Review - TENZI & TENZI Party Pack

5 TENZI Tubes, each supports 2-4 players

Players: 2 - 4/6, add more players by adding more sets.  Unlimited players are possible.
Playing Time: Less than 5 Minutes
Age: 8+
Suggested Retail: $14.99 for TENZI, $22.95 for TENZI Party Pack

Everyone gets ten dice of one color. Someone says ”Go.”  Then everyone rolls and rolls as fast as they can until someone gets all their dice on the same number. Sure, there are a few more rules, but you get the idea!

The basic version of TENZI comes with 40 dice, in 4 different, random colors, enough for 2-4 players to play.  Add additional copies of TENZI to add any number of players.  This version comes in a long, skinny tube.  This is the version shown above.

The TENZI Party Pack comes with 60 dice, in 6 different, random colors, enough for 2-6 players to play.  The TENZI Party Pack comes in a plastic, hinged case.

You can mix-and-match TENZI and TENZI Party Packs in any combination.  You can even duplicate dice colors, just don't sit right next to each other so your dice don't get mixed up.

The Goal:

Be the first player to get all ten of your dice to show the same number.

The Setup:

Each player gets a set of 10 dice of the same color.

The Play:

Each player chooses a set of dice. Players hold all ten dice in their hands. Someone says “Go” and everyone rolls at the same time. Quickly look at your roll and decide which number you are going to go for. (For example, if you have more 3’s than any other number, that’s what you want to go for.) Put all your dice with that number aside, collect the remaining dice and quickly roll again. (You do not have to wait for others to roll again. Everyone rolls together only on the first roll.) Keep rolling until all ten of your dice show the same number.

This is how you play the basic game, the rules come with several other ways to play and there is an add on item "77 Ways to play TENZI" which has cards that describe 77 new and different ways to play TENZI.

Game End:

The first player to get all ten of their dice to match (ten 3’s, for example) shouts out “TENZI” and wins the game!

Review:

I'll admit, when I first heard of TENZI, I was sure it would be a play once or twice and then forget about it game.  I was very wrong!

TENZI is a really fun and addictive game!  I have played with several different groups with players of all ages and one game is never enough.  Most players are not what I would consider as "hardcore".

Each game lasted for about 1 or 2 minutes.  When the winner shouted "TENZI!" the other players are all close enough that they want to try again.

Of course, TENZI will never go down as a deep game.  It is definitely a total luck game.  However, it is fast and it is a great filler and we usually play several rounds when it is brought out.

Overall, I give TENZI 7 out of 10...mainly because of the luck factor, but the speed and addictive play makes it an easy game to add, especially for non-hardcore gamers.

Here is a short video that the folks at TENZI put together to show how to play:

You can buy TENZI and TENZI Party Pack in our eBay store (www.howlingfungames.com) or by contacting us directly.  You can also buy TENZI on Amazon.


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Howling Fun Games Annual Open House

Friday, November 18, 6:30 to 9:30 PM

Saturday, November 19, 1:00 to 4:00 PM

1587 East 300 South

Springville, UT 84663 

• Save up to 40% off suggested retail prices  on 100's of great games
  
• Lots of Door Prizes
• Refreshments
• Clearance Items 

Special orders are welcome and most will arrive in time for Christmas! 

Demos:

• Spontuneous
• Faux-Cabulary
• Shake 'n Take
• Steam
• Ticket to Ride
• Many, Many, More.... 

Review - Zombie Dice

 

Players: 2+
Playing Time: 10 - 20 Minutes
Age: 10+
Suggested Retail: $13.13

Eat brains. Don't get shotgunned.

You are a zombie. You want braaains. More brains than any of your zombie buddies.

Zombie Dice is fast and easy for any zombie fan (or the whole zombie family). The 13 custom dice are your victims. Push your luck to eat their brains, but stop rolling before the shotgun blasts end your turn!


The Goal:

Eat more brains than your opponents!

The Setup:

Put the 13 dice in the cup and get paper to keep track of scores.

The Play:

The first player shakes the cup and then randomly takes 3 dice and rolls them.  Any die with a brain is kept to one side, shotgun blasts are kept to the other side.  If you decide to keep going, any die with footprints are keep to be rolled again.  When you decide to roll again, you randomly take more dice from the cup so you always roll 3 dice.  Once you take dice from the cup, you MUST roll them.

Brains are good, shotgun blasts are bad.  You want to get as many brains as you can while pressing your luck and avoid the shotgun blast...if you get 3 blasts, then your turn is over and you score NO points.  If you decide to stop, you score 1 point for each brain in front of you.

The dice come in 3 colors and they are not created equal.  Red dice are shotgun blast heavy...3 blasts, 2 footprints, and only 1 brain.  Yellow dice have 2 of each symbol.  Green dice are brain heavy...3 brains, 2 footprints, and only 1 blast.  But, remember you have to decide if you will press your luck before you know what dice you will have to roll.

Game End:

When 1 player has scored 13 or more brains, then the round is finished and the player with the most brains wins...it might not be the 1st one to 13 brains.


Review:

I like this game better than the Cthulhu Dice that I reviewed last time.  There is a bit of strategy needed for the press your luck aspect of the game.  I played with 3 players and the games took 10 minutes.

One negative, the dice cup is a cardboard tube with a label stuck on it and plastic end stuck in the tube.  If you have a vigorous shaker, the bottom will fall out.  Easily fixed with some glue.  The label also takes a beating fairly quickly.

Overall, it was quite fun, but it is still just a filler game...which is really what it is intended to be.  Overall, I give it a 7 out of 10. 

