But Namiji was not the only new games we played. At our favorite board game pub (yes, I said pub because they do sell food and craft beer there) we picked up a few more games with one of them being Schmidt Speile’s Dizzle, a roll and write game which will lead of the blog this week.
We also played Fantasy Fluxx which has the same game play as the other Fluxx games (see entry #55). Because of that, there is no need to talk more about this specific version of the game.
DIZZLE (2019)
Since we are fans of the roll and write genre and we love Schmidt Speile, whose founder created a game I played growing up called Mensch ärgere dich nicht, this game fits right into the our library like a glove.
BGG Description
In Dizzle, players want to fill their scorecards with dice collected each round. Players take turns selecting dice from the center of the table, and the next die they collect must match the others. At the end of a round, mark all boxes on your scorecard filled with dice.
This might sound simple, but of course others will compete for the dice you need...
Weight 1.27/5
A Little More Info
Dizzle is a fun roll and write game in which you draft dice to place on your game sheet. If you complete certain columns and rows you earn extra points at the end of the game, if you complete other objectives additional bonus points are awarded as well.
However, you better watch out for the bombs too. If your opponent’s cover up a bomb space before you do it explodes and you lose points at the end of the game.
If you are not able to play a die you can either pass (stop collecting until the start of the next person’s turn/round) or take a chance and reroll what is left in hopes you can play the new numbers. If you are not able to play a die from the reroll, you remove one of your dice on your board.
What we like about the game
What we really like about the game is how easy it is to play. The rules are simple and easy to follow with the game not taking long to play. The number of rounds and dice are based on the number of players.
There can be some “take that” to the game but it really is minimal since you have to focus on about what you are doing next.
We also like that that the game has four levels you can choose from to play. You are not limited to playing the same board over and over again.
This is a game in which we could play over and over again without losing interest since it is a dice game of chance. A nice step up from Yahtzee.
What we don’t like about the game
This is one roll and write where we found no issues with. The sheets are readable, the instructions are clear, the dice are the right size, and the number of rounds played based on the player count is just right.
NAMIJI (2022)
In a three-day period we have already tabled the game eight times; we played two 4-player games and six 3-player games (one of which we went counter-clockwise).
BGG Description
In Namiji, you are fishers from the Japan of yesteryear, navigating south of the Japanese archipelago, a few kilometers from the famous Tokaido road. You will need to have a fruitful day at sea to win the game.
To do this, you will have the opportunity to contemplate magnificent marine species, to fish with a line or a net to fill your racks with colorful fish, and haul in your crustacean traps.
You can benefit from stops to improve your fishing equipment, and you will also have to contend with the gods of the sea by setting offerings afloat, or by fulfilling their wishes that they express during your contemplation with the Sacred Rocks, for which they will reward you.
Namiji features gameplay similar to Tokaido. The action spaces are laid out on the game board in a linear track, with players advancing down this track to take actions. The player who is currently last on the track takes a turn by advancing forward on the track to their desired action and taking that action, so players must choose whether to advance slowly in order to get more turns, or to travel more rapidly to beat other players to their desired action spaces. What players are doing on the track differs from what they do in Tokaido.
Weight 1.78/5
A Little More Info
If you are familiar with Tokaido, you will not have any issues with the game play at all. Some of the biggest differences are that you are not buying anything from a merchant or making offerings at a temple or even relaxing at a hot spring.
What is alike is that you are moving along a path, making beautiful panoramas, stopping at checkpoints (docks instead of inns), and the turn order with the last player moving first.
What we like about the game
Being a fan of the first game, we immediately fell in love with this one because the transition between the two is easy enough to follow. We do like that you have the option to follow the path either clockwise of counterclockwise (determined by the players at the start of the game).
All the artwork is beautiful in the game. The panoramas match up nicely with one another even in sleeves. The double-sided player boards look great. We do however, like the neoprene player mats better because of the designated spots to hold the dock and sacred rock cards.
The origami offering boats and the player boats are nicely done. I know some people have complained about figuring out what boat goes with what player board. We have not had any problems with it at all.
