Review

Bugs n a heap!

Voll verasselt!

How can I get rId of them?

Bugs do party? How do I get rid of them? I will collect them in a bug heap!

You put a bug of each of the four types into your front Yard. Ten cards from the remaining mixed stack is are laid out in rows, sorted by bug type, to form the bug hub. All seven dice - each dice shows a symbol for each of the four types of bug and two double bar symbols - are laid out before the first turn, all showing one of the double bar symbols.

At the start of your turn you select the group that you want to roll for - either the bug hub or the catch of your predecessor; you can boost the chosen group with as many cards from your front yard as you want and then take over the dice from your predecessor, still showing his results. Then you must select minimum four dice for each of your rolls; after each roll all seven dice count towards the result: You must be able to match minimum one card to each die with the same colored bug  symbol in your roll - if not, you have bugged up your roll and receive two cards from the stack for your front yard as a consolation price. When you aimed for the catch of your predecessor, he now secures it for himself.

If you did not bug up, you shift one card in each row away from the group to form your own catch, and then decide if you do another roll or stop. If you stop, you leave your catch in place. If you rolled for the catch of your predecessor, he now takes the remaining cards in his catch = cards that you did not shift into your own catch. The next player then selects his group - if he wants to roll for the bug hub, you as the still active player secure your catch, or else you leave it for your successor. The bug hub is refilled. If you can secure a catch, you may put up to six cards into your front yard, but can also put all cards into your bug heap. If one of the game end conditions is triggered, you win with most bugs in your bug heap.

Sounds more complicated than it is - the core mechanism is stop or risk, albeit with demanding very careful handling of rolls and card rows. The roll of your predecessor must be taken over unchanged before you decide how many dice you want to reroll, and also the sliding of cards into your own catch must be done cautiously and correctly. A nice filler game and a cute version of a familiar mechanism.

Dagmar de Cassan

Players: 2-5

Age: 8+

Time: 30+

Designer: Carlo A. Rossi

Artist: Johann Potma

Price: ca. 12 Euro

Publisher: Zoch Verlag 2019

Web: www.zoch-verlag.com

Genre: Dice, stop or risk

Users: For families

Version: multi

Rules: de en fr it

In-game text: no

Comments:

Simple core mechanism

Nice booty mechanism

Needs careful handling

Nice filler game

Compares to:

All dice games with a stop or risk mechanism

Other editions:

Currently none

My rating: 5

Dagmar de Cassan:

A game not only for bug lovers!

Chance (pink): 3

Tactic (turquoise): 1

Strategy (blue): 0

Creativity (dark blue): 0

Knowledge (yellow): 0

Memory (orange): 0

Communication (red): 0

Interaction (brown): 2

Dexterity (green): 0

Action (dark green): 0