You can buy Zombie Dice in our eBay store (www.howlingfungames.com) or in our Amazon Store or by contacting us directly.

Review - Cthulhu Dice

 

Players: 2 - 6
Playing Time: 5 - 10 Minutes
Age: 8+
Suggested Retail: $4.99

Serving Cthulhu is fun . . . except for all those other cultists out to get you. So get them first!
Cthulhu Dice lets you drive your rivals mad . . . very, very quickly. Players take turns rolling the big, beautiful, custom 12-sided die, embossed with tentacles, Elder Signs, and more. Destroy your opponents' sanity! Better yet, steal it. But watch out for Cthulhu – when he comes up, he takes sanity from everyone! 18 glass Sanity marbles are included. Lose all your marbles and you're mad. 

The last sane cultist wins . . . unless everyone goes mad together. Then Cthulhu wins!


The Goal:

Be the only play that has not lost their marbles!

The Setup:

Give each cultist (player) 3 of the sanity marbles.

The Play:

The first player chooses a target player and rolls the die.  The proper action is taken.  The targeted player gets to roll a counter attack and the proper action is taken.  The player to the attacker's left goes next and chooses a target

Based on the symbol rolled, these are the possible actions:

• Yellow Sign (squiggly symbol) - Target loses 1 Sanity to Cthulhu (put a marble in the center of the table)
• Tentacle - Target Loses 1 sanity to attacking player...whether or not the attacker or the target is rolling.  The tentacle is bad for the target ALWAYS.
• Elder Sign (The Star) - Take 1 sanity from Cthulhu, if one is available (take a marble from the center of the table)
• Cthulhu - Everyone loses a sanity marble to Cthulhu
• Eye - Roller chooses which action to take.

If you lose all your sanity marbles, you go mad...but you are not out of the game.  You cannot be attacked, but you can attack.  You might get lucky and roll the Elder Sign and get sanity back from Cthulhu, but you cannot get sanity back from another player by rolling a Tentacle...that sanity goes to Cthulhu instead.

Game End:

When only 1 player has sanity marbles left, the game is over and that player wins...unless all players have gone mad, then Cthulhu wins!


Review:

This is not a deep game...it is COMPLETELY luck based.  I played it with 2 players, which was not much fun...there was too much thinking about what kind of roll is being taken.  "This is my counter attack to your attack"  then "Now I am attacking".  We did however, try the Rival Cults varient where each of us played 3 Cultists.  That was a much more interesting game...seems like more players is better.

There are several color options for the die, which makes it collectable if you are into collecting dice.  The components are nice an compact, they give you a plastic Ziploc bag to keep everything together.

Overall, it was fun, but I don't think this will ever be more than a filler game...which is really what it is intended to be.  It is a good way to spend some time if you are waiting for a spot to open at a gaming table.  Overall, I would give Cthulhu Dice a 6 out of 10.

You can buy Cthulhu Dice in our eBay store (www.howlingfungames.com) or in our Amazon Store or by contacting us directly.

Review - Qwirkle Cubes

Players: 2-4
Playing Time: 30 - 60 Minutes
Age: 6+
Suggested Retail: $24.99

The follow-up to one of the most awarded games of all time! Qwirkle Cubes plays much like the original Qwirkle game--create rows and columns of matching colors or shapes to score the most points--but adds to the strategy because you can roll your cubes for more chances to play the exact shapes you want! Also, because everyone plays open-handed, you can analyze your opponents' future moves

The Goal:

Score more points than your opponent by making lines of cubes that all all the same color, but different shapes or all the same shape, but different colors.

The Setup:

Each player draws 6 Qwirkle Cubes from the draw bag and rolls the cubes.  Each cube has 1 color and 6 different shapes.  The player that can play the most cubes (to make the longest line) goes first.  The starting player then draws enough cubes to bring his hand up to 6 cubes.  The player on their left goes next.

The Play:

On their turn, each player has the option of re-rolling any (or none) of their cubes.  They then decide which cubes to add to the game area.  Any cubes added must be added in a single line, so they must share either color or shape.  For example, if there is a line on the table with a blue diamond, blue clover, and blue square, then the player can add a blue circle to the line.  Alternatively, they could also start a new line by playing a green diamond and a red diamond on the blue diamond.  It is also possible to create a new line by playing a blue circle, green circle, and purple circle to the line.  This sounds a LOT more complicated than it really is...



 
Turn End and Scoring:



Scoring is straight forward.  Simply count how many cubes are in any lines changed by the new cubes being placed.  If you happen to get a line that has 6 cubes in in (all one color and six different shapes or all one shape and six different shapes), you have created a Qwirkle!  You score the normal six points for the line, plus a bonus of six points.

Once the player has played and scored their cubes, they draw enough cubes to get the hand back to 6.  They roll the new cubes before adding them to their hand.  As a result, opponents can see what cubes all players might have to play on their next turn...this is a major difference from the original Qwirkle game.



The game continues until a player plays their last cube.  That player gets a six point bonus.  The player with the most points wins.

Review:

Qwirkle cubes has quickly become a favorite at our house.  We have played it with 2, 3 and even 5 (more than were it was designed for).  All group sizes played well...a definite plus for the game.  This is an easy game to learn, after a couple rounds new players will have the game-play down.  I give Qwirkle Cubes a 8 out of 10.

You can buy Qwirkle Cubes (and the original Qwirkle)  in our eBay store (www.howlingfungames.com) or in our Amazon Store or by contacting me directly.