The addition of filling your racks with fish and earning bonuses for doing so is the nice change from doing the merchant and hot springs spaces from Tokaido.
We also do like that instead having coins to spend to make an offering at a temple you have origami boats to place in the water. Even though you lose points at the end of the game if you didn’t place all four in the water.
When you reach a dock, you have the option to choose which spot you want to fill. This determines two things; the first is how many cards you look at before selecting the one you want and the second being you can decide when you want to leave. The first to look at cards is the last one to leave but they have the advantage to look at more cards. In Tokaido, it is always first in-last out. So having the freedom to pick you spot is nice.
The last thing we want to mention is that he playing time for the game is pretty quick which is a bonus for us. We were able to play the first four games in just a couple of hours. The first game took the longest because one of the players was new to the series; they caught on quickly and the game just “flowed like a river moving downstream towards the ocean” (water reference on purpose). The two four-player games took about the same time because two of the players were also new.
What we don’t like about the game
Even though we love this game, there are a few things that is not so favorable.
The first one is the rule book is not the greatest in terms of when do score the fish trap points. Nowhere did I see when you are supposed to score them. Overall, the rule book could have been a little clearer to begin with.
The second thing, which can go with the rule book, is the dock and sacred rock cards have no detailed explanations to them. Some of the cards seem vague and open to interpretation (even though most cards are fine and easy to understand).
Next, the score counters are so small that you could misplace them just by sneezing on the board (please, do not try this action). It would be a lot better if they were larger and stacked on top of each other.
We also do not like the ratio of the shrimp to crab tokens; there are 30 shrimp and 20 crabs. On the crustacean action you draw up to five tokens and if you draw two crabs you lose everything. More often than not, we end up scoring nothing because a second crab is drawn. If the ratio was 7:3 (35 shrimp, 15 crab) instead of 3:2, it would be more enjoyable for us.
The last thing that is a bit of a downer is that it takes up a lot of table space. You will need a larger playing area to fit the game board and player boards/mats comfortably. Even the game box is a “hog” and is larger than the standard Kallax storage space. I am just hoping that the game will fit in one of my board game totes.
NAMIJI: AQUAMARINE (2022)
We haven’t added anything from the expansion to our game play yet but I wanted to share with you at least the description and what is in it.
BGG Description
In Namiji, you are two to five fishermen of yesteryear who are about to take a journey of discovery of beautiful and wild marine life. You will need to have a fruitful day at sea to win the game. To do this, you will have the opportunity to contemplate magnificent marine species, to fish with a line or a net to fill your racks with colorful fish and haul in your crustaceans traps.
Aquamarine is the first expansion for Namiji. It contains all the item stretch goals from the original Kickstarter campaign and a booklet containing the expansion's rules and the Boats' stories. The booklet is also available for download from the Namiji website.
Aquamarine adds the whirlpool and additional creatures to the game. It is an expansion and cannot be played without the base game Namiji.
No Weight Provided
A Little More Info
Each module in the expansion can be played separately from each other or added all together. The following is what is included in Aquamarine:
Custom Whirlpool- When you place your offering into the pool, follow the path inward and do the action given (unless it is a no-effect space).
Rainbow Fish- 8 wild fish for the fishing action. When you draw one of the rainbow fish, you flip over three into the school instead of one.
Special Crustaceans- 10 special tokens to be drawn from the bag. There are four different tokens that gives you a total of sixty tokens to draw from.
Additional Dock & Sacred Rock Cards- Three new cards of each type can be added to the game.
Also included is an additional draw bag that you could you for the fish tokens. This is nice so that the stacks of tokens don’t cover the board and until you need them placed.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Both of the games that we discussed this week at great in their own right. Dizzle is a great game if you want something small, portable, and fast to play. Whereas Namiji is a quick play once you get to know each of the action spaces and if you are familiar with Tokaido it is an easy transition between the two but it is a table hog so make sure you have enough space for it.
Was the long wait for Namiji worth it? I would say yes; sometimes the best things in life are worth the wait.
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