Game Play Review - Rolling Realms

Rolling Realms is a game published by Stonemaier Games. In this roll-and-write game, players are working to gain the most stars over a period of three rounds. Each round players use three randomly chosen realms, each with a unique mini-game. On a turn, one player rolls both dice and each player uses the results in the current realms. Each round is comprised of nine turns, and after three rounds, whichever player has the most stars is declared the winner.

Check out the video below for an unboxing of this game.

This post is broken into the following 3 sections, feel free to jump directly to one:

1. General summary - consisting of information about overall enjoyment, theme, replayability, and upgrades
2. Complexity - consisting of information about the rulebook, setup, player turns, and overall learning curve
3. Player turns - consisting of game type, game flow, rule you are likely to miss, and favorite aspect

Number of players we had: 4
Our play time (not including setup): 35 minutes

Overall enjoyment

Overall our group really enjoyed playing this game. It is a great example of a starter game because it can be set up and taught quickly. However, what keeps you playing it is that there are a lot of ways to use the dice to activate realms each turn and you never know what dice values might be rolled next. The unpredictability of the realms chosen for each round and the dice rolled each turn had us hoping for certain dice rolls, laughing at ourselves for overthinking our turns and acknowledging how challenging it was to play the game well.

Rolling Realms is unpredictable, like any roll-and-write game, but it has added some amazing touches that make it a superior experience. Not only are the values of the dice unknown, but each round brings about a new and randomized set of realms with new mini-games to learn and play. Also, sometimes it might make sense to go for a smaller benefit to receive a resource that can help you achieve a bigger goal later. How will you know? You can't! You just have to do your best with the dice values you are given.

If we had to pick something that frustrated us it would be that each round was over so quickly we were always left wanting to accomplish more. I suspect this is also part of what makes the game so great and has players wanting to play again.

Theme

The theme of this game is cute. There are 11 realm cards, each of which represents one of Stonemaier's already published games which we found really clever. Each realm has unique coloring and images and its mini-game relates to the game it represents. We really like that the realm, resource, and score cards, are erasable so players actively mark them during the game and are then reused rather than being thrown out.

This game does not have a main game board or player board. Players have a set of realm cards, their resource card and a score card and their dry erase pen and cloth. Lastly, the dice are uniquely colored and oversized and we absolutely love them. They are a fun addition to the game.

Replayability

The replayability of this game is very high for two reasons. First, there are a total of 11 realm cards and only nine are used each time you play. More importantly, at the beginning of each round three realm cards are randomly selected as the current set of active realms. Picking the same three realms for a round is highly unlikely! Since the mini-game on each realm plays very differently, randomizing the combinations makes each game completely unique.

Secondly, dice rolling is 100% unpredictable. Players roll differently and with each realm utilizing the results in various ways, no two games ever feel the same.

Upgrades

As far as I know there are no upgrades for this game.

Rule book

The rule book is small, but very well organized, with several pictures and in depth explanations of how the mini-game in each realm works. Additionally, there is a separate rule book for playing solo. The solo rules include 18 different challenges, each with its own unique combination of realms and rules, that players use to change up the game play. Players can track their results on the Solitaire Minigolf Course Log that is also included.

Setup

Setting up this game is very quick. Each player takes a set of the 11 unique realm cards, a score card and a resource tracking card along with a dry erase pen and one of the included dry erase cloths. With these items you are ready to begin!

Turns

Each round consists of nine turns that are taken simultaneously. One player rolls both dice and all players use those results to activate two of the three realms. Since players are all assigning values at the same time, turns go very quickly. Each die result can only be used once and each realm can only be activated once per turn. This makes your choices harder than it seems, especially as you get towards the end of a round.

The scoring card doubles as a place to track the dice results rolled each turn which provides a nice reference to what has already been rolled.

Overall learning curve

The learning curve of this game is very low. This does not mean the game is easy to win, just that it is easy to learn. Each realm has a different mini-game themed around one of the existing Stonemaier games. Each mini-game has its own unique rules for earning stars and resources. This means each round players should take a few minutes to check out the three new realms and make sure they understand how they work.

Play type

Rolling Realms is a symmetrical dice rolling game where players assign dice results simultaneously to one of three realm cards available that round. Each round three new realm cards with mini-games are used, with each player using the same realms each round and the same dice each turn. This roll-and-write game allows players to use dry-erase pens to track their plays directly on the realm cards, as well as tracking their gained and spent resources and earned stars on their score cards.

Game Flow

The rounds of this game go very quickly because once the dice are rolled for a turn, each player simultaneously determines how to use those results. There are two times when things slow down a little. First, towards the end of a round when the dice results are not what players were hoping for/expecting. Secondly, when players chose to use earned resources to help them achieve goals by adjusting the result of a die, gaining an additional die result, etc. Even these are a by-product of the unpredictability of the game, which is also what keeps it interesting and players engaged.

Rule you are likely to forget/miss

The only rule we forgot while playing this game was that the resources you earn do not carry over between rounds so be sure to use them when you can!

Favorite aspect

Our favorite aspect of this game is the natural tension that is created by the unpredictability of dice rolls. We found rounds ended before we achieved everything we hoped to, but appreciated that it is impossible to hit all bonuses and earn all stars from each mini-game in a round. We also really like that each time we play, a different set of realms is drawn each round. We definitely found some rounds more challenging than others, all with each player having the exact same opportunities because they are using the same mini-games and dice results.

Rolling Realms is a great dice-rolling game that comes in a compact box, can be taught and setup in minutes, and has a high replayability factor. We instantly found this game engaging and always look forward to playing it.