I love a good roll and write game and I am always looking for another one to try and possibly add to the collection. They are quick and easy to play and often are the perfect after-dinner game around our table at home. Today we are going to look at a new addition to the genre and see how it stacks up!
Bravo! is designed by Inka and Markus Brand and edited by Thorsten Gimmler. It is published by Schmidt and Stronghold Games. It is for 1-6 players and plays in 30 mins or less.
Overview
In Bravo! players earn points from finishing columns, rows and boxes of all the same color while rolling dice to check which combinations you would use. Grab the right combinations and beat your opponents to finish areas to get the higher scores before they do!
Gameplay
Players begin with a sheet and a pen. The 7 dice are placed within reach of all players. Now you have all you need to begin play!
Starting with the active player and rotating clockwise each player will roll all 7 dice once and then pick a combination of either one number and one color die or the special die. Choosing the color and number die will give you the choice of a certain number of cubes on your sheet to cross off of that color. To be legal use you must start with one of the boxes in column H to begin the game. All other placements must be connected side to side to a crossed off square or must be started in the middle column H again. You must use the exact number you rolled as well.
There are Joker sides to the color and number dice that allow you to chose any color or any number between 1-5. If you use this side of the die you must cross out one of the Joker spots on your card. If you do not have any to cross off you cannot use that die side anymore during the game.
The special die allows you to do a number of different things, including crossing out whole shapes or multiple stars in a row, circling the next available heart on the column or a bomb that will let you chose a 2×2 grid of any colors to cross out. All of these choices are unique to the standard dice but they must still follow the rule of being off of the middle column H or touching another already crossed off square. To use the special die you must have one unlocked at the bottom of your sheet. The more of these you unlock the more you can use in the future.
During a player’s turn, the active roller will choose their dice to use first removing them from the available choices. Once that is done then all other passive players may chose from what is left, even choosing the same if they want.
Claiming columns and rows are better for players who claim them first-rows will give an extra bonus of a special dice, bomb or heart choice along with scoring points at the end. Columns will give players more points if they are the first to finish an area there. Columns will also score the current value of your heart column giving you that many points for each filled in total.
Once a player crosses off all of the colors of one type on their board they circle the color bonus of either 5 for being first or 3 for everyone else. The game ends immediately after the turn in which a player crosses of a second color bonus and then points are scored.
The end game looks at star totals for negative points, color bonus, heart points, unused exclamation points and unused special dice points. The player with the most points is the winner!
Impressions
Bravo! is a new entry into the roll and write genre in a time where it seems like there are already a lot of choices out there. These games seem to come and go and have some longevity but ultimately a lot of them get tossed by the wayside after a few plays. But Bravo! stands out as an exception-I think this is one that will stick around for a while in my collection. The scoring alone is one of my favorite things, I love the first to get somewhere component of it that lets you score more than others.
The dice for this one are nice, I enjoy the color and the style of them and honestly love a simple wooden set of dice that sound clean as they roll on the table. The player boards are nice and streamlined also, they are easy to follow and make your plays on and everyone who has played it has been able to figure them out fairly quickly.
Players newer and more experienced all have enjoyed playing this game and I suspect that it will be a hit to anyone that I introduce it to in the same way. It is a great game to kick off or wrap up a game night or even to play on a casual night with the family after dinner. If you enjoy a good roll and write and are looking for a different entry into the genre that still plays with familiarity I would recommend this one to you!
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