Rolling Realms Redux

• Designer: Jamey Stegmaier and Karel Titeca
• Publisher: Stonemaier Games
• Players: 1-6
• Age: 14+
• Time: 30 minutes
• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/48iqCE8 
• Played with games both provided by publisher (Rolling Realms Redux) and purchased by self (Rolling Realms and expansions)

In Rolling Realms Redux, players compete to earn the most stars over 3 rounds in a series of minigames. (There are 12 different “realms” included in the game.) This is a roll-and-write game, meaning that players will write on the game components using dry-erase markers.

Rolling Realms Redux is a standalone game, and it includes everything you need to play up to 6 players. It features the same rules and full compatibility with its predecessor, Rolling Realms, but with 12 new realms inspired by popular games from other publishers, a printed version of the living rulebook that will include explanations for all realms (original, new, and promo), with everything in a box designed to fit all realms ever printed. All 12 realms in Rolling Realms Redux are 100% new and unique to this specific product.

To start the game, three realms are chosen for this first round – all players need to play with the same set of three. Players also get a resource card and a score card.  A round consists of 9 turns, with play happening simultaneously.

Each turn, one player rolls 2d6, and all players use the dice results on their realm cards to generate resources and earn stars.  The two numbers are written into the appropriate turn space on the score card, and then each player uses each die once – each in a different realm.  In general, you can only activate each realm once a turn.  If you somehow manage to create another die, unless the rules tell you otherwise, you must then use that extra die on your third realm.  As you play on each card, you might generate resources (pumpkins, hearts and coins).  These are marked on your resource card, and you can spend them as you have them for the special actions found on the left of said resource card.

The rules to each realm are different – and this is the beauty of the game. Each of the cards is based upon another different game (most of them tabletop games), and it is honestly amazing how a single little card can often encapsulate the feeling of the game it is based on.

In this set – the games included are: Atiwa, Dog Park, Flamecraft, Guild of Merchant Explorers, Legacy of Yu, Meadow, Planet Unknown, Poker, Rock-Paper-Scissors, Spaceshipped, Tidal Blades, Wonderland’s War.

The rules for each are honestly fairly simple – they honestly have to be simple given the small surface area of the card!  In any event, if there are any questions, there is a 28 page rulebook that contains clarifications and rules for all Rolling Realms sets available to the current moment.

The round lasts for 9 turns. Tally up the stars gained on your three boards, and add 0.1 stars for each unused resource.  Mark this number on your score card.  Then erase your realm and resource cards.  Choose a different three realms and play another round.  Choose yet a different three realms for the third and final round.  After 3 rounds, the player with the most stars wins!  Ties broken in favor of the player with the highest Round 3 score.

The box also includes rules for a RRR Ball Tournament – a neat solo version of the game – where you play in a series of seasons in a 5 league setup.  There are 4 players in each league, you and 3 bots.  You start in League IV (going from the best League to the worst League V).  You essentially get a 0.5 die handicap for each lower league.   The bots follow a rubric to determine their scores on the three realms in play, and you get to play out those realms to see how you did.  You are trying to score goals (i.e. defeating your opponent) in four categories: the rightmost realm, the center realm, the leftmost realm and then overall stars.    After 5 weeks of play, you rank the four players in your league. If you have the most points, you move up to the next league, if you have the worst, you go down a league.  If you manage to win in League I, you have won the solo game!

My thoughts on the game

So, I’ve had an up-and-down time with Stonemaier games, but this one has been, and remains, my favorite design from that publisher.  The design is frankly amazing – I love the way that each little board somehow manages to encapsulate the feel of a different boardgame; and everything just works out so nicely.  Between the two base games and the expansions, I think I have 26 different boards to play with (and two different solo games) – so the variability and combinations are limitless.  

The consolidated rulebook is also a boon, and I’m super glad to have all the rules in one place.  Honestly, most of the boards are easy to understand and you really shouldn’t need much help figuring them out, but as it might be months between plays of a particular minigame for me, having everything in one place is super convenient and much appreciated.

I also love the travel box included in Rolling Realms Redux.  You can fit in at least four players worth of boards and pens and the mega dice in the box to have a super portable version of the game – just right for travel or restaurant waiting times.    The Redux box is also large enough that it can hold all of the cards in the Rolling Realms universe – at least now everything can be stored in a single location safely!

I have just started to play the new Solo game – it only works with the twelve boards included in the Redux box – and I’m still stuck in Division 4 where I started. I have printed up a scoresheet from the Stonemaier website, and I pull it out when I have a few minutes.  I like the fact that I can stop after any round (week) and have a solo game that can be played piecemeal.  

With 46 expansions currently listed on BGG, you can hopefully find a lot of your favorite games to add to the system so that you can play through familiar minigames against your friends or against the solo game engine.  Highly recommended.

Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/48iqCE8 

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

• I love it!  Dale Y
• I like it.
• Neutral.
• Not for me…