Dice Forge (2017) Board Game

Dice Forge is a board game designed by Régis Bonnessée and published by Libellud in in 2017. The game combines elements of deck-building and dice-rolling in a unique and innovative way. Players take on the role of heroes competing in a tournament hosted by the gods, where they must forge magical dice to gain resources and power.

## Game Components of Dice Forge
– **Dice**: Customizable with interchangeable faces, allowing players to upgrade their dice.
– **Dice Faces**: Various new faces can be purchased and attached to the dice, altering the resources they produce.
– **Resource Tokens**: Gold, sun shards, and moon shards are used to acquire new dice faces and cards.
– **Hero Inventory Boards**: Players track their resources and victory points on these boards.
– **Trial Cards**: These cards offer special abilities, resources, or victory points.
– **Game Board**: Features a Temple and Islands where players can perform actions and acquire cards.
– **Colored Cubes**: Used to track resources and victory points on the player boards.

## How To Setup Dice Forge
To set up Dice Forge, players first transform the game box into the Temple, which includes a sanctuary and a garden. Each player receives a hero inventory board, colored cubes for tracking resources, and the initial configuration of their dice. The game board features sky islands connected by mystic portals, where specific cards are placed for the game session. Players discuss, decide, or randomly deal which relics to include, adding variety to each game session.

## Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective
– **Dice Rolling**: Players roll their dice to collect resources (gold, sun shards, moon shards, and victory points).
– **Resource Management**: Players use resources to buy new dice faces or acquire Trial Cards.
– **Dice Upgrades**: Players can replace their dice faces with new ones purchased from the Temple.
– **Card Acquisition**: Players visit the Islands to acquire cards that provide special abilities or victory points.
– **Game Objective**: The goal is to accumulate the most glory points by completing trials and acquiring the right resources and cards.

## Player Experience
Dice Forge offers a unique gaming experience with its innovative dice-building mechanic. The game feels different from other engine-building games due to the random element of dice rolls, which can either excite or frustrate players depending on their preferences. The tactile experience of swapping dice faces and the charming art design add to the game’s appeal. However, the game’s underlying mechanics, aside from the dice building, are somewhat generic.

### Pros
– **Innovative Dice-Building Mechanic**: Allows for customization and control over the randomness of dice rolls.
– **Tactile Experience**: Swapping dice faces is satisfying and fun.
– **Charming Art Design**: The game’s components and board are visually appealing.
– **Variety in Card Combinations**: Each game session can offer different strategic possibilities.

### Cons
– **Randomness**: Can be frustrating for players who prefer more deterministic gameplay.
– **Limited Player Choice**: Beyond the initial turns, the optimal strategies can become fairly clear, reducing player choice.
– **Generic Underlying Mechanics**: The engine-building and resource management aspects are not particularly innovative.

## Personal Thoughts on Dice Forge
Dice Forge is ideal for players who enjoy a mix of strategy and luck, and who appreciate the unique mechanic of customizing their dice. It is a great game for those looking for something different in the engine-building genre. However, players who prefer games with deep strategic depth or those who are averse to randomness may find it less appealing. The game is suitable for family and strategic gamers alike, making it a versatile addition to any board game collection.

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