Top 20 Roll & Write Games – Jan 2021

HOW & WHY THIS LIST: This past year has been a crazy one for most, if not all, of us. I must admit that there was one event that changed the last half of 2020 for me; for the better.

The cancelling of ComicCon in California turned out to be fantastic for me. I know it was a crushing disappointment for hundreds/thousands. But, when they went digital and free, I had my first opportunity to enjoy watching many sessions AND discovered something I was not aware of. Multiple gaming YouTube “channels”. BGG -Board Game Geek was sponsoring 10-12 hours a day, during the digital convention, showing new games that had just come out or were about to be. Every half-hour they showcased a different game.

I must admit that I have always enjoyed playing games. Our family had the usual family games around and sometimes I would find someone willing to play one with me. My absolute favorite one, growing up, was Clue. I can remember playing it as far back as age 9. In fact I currently own 35 different versions of Clue because of its influence on me so many years ago.

Through the years I haven’t been one of, what I call, true gamers. I’m usually the one who introduces my family and friends to games a couple years before they hit the mainstream, but, I’ve not been one to play the table covering 2 day event type of games. I consider my self a casual gamer. Always looking for something new and exciting, but, not interested in spending HOURS playing just one game.

Well, that digital opportunity to partake of parts of ComicCon in July changed my year for the better. While watching all these new games being shown, I made lists. After the week was over, I went in search of BoardGameGeek (BGG) and through it I discovered Dice Tower (DT). Both have a big presence online. BGG on their website and DT on YouTube. I began watching Top 10 videos on DT. For months I found them entertaining and continued to add to my list games that I thought looked interesting. For Christmas I made an Amazon Games Wish List for my family to peruse and hopefully buy one of these games. It currently lists over 60 games.

Between August and December I purchased 17 new games. Mostly on the cheaper end of my list, but 17 none the less. For Christmas I received 3 new games and a gift card to order another (it’s arriving this weekend).

To make a long story short, too late… This past week has been a stressful one for many of us, and especially so for myself. I decided to cut out TV, news and social media for a bit. I needed to regroup. Then I thought of something that had me interested; Roll & Write games. Several had been included in some Top 10 videos I had already watched, and they caught my interest. Most can be played solo (my current condition) and are usually a quick game.

I went in search of Top 10 R & W specific videos. And, yes, I jumped into that rabbit hole. 25-30 videos later I had a list of 72 R & W games that had been on someone’s Top 5-10 list. Of those 72, There were 26 on at least 5 lists. And so my Top 20 list was born. I set a maximum cost for the list and any over that (6 to be exact) are in my Honorable Mention categories. I only own 1 of these, though I have ordered the #1 using that gift card I received for Christmas.

WHAT ARE ROLL & WRITES? You might recognize the “grandfather” of R & W. It’s considered that Yahtzee is the forerunner of all R & W. Though on further investigation, I found out that Yahtzee is actually mostly “borrowed” from an older game called Yacht. Once Yahtzee took over the market, the owners of Yacht reworked it and renamed it Kizmet. You can still find Kizmet for sale. In fact I own one, even without having known its history.

So, again, what is a roll & write game? Basically you roll some dice and then write something down. Today, this category also includes flip & writes and draw & draws. Basically, you’re either using cubes or cards to start your move, and then you’re writing/drawing something on your game sheet, to be scored at the end. Some games come with pads of paper game sheets. You use them once and done. Other games now come with laminated game boards for each player and white board markers. These can be used over and over. Of course, if you have a laminator, you can take a paper game sheet and make is reusable.

There is one last caveat I must add when it comes to this Top 20 list.The videos I watched were from the last 3 years. Eight of the last 10 on this list come from 2019, which may be because some Top 10 videos were made before they came out. I want you to know that all of these Top 20 are absolutely considered the best of the best. Keep in mind, there are another 6 that are equally good but, too expensive for my list, and another 46 that didn’t make the list.

When you review this list and start choosing some to purchase, I will reiterate that they are all excellent, but, not all will be to your personal liking. Most have a theme. Some are what those “real” gamers call abstract. I, personally, think that I prefer the abstract and lightly themed ones. But, I know that some of you will not like them. You might like a heavier, thematic one. Once you see this information, I invite you to research the ones which peak your interest. There are reviews and playthroughs of so many games online, you just need to type in the name of the game and you’ll see for yourself. My hope is that this list is a good springboard for you to discover a fantastic genre of games. Roll & Writes have come into their own in the past 3 years and it doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Prices are the current price on Amazon as I type.

TOP 20 AFTER WATCHING 25 – 30 TOP 5-10 VIDEOS.

