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From your hardcore gamers, to those hesitantly dipping their toes into the pool of board games, anyone can play Dobble.
For those who have never played it, it’s basically a more intense and creative version of snap. The maths of it is beyond me and will never cease to amaze me. Players have a stack of circular cards containing a variety of pictures. Every card has one match with every other card. Crazy, but it’s true. One thing I love about Dobble is that there’s a variety of different ways to play, each as panic-inducing and fun as the next. Never has my brain been so panicked in such a short amount of time.
The beauty of Dobble is in its simplicity, it’s accessible to both hardcore gamers and those who only dabble in this wonderful world of board games. The Star Wars version provides all the same fun as the classic, but with the addition of lightsabers and androids- what more could you ask for?
How to Play
As mentioned above, there are a few different ways of playing Star Wars Dobble, with all games being about matching pictures on your card to another. The best style for beginners would be having one card each and a stack of cards in the middle. All players turn over their cards simultaneously and shout when they see a match with the card in the middle. The first one to spot their match takes the card from the middle stack and it becomes their new card. Play until all the cards in the middle have been claimed, and the player with the most cards in their personal pile is the winner.
Now, to most of you gamers, this will sound very simple, but don’t be deceived by the simplicity of the gameplay, this game is very stressful. You will never feel so let down by your eyes or your brain as when you’re playing this game. Prepare for your mind to go blank in ways it never has before.
Even the most hardcore of Star Wars fans will forget the name of characters as obvious as Darth Vader, and I have found myself shouting ‘erm… scary asthmatic guy’ on more than one occasion. Don’t judge until you’ve played.
In my experience, different ways of playing appeal to different people, and oddly, most people have one type which they’re best at despite the fact that they’re all about picture matching. For those who love a sneaky and ruthlessly competitive game, the best style of play is where you have to dump your card onto someone else’s when you find a match. Last man standing loses the round. The one who loses the most rounds (you only have one card each) loses the game. If you’re good at this style of play, be prepared to lose all your friends.
Star Wars Dobble really is a beautifully versatile game, and the different ways of playing mean that it doesn’t become tiresome or boring playing only one. Play a few, find your jam and away you go! I’d thoroughly recommend playing a few rounds of each style when you play as everyone seems to have one that they’re best at. It also saves arguments if one person seems to be winning all the time.
When to Play?
Both the short turn length and accessibility of Star Wars Dobble make it the perfect game to play at any time. It’s a great game to bring out while waiting for others to arrive at game nights, or if you’re waiting for others to finish a game. It’s also perfect for taking away on holidays as it packs into a small round tin, and therefore can be played pretty much anywhere where your shouting isn’t going to anger those in close proximity (playing on a train= not a good idea…. Just in case you were wondering… people will stare).
We’ve played it with larger groups of people, or just as a family and it’s equally as fun. Be warned if playing with fiercely competitive people, this game can get aggressive! I took this game on camp once and it was a fantastic ice breaker.
Final Thoughts on Star Wars Dobble
For those who have the original Dobble, the gameplay is not different, but having a different edition livens things up if you’ve grown a little tired of the original pictures. If you’re a fan of the franchise, then the benefit is obvious, but playing with people who haven’t seen the films brings hilarious consequences. My family are not fans of Star Wars, so hearing them yelling matches like ‘the friendly-looking robot thing’ (R2-D2) and, my personal favourite, ‘green helmet face guy’ (Boba Fett) brings a whole new level of hilarity to the game.
Dobble is the kind of game where you can build up a collection of different editions, which are all equally fun to play and, as board games go, relatively inexpensive. You can also get Disney versions such as Cars and Finding Dory, so if you build up a collection, the Star Wars one could be your adult edition!
