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If you’ve looked at the weird and wacky creatures found in the Dungeons and Dragons universe and envied those with the time to actually get stuck into a campaign, this short and sweet dice-rolling party game based on the gelatinous cube might just be a critical hit!
How to Play
Gelatinous is a quick dice-rolling party game. The aim of the game is to be the first player to stack 8 dice to form their own mini gelatinous cube. Each player starts the game with 7 dice. In each round, they roll all of the dice that are in front of them. Each die that lands on a 3 gets added to their cube, each that lands on a 1 gets passed to the player on the left, and each that lands on a 6 gets passed to the player on the right. Any other dice stay with you for the next round. This is repeated until someone completes their cube or all the dice are used up, in which case, no-one wins and everyone gets devoured by the gelatinous cubes! If you start a round with no dice, you don’t get to roll that round, but don’t worry because you’ll probably be passed some more in the next one!
An Amoozing Adventure
If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you’ll know that I am a big fan of dice rolling games, and I am just as sucked into this one. The rules are really simple which makes it a great way to ease (or ooze) into a session. The physicality of shifting the dice around really helps people to loosen up and create some excitement compared to a lot of small games, especially card games, where you are mainly just in your head, calculating your next move. I’ve found that Gelatinous works incredibly well as an ice-breaker, whether it’s with old friends and you just need to get warmed up or you’re welcoming newcomers to your group and hoping to break some of that nervous first-time tension.
I’m also very impressed with the flexibility of this game to suit any occasion. Whilst a single copy only has enough dice for up to 5 players, the rules are really easy to expand to as many players as you like without needing to tweak anything, if you have enough copies: gelatinous cubes for everybody! The simplicity also means that this game can easily be played with your own sets of dice instead, if you have enough d6’s, but I do recommend getting the set as the green glittery translucent texture really sets the theme. The game also comes with a handy drawstring bag which makes it really portable, perfect for after-dinner party games or a get-together where you’re not sure whether you’ll be playing a game.
A Sticky Situation
When playing by the written rules, Gelatinous can feel a little jolty and rough, with the manic rolling and then waiting for everyone to finish before passing dice along, which also leaves out players who haven’t got any dice in front of them. It makes it a more orderly experience,
but it doesn’t feel as engaging. I’ve found that removing the round aspect, and everyone just going ham on the rolling whenever dice get passed to them is a much more engaging experience, with fewer fluctuations in tension, although this can cause its own issues with not being able to tell which dice you’ve been passed and should be rolling and which have been passed by you but not yet received by another. Both versions have their advantages and disadvantages and I would recommend trying both at your table and finding out which your players prefer.
Do I gel with Gelatinous?
Gelatinous packs a lot of laughs into a small and reasonably priced container. It’s certainly no show-stopper strategy game but it was never meant to be. It fits perfectly into any mould, whether a warm-up for a larger gaming session, a cosy game between mains and dessert down the pub, or something a bit mindless to do whilst waiting for a transport connection. Gelatinous is there to suck you in so you can pass the time as you pass the dice.
