Game Review

Concept:

Roll dice for the highest score possible -- but you risk losing all of your points with each consecutive roll.

Gameplay:

The basic version of this game consists only of five dice: four white, and one black. The white dice have the symbols two, three, four, and six plus the numbers "5" and "10." The black die is identical to the white except in place of the symbol for two is a symbol of a sun. The sun is a wild value.

Players agree on a goal score -- usually about 300 points. Then, play begins.

For each player's turn, the player rolls the dice. Players MUST score additional points on each roll of the dice or their turn ends. At any time BEFORE the next roll, a player may choose to keep the accumulated points, or re-roll all of the non-scoring dice. When all five dice have a scoring value, then the player is required to roll all five again.

Points are scored by rolling a 5 or a 10, or three matching symbols in one roll. Rolling three of the same symbols in the same roll is called a "flash." By the rules, a player MUST "clear" any flash that is rolled -- this means that the player must re-roll non-scoring dice until all five dice score. The catch is that any re-rolled dice that match the dice that made the flash must be re-rolled instantly. Flashes are good ways to score big, because of their points -- three of any symbol gets 10 times the symbol value in points (3 sixes = 60 points, three twos = 20 points, etc.) Once all five dice are used to score, you get to roll again.

The game ends when a player accumulates the points goal. After this is done, each remaining player gets one last turn to beat the score and steal a win.

These rules are brief, because the game writers encourage you to create your own house rules.

Winning Conditions:

• The player who has the most points after someone has reached the target goal wins.

Our Opinion:

Cosmic Wimpout is a lot like Pass the Pigs. Here, the goal is to get people gambling their points even longer -- but without the "cute pig" gimmick. The Baroness & I liked it, but some of the Zombies thought that it was only "so-so."

For an interesting experience, visit the Cosmic Wimpout web site -- make sure you have sound.

The game is priced well, especially since there isn't much to its construction. This game works best with a large, boisterous, competitive crowd to play it. As a two or three player game, it's fairly dull -- just a lot of re-rolling of dice. Like a good game of craps, you need the crowd getting energized by the dice roller's risk taking play.

Don't waste too much money on the fancier set of the game... it's just a game mat and a bag in addition to the dice. The dice are what makes this game. The rules keep simple, and the packaging is best simple, too.

Where to buy:

Any local game store -- Our copy cost about $5. A set with a game pad and special pouch costs about $10.