Designed by: Ralf zur Linde
Dizzle is a roll and write game where players try to score the most points by best filling in their individual player boards – or in Dizzle’s case, paper sheets.
Each player has a sheet and pen to fill in, and the sheets are divided into numerous squares, each with a pip value between 1 and 6. In each round, someone rolls the dice and then players take turns taking a die and placing it on their sheet. Your first die must be adjacent to a cross (there are two on your sheet at the start) and all subsequent dice must be placed adjacent to previously-placed one: at the end of each round any spaces with dice on get crossed off. Broadly speaking, the sheet has a number of different objectives to go after by crossing them off: some rows and columns score, gems score between in one and three points, crossing all matching puzzle pieces score, and flags score for the first player to cross them off.
The catch is that oftentimes when you look at the available dice, you find there’s nowhere to legally place them on your sheet. EG I have places for 1, 2 or 6 but the available dice are two 4s. In these moments you have a choice – you can play safe and drop out of the round, keeping what you have, or you can re-roll the dice pool: if you get a number you can place, you must immediately add it. If you don’t, your turn is over and you must return one of your dice from your sheet to the pool!
Dizzle’s inherent risk-taking gives an otherwise straightforward take dice, cross off squares undertaking a bit of an edge, leading to mini-moments of triumph and despair. The other thing Dizzle has that give the game some nuance is various levels: you can play anything from level one (very simple) to level four (rather trickier) with more elements introduced as you try the harder levels: rockets can take you to other parts of the sheet when crossed off, poops are minus points (but could be helpful in getting to places), bombs don’t do anything for you but cost other players points, making the bomb space non-navigable in the process.
There is a possibility that players with a choice can take a die specifically because they know it leaves others with no choice to reroll or pass. But those moments *can* sometimes end up doing someone a favour. It's mostly a game of fate, really.
Low - choices are not overwhelming.
But after a couple of plays you'll see players do have some agency, and there is good and bad play to be made.
Dizzle's overall experience isn't going to change much, but it's bright and breezy and randomness is ensured by the dice and player decisions.
1-4
Players
8+
Years
15-30
Mins
Sam says
Dizzle isn't amazing, but for about £10 you get a thick pack of sheets and a decent game experience that will be a hit with the right crowd. Who the right crowd is is a little harder to define, but let's see: it's simple, accessible, kinda silly, but also kinda clever: there's a lot of luck involved, but not so much that you feel completely at the whims of lady fortune. It's also weirdly satisfying when you make the connections you need, or explode a bomb on everyone else's sheet! Twenty years ago this would have felt like a real gem, but there are simply so many games around now that to stand out as special, you need to offer a little more than Dizzle does. But that said, I have enjoyed my plays of the game.