Name: Letter Roll
Publisher: Out of the Box Publishing
Players: 2-8
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 10-20 minutes
If you enjoy witty word games and time-pressed thinking, then you will likely find a friend in Letter Roll. It is simple to learn, mentally stimulating to play, and useful for building and maintaining one’s vocabulary. Up for a challenge? What words can you think of that contain T, G, and L? How about L, U and F? Try your hand at rolling three of the seven letter dice; the options are as endless as the game is fun!
The object of Letter Roll is to gain as many points as possible by crafting words out of the three letters that you are given at the beginning of each turn. This varies greatly in difficulty, since the dice are categorized by how frequently they are used in words. The white dice are vowels and frequently-used letters like T and S; the blue dice contain less frequently used letters: G and P. The orange dice are the rarest and most challenging letters to use in words. A roll containing two orange dice will be extremely challenging and may only yield a couple of words, while a roll with white dice will be a race to the end of the timer, since players can think of words faster than you can write them down. Since new dice are selected in each round, there is good mix of difficulty levels within each game. This leads to variety that does not quickly grow old.
I wasn’t sure what to expect of Letter Roll. Generally, I shy away from word games since I tend to gravitate toward the more mathematical games, where probabilities and calculations determine successful strategies rather than one’s own vocabulary. My mother has always been a gifted Scrabble player with a large vocabulary, so my competitive ego has taken a lot of hits in the word-game department, making the whole experience generally unpleasant. Letter Roll exceeded my expectations and preconceptions regarding word games, and has actually proven to be quite fun. Its ability to challenge me and make me think has been very rewarding. Unlike a game of Scrabble, where I am ashamed to reveal the pathetic words that are the only ones I can think of, I am proud of my words in Letter Roll, and the list is usually quite expansive and able to compete well with those of other players. I think the main reason for this is that it is more speed-based, as opposed to purely cognitive. I think the balance between these two is superb.
Letter Roll works well at social gatherings due to its flexible nature. With each turn taking less than 3 minutes, it is the perfect “filler” between other games. It can take as long as thirty minutes or as short as five, depending on how much time is available. The games can be hard or easy depending on the player preferences. It can even be played with children, and makes a wonderful vocabulary-building tool.
Due to its mix of difficulty levels, intellectual challenge, and inherent flexibility, I would highly recommend Letter Roll to those who are looking for a good word game that is both simple to learn and fun to play. Let's get the fun rolling!
