Stonemaier Games has already given us many different gaming experiences. For example, we went wine growing in Viticulture and bird watching in Wingspan. In Euphoria, we built the ideal society with our workers and set up civilizations in Tapestry. We built proverbial and literal bridges between our fellow players in Between Two Castles and Between Two Cities. Time flew by Pendulum and Charterstone was timeless. Cold wars were fought in Scythe and the caste system was brought down in Red Rising. In Rolling Realms, all the worlds of Stonemaier Games separately came together in a modular and varied dice game. At one point, all Stonemaier games passed through, but that was not enough. Other games were also added to this world. By now there are so many modules available that it was time for a new stand-alone edition. With a larger box, so you have enough room for all the new (and also old) worlds. Ready for your world trip?
Perhaps you have long been familiar with Rolling Realms: that is not surprising, as Jamey Stegmaier developed this game in the early days of the global COVID lockdown to play online with infinite players. Players could (and still can) print out a free version of this game and, armed with a pencil or pencil and two regular dice, take a trip around the world. In addition, Jamey organized regular game times to play this game with fans. This game proved so popular that several people asked for a professionally produced version. Stonemaier complied and the result is a version of Rolling Realms with laminated and writable cards, erasable markers, two great thick dice and a real solo adventure. A numbered edition was released and also a lot of promos to celebrate all kinds of games.
This new edition (the so-called Redux) adds a lot of new worlds and sheets to this roll-and-write. The box contains enough space for your collection, again includes 6 pens, cleaning wipes and this time 2 large purple dice. Also, the box houses a handy box that you can fill with cards to serve as a travel edition of Rolling Realms.
A total of 3 rounds are played in Rolling Realms, each with 3 worlds and 9 turns. Each turn the 2 dice are rolled and players may check the dice results in 2 different active worlds. Each world is a unique mode of play. Players can roll dice to determine the wingspan of birds, collect resources in Scythe, harvest grapes and grow wine in Viticulture and fill hourglasses in Pendulum. In these different worlds, players can collect points and get resources in different ways. With points players win the game and with resources they can manipulate the roll or the use of the roll. Redux contains 12 new worlds that all offer a unique gaming experience.
The different worlds are the highlight of the game. In fact, these different worlds provide a lot of variety. Three worlds are used each round, making the game play different each time. Some worlds are more similar, but there is plenty of difference. The solo adventure is also a very nice addition. In a kind of miniature golf course, you walk through different worlds and challenges.
Rolling Realms is a roll-and-write that runs like clockwork. It may not offer as much variation on dice games as some lavish and thematic dice games do, but because of that it remains essentially simple and very easy to learn. The modularity, as I wrote, provides plenty of variety. In addition, there are also a lot of fan-made expansions already available and supplement packs with new worlds coming. Plenty to look forward to!