The roll and write genre has seen a remarkable surge in popularity in recent years. Originating from the classic board game Yahtzee, this genre involves players rolling dice or flipping cards and using the outcomes to mark up a private sheet. It's a simple yet engaging concept that offers a surprising depth of gameplay, appealing to a broad audience due to its accessibility and immediate gratification. The creativity allowed in personalizing your own sheet, combined with straightforward rules, makes roll and write games incredibly successful across various player demographics with minimal barriers to entry. Below, we showcase some of the best roll and write games currently available.
TL;DR: The Best Roll and 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
Rolling Realms
0See it at Amazon
Rolling Realms stands out with its unique gameplay, where each realm is inspired by another board game. Players use a card to assign die roll results to play mini-games that reflect their inspirations. Over nine rolls, all players engage with the same three realms, then draw three new ones out of twelve for two more rounds to complete a game. The charm lies in these realms, which offer engaging, family-friendly mini-puzzles. For more challenges, consider the standalone sequel, Rolling Realms Redux, featuring more complex realms playable alone or mixed with the base game.
Marabunta
Marabunta
0See it at Amazon
Marabunta, designed by the renowned Reiner Knizia, brings his strategic prowess to the roll and write genre. This two-player game pits two ant tribes against each other in a battle for hexes filled with cupcakes and other treasures. The dice offer choices between expanding influence over color-coded hexes or earning bonuses for the final score, blending spatial and mathematical strategy in a way that Knizia excels at.
The Fox Experiment
The Fox Experiment
0See it at Amazon
Inspired by a real-life experiment on fox domestication, The Fox Experiment by Elizabeth Hargrave offers a deeper roll and write experience. Dice represent genetic heredity, with each parent fox contributing trait dice to their offspring. Players aim to breed the friendliest foxes by selecting pups that align with end-game goals, making for a delightful and strategic gameplay experience.
Twilight Inscription
Twilight Inscription
1See it at Amazon
Twilight Inscription is a unique roll and write game that brings the vastness of Twilight Imperium into a concise format. It emulates the 4X genre of video games, where players build space empires through exploration, exploitation, expansion, and extermination, all within about 90 minutes. Each aspect is represented on a separate sheet, offering a rich strategic experience that feels more like a full-fledged board game than a typical roll and write.
Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up
Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up
2See it at Amazon
Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up uniquely captures the theme of a pinball game using only a pen and dice. Players choose from four tables, navigate bumpers and targets based on their rolls, and aim to maximize their score without reusing boxes. This creates an engaging puzzle that's both thrilling and fascinating. While multiple sets exist, including a Star Trek-themed one, Ramp It Up stands out, even featuring a cooperative table.
The Best Board Game Deals
Welcome To
Welcome To... Your Perfect Home
3See it at Amazon
Welcome To... Your Perfect Home, while technically a flip and write game, offers a wealth of strategic options. Players plan suburban streets using house numbers and building effect cards, aiming to balance their scores with various bonuses. For those seeking more complexity, the sci-fi themed Welcome To The Moon provides an even deeper challenge.
My City: Roll & Build
My City: Roll & Build
1See it at Amazon
Based on Reiner Knizia's popular board game My City, this roll and write version employs a campaign structure that unfolds over multiple episodes. Each 30-minute session introduces new rules, gradually increasing complexity without overwhelming players. The game is flexible, allowing one-off sessions or repeated plays after completing the campaign, making it a highly replayable gem.
Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition
Railroad Ink
9See it at Amazon
Also at Target
Railroad Ink challenges players to draw a transport network based on custom dice rolls. The goal is to connect as many exits as possible while balancing the risk of dead ends with the potential for future connections. The Deep Blue edition adds rivers and lakes, enhancing the variety alongside other editions like Blazing Red, Lush Green, and Shining Yellow.
Next Station: London
Next Station: London
1See it at Amazon
Next Station: London, a flip and write game, introduces color-coded pencils to enhance gameplay. Players start from different stations on their map, extending their network based on drawn cards. The challenge lies in crossing districts and managing line expansions without crossing existing lines, resulting in colorful, strategic maps.
Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'N Write
Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write
4See it at Amazon
Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'N Write elevates the roll and write genre with its complexity and depth. Players build a Jurassic World-style dinosaur theme park using dice rolls to gather resources. The game involves planning attractions, managing staff, and running tours, offering a rich strategic challenge that brings the theme to life.
Cartographers
Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale
6See it at Amazon
Also at Target
Cartographers adds a unique twist to the genre by introducing player interaction. Players map out a fantasy kingdom based on card draws, but monster cards force them to pass their maps to neighbors, who then place negative icons. This adds a personal touch and a sense of world-building, while the sequel, Cartographers: Heroes, introduces more dynamic elements.
Long Shot: The Dice Game
Long Shot: The Dice Game
0See it at Barnes and Noble
Long Shot: The Dice Game transforms horse racing into a thrilling roll and write experience. Players bet on horses moving around a track based on dice rolls, with the option to buy horses for special powers and bonuses. The game's interactive nature and thematic depth set it apart from other roll and writes.
Three Sisters
Three Sisters
3See it at Amazon
Three Sisters maximizes the concept of action chaining in roll and write games. Players manage a garden, growing crops and flowers based on dice rolls, with completed actions triggering bonus actions. This strategic depth requires careful planning, making it a tactical delight.
Fleet: The Dice Game
Fleet: The Dice Game
0See it at Amazon
Fleet: The Dice Game offers a plethora of interconnected options for players managing a fishing fleet. Dice rolls help decide whether to buy licenses or launch boats, with rewards growing as players progress down each tree. The game's thematic elements and strategic depth make it a compelling experience.
Sagrada Artisans
Sagrada Artisans
0See it at Amazon
Sagrada Artisans expands on the original Sagrada by allowing players to color in their stained-glass windows and adding a campaign structure. Over ten sessions, new tools and challenges are introduced, maintaining the game's simplicity and Zen-like feel while building to an exciting finish.
Motor City
Motor City
0See it at Amazon
Motor City, from the designers of Three Sisters and Fleet, reimagines the roll and write genre as a car production line. Players manage different aspects of vehicle design, engineering, testing, production, and sales using a dice-drafting mechanic. This strategic challenge focuses on coordination and planning, offering an innovative twist on the genre.
For more ideas, be sure to check out our list of the best board games of all time and the best puzzle tables featuring a great multi-purpose table (by Bits and Pieces) for playing cards and board games on, too.
