The definitive ranked list of the best roll-n-write games. The options for this category have blown up in popularity in the last few years. It refers to a genre of game where you get a scoresheet, something happens each turn and then you have to make a decision by marking something off on that sheet. The genre began back in 1956 with the Dice Game Yahzee. Games vary dramatically in theme and in gameplay, but this central mechanic is felt across the board. This is the list of the 10 Best Roll-N-Write Games.
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#10 | Silver & Gold
There are many things to write on in Silver & Gold but no worries, it’s all wipeable. In this non-roll roll-n-write there is a mixture of treasure and event adventure cards. You will get shapes and you will need to mark off those shapes on one of your cards with the grid. It is a mad dash to big gold first with some interesting strategic hooks along the way. The game is probably the most fast-paced on the list which is crazy considering how much is going on. A very new game and quickly sweeping the hearts of all.
SEE ALSO: Buy Silver & Gold on Amazon
#09 | Qwinto
In Quinto, each turn a player rolls 1–3 dice, with the dice being the same colors as the rows on the individual score sheets: orange, yellow, purple. Each player can place whatever sum is rolled into an empty shape in a row that matches the color of one of the dice as long as they follow a couple of ingenious rules. Like most roll-n-writes, it ends at completion or a certain number of misfires. On the list of best roll-n-write games, this one wins the award for smoothly satisfying.
SEE ALSO: Buy Qwinto on Amazon
#08 | The Castles of Burgundy: The Dice Game
This is the simple, compact dice roll-n-write version of the classic Castles of Burgundy. This is great because it has that strategic medieval vibe in the roll-n-write format. Expand your estates through trade and commerce. Gain commodities and try to fill in as many color groups as possible.
SEE ALSO: Buy The Castles of Burgundy the Dice Game on Amazon
#07 | Cartographers
Cartographers gets really deep and tactical because you don’t just tick off a few things, you have an entire large square grid to fill in as you see fit. The game lives up to its name, you are adding water, and forests and other land areas. Shapes come out and you need to fill that feature out on your map, you get bonuses like extra gold when you surround a mountain and it gets harder as you go. Different seasons bring different scoring mechanisms. As for the list of best roll-n-write games, this one feels the most satisfying to complete because there is so much to fit together. Oh, and there are monsters.
SEE ALSO: Cartographers Page | How To Play Cartographers | Games Like Cartographers | Buy Cartographers on Amazon
#06 | Railroad Ink
In the multiplayer puzzle game Railroad Ink, your goal is to connect as many exits on your board as possible. Each round, a set of dice are rolled in the middle of the table, determining which kind of road and railway routes are available to all players. You have to draw these routes on your erasable boards to create transport lines and connect your exits, trying to optimize the available symbols better than your opponents.
SEE ALSO: Buy Railroad Ink on Amazon
#05 | Qwixx
This quick-playing dice game is a hot one from the beginning until the end. It looks and sounds a little like the number 9 on this list of best roll-n-write games from the same designer but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Qwixx is simple to play but each decision is crucial – the more numbers you cross off, the more points you score. With no downtime between turns you’ll have a chance to gain from each and every roll. Games are very quick and easy to hop into over and over again. A fantastic choice!
SEE ALSO: Buy Qwixx on Amazon
#04 | Corinth
In each round of Corinth, a handful of dice are rolled and players take turns selecting groups of dice to deliver goods to shops, purchase herds of goats or visit the market, recording their progress on their notepads. In this game, you will need to pay close attention to what your opponents are doing and choose between taking the best option for you or making sure your opponents don’t get theirs. A newer title but an easy addition to the list of best roll-n-write games.
SEE ALSO: Buy Corinth on Amazon
#03 | That’s So Clever (aka Ganz Schön Clever)
This German game lives up to its name. As you play you will consistently marvel at the cleverness. This uses numbers and dice, but using color it uses them in a way nothing like your normal number grabbing. The numbers make the score but also feed into a very interesting dice drawing mechanism. The yellow die is a specific grid, the green goes up in increments, and so on.
SEE ALSO: That’s So Clever Page | Games Like That’s So Clever | Buy That’s So Clever on Amazon
#02 | Welcome To…
Welcome To… has the theme of suburbia America 1950s and it nails it. Everything is pristine and one of the better theme designs in some time. Instead of working with dice, cards guide you to build houses in neighborhoods and a variety of actions like putting in a backyard pool or having the most parks on one of your streets. This one is A+ all around and a slam dunk for a top spot on the list of best roll-n-write games. If you don’t need that player interaction, then this could easily be your number one, but that is why it is not. Other’s players’ actions hardly have an effect on you.
SEE ALSO: Welcome To Page | How to Play Welcome To | Welcome To Review | Games Like Welcome To | Buy Welcome To on Amazon
#01 | Harvest Dice
The top spot on the list of best roll-n-write games goes to Harvest Dice. The game has it all and there is plenty of interaction to combat the argument that all roll-n-write games are just playing solitaire with other players. That there is no point to play with others because it is the same either way. That is not the case with Harvest Dice. Each round, players take turns rolling and selecting dice in order to plant veggies in their gardens or feed them to their pig. What players do affect each other and there is also the wrench of an always-changing market. Harvest dice has something for everyone.
