Second Look—Otontin:

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and nothing says “I love you” more than a box of chocolates. That is, unless you’re a warrior in Otontin. Then it means “bloodbath.”

Otontin is a push your luck dice game with a combat element to it. Players are trying to earn the most cocoa beans by rolling them on the dice, and raiding them from their opponents. Each turn players roll the dice to try and earn beans and warriors, bank dice, and hopefully not have to give any of their own warriors to other players by rolling Saboteurs. Roll too many Saboteurs and your turn is over, also keeping you out of the War phase.

After each player rolls their dice, War begins. Players choose to either attack, defend against, or ally with the players to their left and right. This is best described by the videos below:

Once you’ve got the rules down, the game is quick, and often brutal. Alliances can easily shatter, and cocoa beans are often traded between hands frequently. The game ends when a player get a certain number of cocoa beans (10 for quick play, 15 for intermediate, and 20 for  The Long War) or if the stockpile runs out of cocoa beans or warriors. My average playtime was around 20-30 minutes when playing with the kids. Overall we really enjoyed it, and it’s hit the table a few times now since playing for review.

A copy of Otontin was provided free for review by Red Tin Bot.