Dice Tiny Town

Similar to his other game, Dieson Crusoe, this game is challenging, crunchy, and very enjoyable. Despite the luck involved with the 3-4 dice you roll each round, you have choices on where to place each die and you'll earn stars throughout the game, allowing you to mitigate the dice. There are several goals to attempt to achieve and I achieved none of them in my first play. There are lots of scoring rules to balance. It's a lot to think about, but not overwhelming.

How it plays: over 11 rounds, roll 3 dice (4 dice on three rounds) and use them to select a polyomino shape to draw, then one of three building types and two of four nature types to draw inside of it. Shapes of four or five squares also get a star, and a completed row or column activates that star to be used for dice mitigation or scoring at the end of the game. Throughout the game, each player will add cubes to a certain nature type, increasing the score value of one type at game end. Each building scores differently and the largest area of each nature type will score based on size and the value decided on by the players. Players will also choose which three of five bonus goals they would like to attempt to achieve.

The rules are simple, but the decision making and balancing your strategy are not. Another delightful game by Jinhee Han and I look forward to his future designs.