The pros and cons of Super Dice Heroes overlap a fair bit. On the one hand, it is a free PnP, low ink and very easy to teach. On the other hand, the theming is painfully thin and it is one of the most simple and basic examples I’ve seen of its particular niche.
Super Dice Heroes is a one page Roll and Write where the board is broken down into six mini-set collection games. Making pairs, filling in grids, have a column all of the same die pip. That sort of the thing.
Everyone will need a pawn of some sort to keep track of which is the six areas their hero is in. They need to also randomly determine which of six super powers they have, which are dice manipulation abilities that can be used three times per game.
At the start of each turn, four dice get rolled. There is a space to write down the rolls, which helps you track the turns and is useful if you’re playing with a large group. You can either move, using a die to move to a new area, or help, fill in one of the blanks in the area where you’re at.
In addition to points, you can also earn wild dice and bystanders in the mini games. Wild dice are virtual, one-use dice that can be any pip and bystanders are worth five points each at the end. Each area also has three robot minions which can be destroyed by a die of any pip for a point, a consolation prize for bad rolls.
Ten rounds, most points wins.
I would say that Super Dice Heroes is a solid grade C game. The mechanics all work and there are some nice touches. However, the game absolutely fails to shine.
The game’s biggest concession to its theme is a an outline with a cape in the middle of the board. Yes, the idea is to draw your own hero but it’s uninspiring. Superheroes aren’t plain and this is so plain.
And I have played a lot of games that are basically a group of mini-games. Super Dice Heroes may be the most basic, most simple I’ve seen. The mini-games all work but I’ve seen them all before and there’s nothing that makes them stand out.
As a couple of counter examples, the Clever series is completely abstract but the mini-games have lot of interlocking bonuses connecting them. The game interacts with itself. And Rolling Realms is dripping with theme, with the mini-games inspired by other games. Meta, yes, but engaging.
The most interesting touch in Super Dice Heroes is the use of a pawn. Having movement be a factor is something I’m not used to seeing.
But Super Dice Heroes’ best selling points are being free and low ink. And there is a lot out there that fits that same description.
It may see some play for me as a brain fog game. It has some real potential for me there. And I can see it as a real option as a budget game for a large group, like a class or a youth group. But I can’t recommend it for most folks.
With that said, it was revamped into Super Dice Heroes Saga, a multi-part campaign. Which seems to have never been finished. (And I don’t care about that since there’s enough for me to play. The Ballad of Halo Jones is a classic and Alan Moore will never finish it) And to Super dice Heroes credit, I will be testing its big brother.
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