Dice games are a really mixed bag, suffice to say, there are a lot of really bad ones.  In fact up until the last couple of years I doubt I would have been able to scrape together 5 dice games I actually liked.  That however has definitely changed in recent years.  Not only are there a lot of great quality dice games out there, some I would even categorize as reaching well beyond the simplicity that is usually associated with the genre.

Enjoy the list

1. Roll For The Galaxy

While the review is still pending, I can give you a preview, in short, I loved it.  In fact Roll For The Galaxy inspired me to make this list.  It is effectively everything I love about Race For The Galaxy, but with dice.  Its far simpler to learn and play then its predecessor, yet maintains that intensity and theme that makes Race For The Galaxy such a fun game.

I love the fact that despite beyond a dice game, there is actually a tremendous amount of control over the game.  You are not going to lose this game because you “rolled bad”, it’s definitely a strategy game, one that rewards clever players.  My absolute favorite aspect of Roll For The Galaxy is that it brought to the foreground that mind reading aspect of Race for the Galaxy, being far more prevalent here.  You really want to guess right about what your opponents are going to do and what they want you to do so you can throw them for a loop or when the tables are turned leverage their actions on your turn.

Absolutely fabulous game, I was hesitant to try it and I’m very glad I did, it really earns its interstellar stripes.

2. Nations The Dice Game

Its no secret that I’m a big fan of Civilization building games, both Through The Ages and Nations are in my collection not to mention many others like Twilight Imperium.  Unfortunately when it comes to replicating civilization building games in dice form there are a lot more disappointments out there then pleasant surprises (I’m looking at your Roll Through The Ages!)

Nations The Dice Game however was not only a pleasant surprise, it’s become one of my favorite games to play on Yucata.de where I have at least 3-4 games going at any given time.  Oddly its one of the few games on this list not on my shelf yet, a problem I will be remedying in short order.

Now I will admit, this was one of those games that sort of grew on me over time.  It wasn’t love at first sight, but I definitely consider this one of the best dice games out there not only doing justice to the genre of civilization building but in its own right being a fantastic strategy game.

3. Star Wars: Destiny

Of course Fantasy Flight Games needs to have a moment in the sun on this list too, but well deserved.  Star Wars: Destiny despite disappointing me horribly for being a CCG rather than an LCG, still earns its rank in the number 3 slot.  Really well constructed design that pits classic and new heroes and villains against each other in a weird abstracted format where the Millennium Falcon can for some reason attack Darth Vader?  Whatever, Its weird but its a really well designed, very easy to learn, quick and dirty and just plain fun.

Now I will admit I’m not a collector, this is strictly an online affair for me so perhaps I’m cheating but I simply can’t get over the CCG thing with this game, especially coming from FFG where they have this wonderful, proven LCG concept.  Oh why or why did you do this to me FFG!

4. Dungeons and Dragons: Dice Masters

The Dice Masters series is one of those oddities where the game didn’t win me over until I found the right theme for me.  I tried the various super hero versions and it just didn’t do it for me, not until I tried Dungeons and Dragons.

Call it nostalgia or nerdiness if you like but I love D&D and while I consider the mechanic to be fun, its really the thematic representations and how it flows through the game that I love in D&D Dice Masters.  It really captures that D&D essence and its an absolute blast to pit a variety of D&D factions and monsters against each other.  It conjures up imagery and sings thematically.  There is nothing quite like dropping an Owl Bear to counter that pesky Elf Wizard!  Quick, simple, really the perfect filler.

5. King of Tokyo

King of Tokyo is a take that game, one that is so simple and so to the point and so thematically perfect that I can’t help but add it to this list.  You roll dice and attack the guy who foolishly decided to be in the middle.  Its just fantastic and while I would say of all the games on this list, this is the only one that I can say with 100% certainty will work with any group, any time.  This is not a gamer’s game, its a game for everyone, making it an easy add to anyone’s collection.

Honorable Mentions

We really need to squeak in a couple of honorable mentions, it would be criminal not to.

Kingsburg
I didn’t put it on the list because strictly speaking you can make a fair argument that its not a dice game but a worker placement game, an argument that justly kept it off the list.  None the less, I think its a fantastic game and while it was culled from my collection it had nothing to do with the quality of the game and everything to do with the tough standards I have for my personal shelf.  A really great game, one I highly recommend to new comers and while its “dice game” status is questionable, I still think it deserves mention.

Voyage of Marco Polo
Another questionable choice for a dice game list, but Voyage of Marco Polo is a game I like mainly because of the dice.  I think its such a clever way to make use of a dice mechanic and while it definitely leans more towards the Heavy Euro zone, its clever dice mechanic design cannot be ignored!