Beetlejuice

What is Beetlejuice?

For those of you born before 2000, the mere mention of the name will instantly trigger a powerful memory, and I won’t need to explain further-you’re probably already sitting there singing (DAYO!).

For those who are confused by what I just said but are intrigued by the look of this game, let me say, “Welcome to the party!” If you love rolling dice, pushing your luck, and scaring cards to join your side, then this is a game you’ll love. And for my fellow Beetle… (Don’t say his name three times!) fans, “It’s Showtime!”

What is Beetlejuice (oops!)

Beetlejuice is a game where you roll dice to get certain symbols that match the requirements on a card to win that card and add it to your scare corner. Each card is worth points, and the player with the most points becomes the scare master. But be careful-you’re not alone in the scare fare. There are other players at the table, eagerly waiting for their turn to roll and scare. Plus, there’s a certain someone waiting in their coffin (yes, the coffin-style box is part of the game, which, in my opinion, is amazing) to come out and make the chances of scaring just a little bit harder. After all, the king of scare can’t be overthrown easily.

How does it play?

Are you the Ghost with the most? Let’s find out.

Beetlejuice is a dice-rolling, push-your-luck style game. You have 3 rounds to roll the symbols that appear on the cards in front of you. These cards represent your unsuspecting victims, and each one is worth different points. Cards with higher points require more symbols to scare them. But remember, you only have 3 rolls to get the symbols you need before passing your turn to the next scarer.

After rolling, you check your dice to see if you have the symbols that match the requirements for the cards in the scare zone. Here’s where the “push your luck” part of the game comes in: you could roll the symbols you need for one card, but you might want to push further and try to collect more symbols for another card. If you add dice to the card you want, these dice are removed from the pool, decreasing your chances of getting the symbols you need for the other cards.

If you’re wondering what makes it a push-your-luck dice roll game, it’s because you have 3 rolls to get what you need for the cards. On your dice, there’s a B symbol. If you roll it, it is immediately taken out of the pool of dice and set aside. This is the signal that Beetle… well, you know who… is being summoned. If you roll 3 B symbols, your turn ends immediately-and guess who comes to join the fun!

I won’t spoil the surprise of what happens when our friend joins the fray, but it definitely makes the game more fun and challenging. The game ends when someone scares 5 people and collects their cards to the scare pool.

Complexity of the game

For a push-your-luck dice-rolling game, I can honestly say the complexity is very low. Even when you roll 3 B symbols and summon our ever-loving MVP to add some difficulty, it’s still not hard to grasp the rules.

Setup is quick, and the excitement to play is strong every time you set up. You can get many games in, even with more players. The only time-consuming part is deciding whether to push your luck or use your dice to add to the cards of the people you want to scare.

Final thoughts

If you’re a fan of Beetlejuice, the nostalgia alone makes this game worth getting. The references you and your fellow fans can use while rolling and scaring cards are wholesome and so much fun. You’ll quickly lose track of time, realizing you’ve been cheering, singing, and rolling dice for hours. The real challenge will be deciding when to stop playing (which, trust me, is hard to do).

Even if you’re not a cult classic fan, I can honestly say this is a great, quick game for your game nights. It’s something you can play while deciding what other games to play. The fun of rolling dice and the competition to scare more people than your opponents is intoxicating. Let me tell you-the number of times I’ve chanted “Beetlejuice” and cheered when 3 B symbols are rolled never gets old.