[Review] Wildside!
- From: "tomvasel@xxxxxxxxx" <tomvasel@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 6 Mar 2006 06:22:26 -0800
Let me start off by saying that I don't think I'm the target audience
for Wild Side (Out of the Box Publishing, 2004 - Brian S. Spence,
Garrett J. Donner, and Michael S. Steer). I can't find anything really
wrong with it; it seems to work well, and with the right group,
everyone has a lot of fun. But for me personally it was a flop,
something I just don't care if I ever play again. Maybe the game felt
a bit contrived; I felt as if I was simply looking at the table as fast
as I could and slapping the table if I felt like it. Then again, maybe
it was because I wasn't fast enough.
The person with the best hand-eye coordination will most likely win
games, and it's rather easy to make a mistake that will cost you. I
found the experience frustrating and annoying, rather than fun; and why
would I play a game like that? That being said, I did see some kids and
a few adults who did enjoy the game, so it's not a total waste of time.
Just for me.
To play the game, a "Slam Pad" is placed in the middle of the table,
with each player given a "Dice Pad" in front of them, and taking three
six-sided dice (showing a star, moon, raindrop, lightning bolt, and two
"wild" sides). The first round is ready to go!
Each round, players roll their dice onto their dice pads. If a
player's dice roll off of their pad, then they are out for that round,
although other players can match their dice. The same thing happens to
a player whose dice stack or fall off the table, except other players
cannot use their dice either.
After rolling the dice, all the players look at their dice to see if
they match the dice of another player. First, both players must have
rolled at least one wild symbol. Also, they must have matched at least
one other non-wild symbol. If this occurs, the first player to hit the
slam pad (with the same hand they rolled the dice with) steals one die
from the other player. If there is more than one match of non-wild
symbols, the slamming player may steal more than one die! When a
player is down to their last die, then anyone can match that player, as
long as the player with more dice has rolled one wild and a symbol to
match the single die player.
If a player rolls all wilds (and they have more than one die), then
they match all other players, and all other players match them. A
player who does this and hits the pad steals one die from the player of
their choice. Only one player can slam the pad a round; the first
player to do so correctly gets their die(ce), and the round ends. If
the player is incorrect about their match, then they lose one die that
is placed next to the slam pad, to be won by another player in a future
round.
The game continues until one player runs out of dice, at which point
the player with the most dice remaining wins! Ties are broken by a
"roll-off".
Some quick comments on the game...
1.) Components: The game itself is of high quality; although to play
it I wouldn't mind using dice cups from another game, such as Liar's
Dice. The players' dice pads are large square felt pieces, with a side
length of 24 cm. While that may seem big, you wouldn't believe how
many times the dice rolled off of these pads (annoying for me, since it
caused a player to barely roll their dice.) The Slam Pad is a large
laminated cardboard token which has stood up fairly well under repeated
slapping. The dice are of good quality, with nice, bright symbols
printed on each side. Each symbol is a different color and shape,
making them easy to differentiate. Everything fits well in a small,
sturdy box with a plastic insert to hold the dice.
2.) Rules: As with all OOTB games, the rules are short and easy to
teach, taking up only six pages in the sturdy foldout. It is a bit
confusing for a brief moment when talking about wilds and their impact
on the game, but most people settle in quite well. Games can be up and
running in a minute or so.
3.) Slapping: As with all games of this type, players can and will
often hit each other as they quickly slap the middle of the table. And
hitting the table repeatedly hurts after a while. Regardless, the
penalty for slapping the table is small, and it's uncommon NOT to have
a match with someone else in a four player game, so why not just hit it
and hope you have a match? That's what I figured out quickly, and
therefore my winning the game often depended on sheer luck. Speed is
more important than anything else in this game, and games end quickly
enough - so why not just hit the pad? I don't like the fact that this
is available in the game, because it lessens whatever skills were
available in the game in the first place.
4.) Speed: A good note about the game - it's fast. Whether you like
the game or not, there's no denying that a game of Wild Side can easily
take only five minutes. So there's really not a lot of time lost in
the game. For me, some games are over before I even begin to slowly
move my hand towards the table. People simply just slap it and take my
dice; and I look around, a bit bewildered. Now, that's really not the
case for me - I hope that I'm a bit faster than that. But there will
be a lot of deliberate people who will just loathe this game. If speed
ain't for you, then neither is Wild Side.
5.) Fun Factor: If you like speed, then you'll enjoy the game.
Otherwise, you won't.
My last statement sums it up. I don't mind fast games, games that
encourage players to move quickly. But the difference between a fast
person and a slow one seems astronomical to me in Wild Side, enough so
that I really don't have any desire to play it again. For people who
enjoy quick, speedy little games, however - this may be one for you.
If you get a chance to demo it (which won't take long), you'll quickly
determine your affinity for the game.
Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.tomvasel.com
.
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