Press your Luck games
Mark Mistretta
United States
Lutz
Florida
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I recently did a search for games with the press/push your luck mechanic and found out that there is no category for these games! So, I went to game that I knew had this mechanic (Diamant) and it's mechanic is listed as N/A. Thinking this was a fluke, I went to another press your luck game, (Cloud 9). It too had N/A as the mechanic! Finally, I went to a classic (Can't Stop). Once again - no mechanic.
My purpose for this list is twofold. First I want this list to be a collection of all games with a press your luck element (and hopefully get boardgamegeek to add it as a mechanic category).
Secondly, I am designing my own game with a press your luck mechanic (although it uses other mechanics as well), and I wanted to know people's opinion of the mechanic in general. Why is it not used more in games? What are its strengths, its weaknesses? The games made to date have been of the quick, light filler variety. Could this mechanic work in other types of games? Discuss.
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1.
Board Game: Diamant
[Average Rating:6.74 Overall Rank:493]
Mark Mistretta
United States
Lutz
Florida
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The newest "press your luck" game (2005). Some decent reviews on this one. 3-8 players and a 30 minute time frame.
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Mark Mistretta
United States
Lutz
Florida
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1999 release. middling ratings. 2-6 players with 30 minute time frame.
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Mark Mistretta
United States
Lutz
Florida
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1980 release. Highly rated. 2-4 players with 45 minutes.
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Steve Downin
United States
Stockbridge
Georgia
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You can pass the pigs at any time or you can keep rolling the pigs until you Pig Out, if you want.
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♪ Isaäc Bickërstaff ♫
United States
Greer
South Carolina
Entropy Seminar:
The results of a five yeer studee ntu the sekund lw uf thurmodynamiks aand itz inevibl fxt hon shewb rt nslpn raq liot.
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This is an OK game, where you flip over cards until you find one you like, and take it. The catch is that if you flip over another card of the same suit as any card already face-up, then that card is removed from the game, your turn is over, and you take nothing.
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Jonas Gustafsson
Unspecified
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Someone else did mention recently that Formula Dé is a 'press your luck-game'. I think that's rather clever so I will add it here.
Your car has got wear points. If you roll too high points will be deducted. How big a die do you dare to roll?
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7.
Board Game: Farkle
[Average Rating:5.40 Overall Rank:7075]
Richard Irving
United States
Salinas
California
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Aka 5000 or 10,000.
Similar games include: $Greed, Six Cubes, Volle Lotte, Fill of Bust, Cosmic Wimpout.
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Anthony Rubbo
United States
Philadelphia
PA
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A classic!
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9.
Board Game: Medici
[Average Rating:7.18 Overall Rank:223]
Steffan O'Sullivan
Spain
Plymouth
New Hampshire
My flag this week? Solidarity with Antonio! (See my profile)
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I love the push-your-luck element in Medici. It's much subtler than in your primary choices, but it's definitely there. Sometimes you're trying to make an offering better, sometimes worse ...
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10.
Board Game: Pig Dice
[Average Rating:5.41 Unranked]
Richard Irving
United States
Salinas
California
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Here's an old press your luck game.
An even simpler on eis "Pig"--roll a single die. Any number except one, add the the turn total. 1 = bust. Stop before you roll one. First to 100 wins
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♪ Isaäc Bickërstaff ♫
United States
Greer
South Carolina
Entropy Seminar:
The results of a five yeer studee ntu the sekund lw uf thurmodynamiks aand itz inevibl fxt hon shewb rt nslpn raq liot.
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This is Knizia's take on Sackson's Can't Stop. It has a few interesting mechanics to give the game a different flavor, but I think it falls a bit short of the classic.
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Lucas Dramowicz
Canada
Montreal
Quebec
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When playing the "Charge/Lose gears" and "Charge/Engine blows" cards
Roll 12-sided die:
1-9
The chosen car (alone) moves forward one place.
10-12
If the card is "Charge/Lose gears", the chosen car moves to last place.
If the card is "Charge/Engine blows", the chosen car has blown its engine and is out of the race.
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David Boeren
United States
Marietta
Georgia
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Kleine Fische is a press your luck game somewhat similar to Zircus Flohcati, but with fish!
