Sometime last summer, I remember reading here about upcoming game releases, and recall being interested by four dice games. Even for a game junkie like myself, that sounded like a lot. I distinctly remember thinking "What kind of fool would buy all four?". It wasn't long before I answered that question unequivocally - a fool like me would buy all four. I assume there are other, saner gamers out there, who are interested, but have no intention of buying all four. This review is intended to help people in that position choose wisely.
We all differ in our tastes, of course, so the answer to which is best will differ depending on who you're asking. I've never been convinced that impartial reviews are achievable, or even desirable, so what you'll read here is my personal reaction to each of the four. I'm not here to teach you how to play them; I'm here to tell you what I like and dislike about each, highlighting strengths and weaknesses as I see them. How that coincides or fails to coincide with your own taste is something you'll have to determine for yourself.
Discussing the merits of four games makes for a very long review, and I understand that not everyone will have the patience to wade through the whole thing. I've focused more on Dark Minions, because in my view it has attracted far too little attention, given its quality, and fewer people know about it already. I've labeled the Dark Minions section towards the bottom, and if you want to cut to the chase, I suggest you scroll down and start there.
Comparison of Dice and Cards
I'll start with an overview of the components these titles have in common. All are dice games, so I snapped a picture showing dice from each for comparison:
image by Sphere
What's not in the picture is important! The image shows all of the dice for Dark Minions (upper left), King of Tokyo (upper right) and Martian Dice (lower left), but it shows only a fraction of the dice for Quarriors! (lower right).
Quarriors! has 130 dice altogether, which works out to more than 4 times as many as the other three games combined. If you're one of the many who falls into a slack-eyed stare at the word 'dice', and you primary interest is quantity, you'll be unable to resist the quiddity. (Sorry, can't resist the dodgy word play - 'quiddity' is the medium of exchange in Quarriors!).
The Goldilocks Factor
-Too big:. For some, the dice in King of Tokyo will prove to be too big. Even standard sized 16mm dice, like you get in Dark Minions and Martian Dice, will sometimes stick in my buddy <PERSON>'s dice roller, and require a whack to get them out. 304
He wouldn't have a hope of using his tower with the jumbo dice in KoT. Shouldn't be a problem for most people; they work for me.
-Too small: The Quarriors! dice are only 14mm, smallest of the lot. At the same time, they have far more information on them than is required in the other games. Putting more information on smaller dice wasn't a good idea. The majority are OK, but several of mine are difficult to read.
-Just right: From the Goldilocks perspective, the 16mm dice in Dark Minions and Martian Dice are just right.
Etching, etc.
Most will agree that etched dice are better quality than non-etched, which show wear far more quickly because the paint wears off the exposed surfaces. The Dark Minions and King of Tokyo dice are not etched. My Dark Minions dice look very good so far, with clean attractive numerals and graphics. The King of Tokyo dice, on the other hand, look ...dicey (sorry, couldn't resist). The graphics aren't particularly sharp even when new, and there are obvious production flaws. I've read that the publisher is aware of the problem, and plans to produce etched dice next year, but the ones I received don't compare well with any of the others.
The dice in Quarriors! and Martian Dice get extra points for being etched. As I mentioned, the Quarriors! dice have issues with clarity, so when simply comparing overall dice quality, I'd give Martian Dice the prize. That's ironic, considering that MD is the 'budget' entry in my comparison group.
Now have a look at the cards:
image by Sphere
Once again, what's not in the picture is important. Martian Dice has no cards. From top to bottom, the image shows representative samples of cards from Quarriors!, Dark Minions and King of Tokyo. What strikes me when comparing them is their similarity. They are all the same size, all have rounded corners, all have good looking artwork, shuffle well and feel right. 304