Dungeons, Dice & Danger is a new roll-and-write game from Alea/Ravensburger where players explore dungeons, combat monsters and discover treasures by rolling dice and marking off rooms on their player sheets.

In Dungeons, the play takes place over a series of rounds. In each round, one player becomes the active player and rolls five dice – four white and one black. While the active player can use all dice, the other players can only use the white ones. Players use the available dice to make two pairs, add up the pips, and the resulting values to mark spaces on their player sheets. These spaces are considered visited and unlock access to adjacent rooms. If a player reaches a room with a monster, they can use their dice values to deal damage to the monster. Play continues until players have collectively defeated all monsters on the map.

I’m a huge fan of roll-and-write games, they’re easy to set up and play, and this game is no exception. We had a blast playing it and ended up playing several games over a few days. The game features four unique dungeon maps, each with its own layout, rules and challenges that make the gameplay experience different.

One potential downside to this game is the playtime. Since players are penalized for each pair they cannot use, they may spend extra time searching the map for spaces with specific numbers. This can slow down the game. Perhaps this wouldn’t be an issue if spaces with the same number had a different color or unique graphic design elements. For that reason, this game might play better at lower player counts. We’ve only played it at 3p so far.

In conclusion, Dungeons, Dice & Danger is a fun and engaging game. Although it may not have surpassed my favorite roll and write, Dinosaur Island Rawr and Write, it is definitely a worthy runner-up and a great addition to any game collection.

What are your thoughts? Have you played this game?

Disclaimer: Ravensburger North America sent us a review copy of this game. Also, there might be an affiliate link in the links included at the end of this article.