by W. Eric Martin • To add to my recent post about Schmidt Spiele's game releases in Q1 2024, let's look at two dice-based games coming from the German publisher in the same timeframe. Kniffel 7 is the latest...
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Kniffel 7 is the latest twist in the decades-old Kniffel line, with this 2-4 player game from Reiner Knizia featuring seven dice instead of five, thereby allowing more possible combinations than before, such as the double-triple or the Super-Kniffle, which requires a six-of-a-kind.
Why not a seven-of-a-kind? Because on each of the six dice, one of the numbers from one to seven is missing, which gives you something extra to think about when deciding which dice to keep and which to re-roll.
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Over the five rounds of Geht noch was? ("Is Something Else Possible?"), you want to complete as many tasks as possible, working your way up from the bottom of your pyramid to the points-rich levels at the top.
At the start of each round, players receive new task cards that they distribute on the levels of their display as they wish, although you might want to place easier tasks towards the bottom since only those who complete a card on the first level can continue on the next higher level with the next roll. The higher the difficulty of the task and the higher the card is ranked, the more points you can earn from it.
One person then rolls seven dice multiple times until everyone has dropped out of the round, whether voluntarily or not. Anyone who cannot complete a card after a roll is eliminated from the round and loses all of their progress...unless they have a lucky clover marker up their sleeve.
At the start of each round, players receive new task cards that they distribute on the levels of their display as they wish, although you might want to place easier tasks towards the bottom since only those who complete a card on the first level can continue on the next higher level with the next roll. The higher the difficulty of the task and the higher the card is ranked, the more points you can earn from it.
One person then rolls seven dice multiple times until everyone has dropped out of the round, whether voluntarily or not. Anyone who cannot complete a card after a roll is eliminated from the round and loses all of their progress...unless they have a lucky clover marker up their sleeve.
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Every one hundred years, when this solar system's planets align a certain way, starlight and sunlight concentrate their magic onto one small island in the great ocean. When this happens, a mystical flower appears. However, it will not appear to just anyone — only to the most knowledgeable mage on the island at that time. Will you be that mage?
Spellbloom is a tableau-building, open-drafting game during which players roll dice that are used to determine both which spells they can learn and the resources to pay for those spells.
In more detail, each player has six colored dice that at the start of play they roll and place on their spell book. Six random spell cards are placed on the six colored locations on the island board. On a turn, you choose a die that matches the location from which you want to learn a spell, then pay for that spell with other dice that sum to the value of the first die. If you use two dice to claim a spell, you gain two mana, which you can use on future turns to adjust a die's value or claim an unowned die on the island board; if you use three dice, you gain 3 knowledge points.
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Each spell has a unique ability that helps players learn new spells or score additional knowledge points. You gain other bonuses by placing spells in matching locations in your spell book or by placing spells adjacent to one another to complete sigils. You start the game with two task cards that can grant endgame points if you meet their conditions, and you gain two more tasks when you complete a row of your spell book. When someone completes their tenth spell, you finish the round, then tally points.
Spellbloom is a tableau-building, open-drafting game during which players roll dice that are used to determine both which spells they can learn and the resources to pay for those spells.
In more detail, each player has six colored dice that at the start of play they roll and place on their spell book. Six random spell cards are placed on the six colored locations on the island board. On a turn, you choose a die that matches the location from which you want to learn a spell, then pay for that spell with other dice that sum to the value of the first die. If you use two dice to claim a spell, you gain two mana, which you can use on future turns to adjust a die's value or claim an unowned die on the island board; if you use three dice, you gain 3 knowledge points.
Each spell has a unique ability that helps players learn new spells or score additional knowledge points. You gain other bonuses by placing spells in matching locations in your spell book or by placing spells adjacent to one another to complete sigils. You start the game with two task cards that can grant endgame points if you meet their conditions, and you gain two more tasks when you complete a row of your spell book. When someone completes their tenth spell, you finish the round, then tally points.
• Pyramidice is a 1-4 player game from Luigi Ferrini and Ergo Ludo Editions that Ares Games will distribute in North America and elsewhere.
You can download the English rules on the Ares website, but here's an overview of the setting:
On the Giza plateau, the best architects of ancient Egypt are called to imprint the mark of the Pharaoh. It's not just a matter of building tombs, but of erecting actual engineering masterpieces, monuments that will be worshipped and that will forever raise the honor of the Pharaoh to heaven.
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The competition among architects is a snake hiding in the sand ready to attack; project building and worker management mingle with the worship of the gods. Wisely choosing which god to ask for blessing will be crucial for your fame to outshine all others, ensuring the immortality of your name. Hold tight to your precious Scarab and with the power it infuses you, be ready to make Egypt the most incredible place in the world...
Pyramidice is a game of dice and card combos that makes timing and control of the opponents' strategies a core element. Fast and deep, the game boasts high replayability and different strategic paths to pursue victory. In the solo mode, you challenge one of the great architects of ancient Egypt: Snefru, Hemiunu, Amenhotep, or Imothep.
The competition among architects is a snake hiding in the sand ready to attack; project building and worker management mingle with the worship of the gods. Wisely choosing which god to ask for blessing will be crucial for your fame to outshine all others, ensuring the immortality of your name. Hold tight to your precious Scarab and with the power it infuses you, be ready to make Egypt the most incredible place in the world...
Pyramidice is a game of dice and card combos that makes timing and control of the opponents' strategies a core element. Fast and deep, the game boasts high replayability and different strategic paths to pursue victory. In the solo mode, you challenge one of the great architects of ancient Egypt: Snefru, Hemiunu, Amenhotep, or Imothep.