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Mark Mistretta
United States
Lutz
Florida
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I forgot to add the grand-daddy of all Press your Luck games - Blackjack! Although it needs the betting component to make it interesting.
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15.
Board Game: Skunk
[Average Rating:5.56 Unranked]
Thomas Powell
United States
Shreveport
Louisiana
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A classic 'Press you Luck' game.
The 1999 Winning Moves edition was renamed as "Don't Roll a Skunk."
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Morgan Dontanville
United States
Brooklyn
New York
Plate of Shrimp.
Here we are folks, the dream we all dream of.
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This is Sackson's other version of Can't Stop, with a board and some strategy.
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Denise Patterson-Monroe
United States
Carmel
Indiana
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I have played this in the SimplyFun Somethin' Fishy version, not a bad filler.
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Denise Patterson-Monroe
United States
Carmel
Indiana
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I play this with my 5 year old, she likes it despite the fact that she usually pushes her luck too far
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Steve Oliver
United States
Alameda
California
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I really like this game. It's easy to carry around, it plays very quick, each player's turn lasts 30 seconds to a minute, especially good with 2 players. The small size and short game time means this gets played when we're out and have 5 or 10 minutes to whittle away, such as after a dinner out, or whatever. One aspect that's fun is, you've got to decide whether or not to push your luck in 2 directions -- do I want to roll the yellow dice again (for the numbers), and/or do I want to roll the Hi/Lo die again (for the bonus)? You can only roll the Hi/Lo die as long as you've got yellow dice to roll, and you can only roll 5 times max.
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Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Sunken City (2004) Do you go home and drop of your treasures of do you increase your risk by trying to get more treasures with less return trips?
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Scott Starkey
United States
Dayton
Indiana
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I'm not normally one to pimp my own games on a Geeklist, but this one is free to download and play, so what the heck.
Stocking Stuffers is a Christmas-themed game, in which players may draw "gift" cards and stop at any time, but if a duplicate gift is drawn, the player must share the presents with everyone, ending their turn. Points are then earned for sets of goodies.
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Ray
United States
Carpentersville
Illinois
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Intrique (1994) You can make a play for the most profitable psition (maximum reward) put since it is the most profitable you run the risks of (1) not getting it and (2) getting knocked out of it by another player.
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Sue Hemberger
Washington
Dist of Columbia
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Par-cheesy with a press your luck element thrown in.
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Gerald McDaniel
United States
Lakewood
Colorado
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Another one...
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Steffan O'Sullivan
Spain
Plymouth
New Hampshire
My flag this week? Solidarity with Antonio! (See my profile)
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Not a big part of the game, but definitely one of the most fun parts: whipping the beasts! Do you draw another whip card and risk them going berserk, or do you slow down your chariot a bit?
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Carmel
Indiana
I recently discovered the same thing you did, that 'push your luck' does not exist as a mechanic. I posted a journal thread looking for push your luck games, you can find it, and a great number of suggestions, here -
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geekforum.php3?action=viewthrea...
I personally was thinking of something like Can't Stop, where you have a choice to do something with a random element (roll dice, draw a card)& that something ITSIELF can hose you or help you, but many people added games like Ticket to Ride where the push your luck element has more to do with do I do/use such and such an item/action (like claiming a route in TtR) now or push my luck and risk another player claiming it. These feel like two distinct mechanisms to me, but many people see it the other way.
I tend to think the lighter style of 'you decide to take an action or not & that action itself will help & hose you' is not as popular & seems to be suitable only for filler games. That said, there seem to be some GREAT filler games with that mechanic!
The heavier player interaction push your luck however seems to be QUITE popular!
I will add a couple games to the list that have the lighter mechanic that I have played.
Eden Prairie
Minnesota
Bergen
New York
Lutz
Florida
I am surprised at how many "press your luck" dice games are out there, most that I have never heard of (It must be that dice games are fairly easy to make).
I feel that to get the best use of the mechanics, games of these type should create tension and drama anytime a player is forced to make a decision whether or not to push their luck. Furthermore, these decisions should not be easy to make and have a real impact on the outcome of the game.
Now, which of these games would you pick as utilizing the "press your luck" mechanic the best?
Oakland
California