remains an “instant play game” and it gets more depth with expansions.
Unfortunately for the price I can not do much, if you want all 15 dice (blank dice and stickers are really expensive). I have in mind a version Low budget, which in place of the dice uses the token (3 dice + token), but this would take away the feel of the dice.
Options are always good! I look forward to the card deck.
in the time that i’m waiting for Grablin’s expansion…
Robert, only for you the Grablin’s gameplay video: