Breakscore product reviews

Well we have had this game on the shelf next to our table for weeks and weeks and I keep putting off writing my review thinking that if I try playing it one more time I will finally start to enjoy playing it. Sadly no!! The time has come to actually write a review so here it is...

This is a board game with dice and cards. It comes with six dice, four counters, two sets of cards, the board, instructions to the three main games and a very nice plastic box to keep it all in.

The three main games are Break-Away which is the easiest (and for me the enjoyable game), Breakscore and then Breakscore Champ-Play.

As recommended we started off with Break-Away. This is a little like Snakes and Ladders but a bit more complicated and a lot more competitive. After a few games we definitely got the hang of it and understood how to play. Time to move on to the next level we thought.

Well over the weeks we have repeatedly tried to get to grips with the instructions for Breakscore but to be quite honest the instructions are just not easy to understand and any game that is that confusing and hard to start playing is just not my cup of tea at the moment. I am hoping that down the track when I have more leisure time and less distractions I might be able to get into this but right now its not really grabbing me...! Needless to say I didn't even attempt to get my sleep deprived brain around the next level up!

I think if you do like dice games and have the time and inclination to try something mentally challenging then this game is worth giving a go. For $55 I wouldn't recommend it to just play Break-Away but if you are wanting to play the other two games then you might consider the price worth it. Certainly the Break-Away game was fun once we got the hang of it and is an easy enough game to play with the kids. It definitely helps their maths skills so that is a bonus. We will be playing Break-Away again over the school holidays so it won't go unused.

Currently, I can only comment on the original game, but soon I will have played the other two as this version has just entered the family board game collection.
This is a game that I have enjoyed for many, many years, having grown up with it. It may seem confusing at first, but once you get into the flow of things it gets a lot easier.
I always enjoy having to work out what the best strategy is, do I continue to get a card and risk getting a bad draw, or do I stick with what I have.
If you like dice games such as Yahtzee then this is a game that I highly recommend.

I am not really a numbers games person so I found it to be quite a hard slog to get into. Once I did get into the flow of play it was easy enough to understand but I felt it wasnt really to much to write home about. A good game if youre into that kind of thing but not my cup of tea really. Too much rolling-dice and not much player-interaction, which is more my kind of game.

Well, I have to give it this, I haven't come across a game quite like it before... though it has elements common to many boardgames; a board, dice and cards, that combine to control the game, the game itself has some rather interesting, and unique, rules and scoring options. Sometimes, moving your counter less squares will give you a better chance to win, or put you in a position to suddenly leap ahead... it's crazy, in a fun and thought-provoking way!

I admit that after playing the basic and medium versions, I was reluctant to delve into the tournament-level version, so I won't be commenting on that. Even the rules say that it is best if moderately experienced players attempt it... and I'll go along with that... for an afternoon bit of fun, or an evening spent with friends and a few beers, the two 'weaker' versions are quite enough.

The basic version has less scoring issues to deal with, and far simpler rules, which make it a great stepping-up block for beginners to get to grips with, and once you have mastered the concepts of play, it's a good, satisfying challenge to move on to the 'standard' game, where scoring only happens with particular roles, more dice, and a lot more thought. This may, at first glance, look like a glorified 'snakes and ladders' variant, but I assure you, it's far from it.

Overall, the game is a bit of an acquired taste I think, but for those who get into it, it can provide a lot of entertainment. Takes some careful reading of the rules, and a couple of warm-up games before you get into the swing of things, and really, it all has to be done again when you progress up to the standard game, but if it's your thing, it's well worth the effort. Ask around at your local games stores about it, and if they don't know anything, try contacting the developers through the website, and maybe you'll get a chance to play it before you buy it.