Clickety Clack

• Designer: Ralf zur Linde
• Publisher: NSV
• Players: 2-4
• Age: 8+
• Time: 25 minutes
• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/48Z2lFL
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

In Clickety Clack, you score points by making dice combinations that allow you to keep moving down scoring tracks. It sounds easy enough – take a die from the pool, “click it” onto a second die, and write down the total in a row of your choice on your player board. The farther you go, the harder it will be to write more numbers — and you’re not even guaranteed to score a track!  

To set up, each player uses the same side of their individual player board and you create a pool of 5/7/9 dice for a game with 2/3/4 players.  Make sure all players are using the same side (either A or B). 

To start a round, the active player rolls all the dice, then chooses and removes one die from the pool and “clicks” it with another die still in the pool. They then write the sum of these dice in the leftmost open space of one of the five tracks on their player board, tracks that require constantly ascending or descending values, alternating even and odd values (without repetition), specified values, or values not written previously. (The back side of the player board has different placement conditions.)  On the A side, you are not allowed to write the same number twice in any particular row. 

If you can’t write a value or don’t want to, mark one of the “failed” spaces on your player board, then roll all of the dice in the pool and pick one that you rolled, clicking it with another die and marking something on your board, if possible.  If you still cannot or choose not to make a number after your re-roll, you simply take a die from the pool and your turn ends.  You are not penalized a second time for this particular round. 

After each player in turn has taken two dice from the pool, whoever took the last die rolls all of the dice to start a new round. Once a player has failed four times, reached the end of two tracks, or reached the “finish line” of three tracks, the game ends after the current round.

You score the points listed under the final number you wrote in each row, but some of these spaces are worth zero points, so will you risk writing in them in the hope of marking one more space in the future?  Additionally, you will sum up all the minus points you have crossed off in your failed roll area and subtract that from your total. 

The winner is the player with the most points. There is no tiebreaker. 

The B side has some different rules for the columns: 

• Player choice on ascending or descending
• Every number must be smaller than the current smallest or larger than the current largest
• Numbers must be written in pairs, i.e. A – A – B – B – C – C …
• Alternate between ascending and descending values from the previous
• Either all small numbers (2-6) or all big numbers (8-12); you may switch one in the row during the game

One of the end conditions on the B side is slightly different as a player must now finish 4 rows to trigger the end.

My thoughts on the game

I have always looked forward to the games from NSV – they are always small and quick, and most of them are in my wheelhouse.  It feels like it has been a lot of roll and writes in years past, and I was happy to see that there is a dice dominated game this year (though it still uses a board that you write on!).  Diceland is one of my favorite dice fillers, and I was hoping for another hit.

The concept is quite simple, and players are definitely at the mercy of the dice roll (and their relative place in turn order) over the course of the game.  When you go early in turn order, you have the benefit of the most choice.  You have the best chance of getting the number that you want.  This is a great time to get an extreme number like a 2, 3, 11, or 12 – or to make sure that you get another entry in a row where you’re currently sitting on a non-scoring space.

The interesting way that you score gives a nice little push-your-luck feel to the game.  You can usually see when a round is going to end, but even if you can mostly predict when the round will end, you’ll still need lady luck to provide you with the right numbers to click together to get that next space on your row filled.  Again, you can always take a penalty to re-roll, but your position in turn order may also determine how useful of an option this is.

One subtlety that I have learned from playing is that I need to be very aware of my board on the turn BEFORE I go last in order.  It’s always good to look at your rows and make sure that you have as many options as possible on what numbers will work for you.  Sure, you can always take the penalty to re-roll, but when you’re only rolling 2 dice, you could end up in a pickle or get no number at all.

The two boards give you different challenges, and both have been fun to work on.  I think that this one will be played a good deal this winter as a filler/closer.  The only thing that I wish the game had was a nice felt covered box top like my beloved Diceland.  

Ratings from the Opinionated Gamers

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

Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/48Z2lFL