The roll-and-write genre has exploded in popularity recently. This accessible style of gameplay, reminiscent of classic Yahtzee, involves rolling dice (or flipping cards) and using the results to fill in a personal score sheet. While seemingly simple, the genre offers surprising depth and strategic complexity.
Roll-and-write games are incredibly appealing due to their immediate gratification and straightforward rules. The creative freedom of personalizing your sheet combines with easy-to-learn mechanics, creating a low barrier to entry that appeals to a broad range of players. The following selection represents some of the best the genre has to offer.
TL;DR: The Best Roll & Write Games
Rolling Realms, Marabunta, The Fox Experiment, Twilight Inscription, Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up, Welcome To... Your Perfect Home, My City: Roll & Build, Railroad Ink, Next Station: London, Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write, Cartographers, Long Shot: The Dice Game, Three Sisters, Fleet: The Dice Game, Sagrada Artisans, Motor City
Rolling Realms
Available on Amazon. Rolling Realms' unique charm lies in its realms, each inspired by another board game. Players use dice rolls to play mini-games reflecting their source material, creating engaging microcosms of classic titles. The standalone sequel, Rolling Realms Redux, offers even more challenging realms to enjoy solo or combine with the base game.
Marabunta
Available on Amazon. Designed by Reiner Knizia, Marabunta is a two-player game where players compete as ant tribes vying for territory and resources. The dice offer choices between expanding influence and gaining bonus points, blending spatial strategy with mathematical calculation in a way characteristic of Knizia's designs.
The Fox Experiment
Available on Amazon. Inspired by a real-life fox domestication experiment, this game uses dice to simulate genetic heredity. Players breed foxes, selecting traits to achieve specific end-game goals across multiple rounds of selective breeding.
Twilight Inscription
Available on Amazon. A unique entry, Twilight Inscription adapts the sprawling 4X strategy of Twilight Imperium into a roll-and-write format. The game is divided into separate sheets representing different aspects of empire building (exploration, exploitation, expansion, extermination), requiring players to prioritize actions across multiple turns.
Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up
Available on Amazon. This game cleverly recreates the pinball experience using dice and a pen. Players navigate a virtual pinball table, hitting bumpers and targets based on their rolls, with the challenge of avoiding repeated use of targets.
Welcome To... Your Perfect Home
Available on Amazon. A "flip-and-write" game using cards instead of dice, Welcome To challenges players to plan a suburban town, arranging houses in numerical order while maximizing bonus points for specific layouts.
My City: Roll & Build
Available on Amazon. This game offers a rewarding campaign experience across multiple episodes, each introducing new rules and challenges. The episodes can also be played individually, offering flexibility and replayability.
Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition
Available on Amazon and Target. Players draw transportation networks on a grid using custom dice. The challenge lies in balancing the creation of efficient networks with managing dead ends and maximizing connections.
Next Station: London
Available on Amazon. A flip-and-write game where pencil colors represent starting stations. Players draw train lines, aiming to connect districts while navigating spatial constraints and strategic decision-making.
Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write
Available on Amazon. This game introduces more complexity and depth to the roll-and-write genre. Players design and manage a dinosaur theme park, balancing resource management, park construction, and tour route planning.
Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale
Available on Amazon and Target. This flip-and-write game introduces player interaction through monster cards that require players to strategically place negative elements on each other's maps.
Long Shot: The Dice Game
Available at Barnes and Noble. This horse racing game incorporates betting and strategic horse purchasing, adding a layer of interaction and excitement to the roll-and-write format.
Three Sisters
Available on Amazon. Three Sisters emphasizes action chaining, where completing actions unlocks bonus actions, leading to intricate strategic planning.
Fleet: The Dice Game
Available on Amazon. Players manage a fishing fleet, using dice to make choices between buying licenses and launching boats, maximizing interconnected benefits across multiple rounds.
Sagrada Artisans
Available on Amazon. This campaign-style roll-and-write game offers a relaxing experience of creating stained-glass windows across multiple sessions, introducing new challenges with each session.
Motor City
Available on Amazon. This game simulates car production, using a dice-drafting mechanic and a blueprint board to coordinate actions and bring a muscle car to market.