12 HOURS WORTH OF WATCHING.

4 LANGUAGES (English, Spanish, French & German) OF VIDEOS.

#20 Deadly Doodles $18. 1-4 players 20-30 min play 8+ (2019) Steve Jackson game (Munchkins) Best 1-4

(I own this one and thoroughly enjoy playing it solo and with others.) The creator of this game, also did Munchkins.

It is considered a draw & draw game.

#19 Corinth $25. 2-4 players 20-30 min play 8+ (2019) Best with 3

This one is considered a medium level R&W.

#18 Rolling ranch $25. 2-20 players 10-20 min play 14+ (2019) Best 4-12

You’re raising animals and building a ranch.

#17 Lanterns Dice $22. 2-4 players 30-45 min play 10+ (2019) Best ?

A dice version based on a regular board game.

#16 Patchwork doodle $20. 1-6 players 20 min play 8+ (2019) Best ?

I have and have played Patchwork Express. This is a card/paper adaptation of the Patchwork games.

#15 Kokoro: Avenue of the Kodama $20. 1-8 players 15 min play 14+ (2017)(2016) Best 2,4

This is a restyling of an older R&W game simply called Avenue.

#14 Hex roller $15. 1-8 players 10-15 min play 10+ (2019) Best ?

An abstract game. Dice, numbers, layout. No major theme.

#13 Silver & Gold $15. 2-4 players 20 min play 8+ (2019) Best 3,4

Not really themed. And you get to write on the actual cards. You are racing against the other players to complete certain objectives.

#12 Welcome to Dino world $27. 2-75 players 40-70 min play 12+ (2017) Best 4

Create your own Jurassic Park. Considered one of the heavier R&W.

#11 Imperial Settlers roll&write $20. 1-4 players 30 min play 10+ (2019) Best 1

Are you into setting up a homestead, farm?

#10 Metro X $15. 1-6 players 20 min play 8+ (2018) Best 1,2

Deceptively looks easy. There are some things you really need to keep in mind while making your moves. BTW this is a map of a Japanese subway system.

#9 Quinto (Qwinto) $14. 2-6players 20 min play 8+ (2015) Best 3,4

A great basic R&W. One of the least complicated ones. Abstract.

#8 Qwixx $8. 2-5 players 15 min play 8+ (2012) Best 4

This is the cheapest one on the list. It’s considered an easy, breezy game. Abstract.

#7 Encore!/Noch mal!/Plenus $20. 1-6 players 20 min play 8+ (2016) Best 2

Name depends on the country/language. Encore is English. Great abstract R&W.

#6 Castles of burgundy dice $16. 1-5 players 15-30 min (45) 10+ (2017) Best 1,2

Do you want a more compact version of “Castles”? Apparently this is one of the heavier R&W on this list. Takes as long as the original board game, but, can be played on an airplane.

#5 Twice as Clever (Doppelt so/Optimus 2) $18. 1-4 players 30 min play 10+ (2019) Best 3

Thank you Germany for this game. It is a sequel and rumor has it, that there’s a 3rd on its way. A true roll & write with complications.

#4 Railroad ink $20(red or blue). 1-6 players (12) 30-45 min play 8+ (2018) Best 2

Whether you prefer red or blue, Railroad ink has a game for you.

Truly they play almost identically. Pick your fav color.

#3 Cartographers $21. 1-100 players 30-45 min play 14+ (2019) Best 3,4

Always wanted to create a map/settlement? This is a medium/heavy R&W for you.

#2 That’s pretty clever(Ganz schon/Optimus/Tres fire) $25. 1-4 players 30 min play 8+ (2018) Best 1,2

This is the game that brought on the explosion of R&W games. It got nominated for the prestigious German game award, against much more involved board games. Opened the eyes of game manufacturers that quality R&W have a wide open market. I’ve included the name in the 4 languages of the videos I watched.

#1 Welcome to… $30. 1-100 players 25 min play 10+ (2018) Best 3-4

This showed up 23 times on someone’s Top 10 list and almost always in the top 3. You are creating a 1950’s suburban neighborhood. It is so popular that there are already several expansions and a very new Los Vegas version that has just come out. This is the costliest of the Top 20.

What about the 6 that made the preference cut, but not the price? Well here are the honorable mentions in order of how many times they were on someone’s list. Beginning with the least and going to the most popular.

Steamrollers $45 (2015)

On tour ??($35) (2019) Not for sale on Amazon

Let’s make a bus route ??($90+) (2018) Only available in Japan. This price is someone in Japan selling one on Ebay.

Saint Malo $74 (2012) Out of print.

Roll through the ages-Bronze Age $42 (2008) There is also an Iron Age version.

Fleet the dice game (considered on the harder side) $43 (2018)

Well that’s the list. I hope this gives you an idea of what is out there and which are the best of them. Every year there will be new ones, but, these should see you through until then. 😉