If you like Piña Coladas, and rolling dice then this is the perfect game for you.
Overview:
In this game of tropical proportions players roll 5 dice, Yatzee style to score points on coasters forming a 4 x 4 grid on the table. They are able to keep any dice they wish and reroll any remaining dice up to 2 extra times in order to match one of the criteria highlighted on the coasters. A player can win 1 of 3 ways, the player with the most points after someone has reached 20 points, the player with the most points after one player has run out of all their cocktail tokens or when one player scores 4 cocktails in a row either orthogonally or horizontally in so making the famous Piña Coladice cocktail.
Components:
This game has some of the best components I have seen for a game of this size, before I break down each component I wanted to make a special mention for the box, which is literally covered in spot uv and though this doesn’t impact gameplay the artwork and the spot uv is simply is stunning and adds to the charm of this game.
Dice
What dice rolling game isn’t complete without a set of dice. The dice in this game are a beautiful sapphire blue, reminiscent of blue Curaçao which is certainly on theme with this cocktail inspired game. The dice are really good quality, you get that lovely dice feeling when you roll them in aim of scoring your combos.
Cocktail Tokens
Each player has 7 cocktail tokens, each with their own colour and cocktail. These are lovely custom cut wooden components with a printed cocktail design, again, really tactile and adds a lot of flair and personality to the game.
Combination Coasters
Now here we get to the fun part, opening up this box to find actual coasters within the game was just a touch of genius. Not your standard punchboard but playing pieces that actually resemble coasters in a game all about cocktails is amazing. The component quality on this game is not only incredibly high, but it is also fully thematic. The design on each coaster is certainly striking, there are 3 types of sets, green, blue and red. Green requires pairs or double pairs, blue coasters are always requesting 3 of a kind, and red typically being the hardest to complete typically requiring more than 3 dice to achieve each colour with differing difficulty and points to match. These coasters are also double sided, so that in the 4 x 4 grid coasters can be flipped for the different set up requirements depending on number of players. Each coaster has an ingredient on it as well, this doesn’t impact gameplay but it is a funny element to include as you can theoretically make a cocktail based on the ingredients used when connect 4 in a row.
Score Coasters
As well as the combination coaster, each player has a score coaster in their chosen colour to help them keep track of the number of points they gain from fulfilling a combo. Again these are actually coasters, with number points up to and beyond 20 along with imagery of the cocktail each player has as a symbol.
1st Player Coaster/ Happy Hour Variant
The game also includes a first player token as there may be an end game trigger where players all receive the same number of turns. Again this has that coaster look and feel we have come to love in Piña Coladice with the games artwork of a very happy Toucan enjoying a refreshing cocktail. This coaster also flips to become the Happy Hour Variant which you can choose to play when you’re comfortable with the general gameplay.
Gameplay:
Piña Coladice is played overall several rounds until an end game condition is trigger, this will be either a player scoring 20 points or more, a player placing their last cocktail token or finally a player making the famous Piña Coladice cocktail by placing 4 of their tokens in a row.
On a players turn there are 3 steps,
- Roll Dice
- Place their cocktail token
- Check for any end game conditions
1. Roll dice
Players have a total of three rolls, in which they can choose to stop at any time. Their initial roll is a requirement, after which players may wish to re-roll all or some of their dice, setting aside any they wish to keep. If at any point during their three rolls they want to re-roll any number of set aside dice they may do so, however after the third roll they must stick with whatever they have in front of them.
2. Place their cocktail token
Once a player has rolled three times or decided to stick with their dice, they now must place a cocktail token on a combination coaster that matches their final result, as well as having at least one empty point scoring place on the coaster, and they can’t place their token on the same coaster twice. If a player has completed a combination with their dice they must place their token there whether they want to score it or not. Players then move the cocktail market on the scoring coaster the corresponding number of points.
3. Check for any end game conditions
In the final step, players check for any end game conditions. The end of the game can be triggered if a player scores at least 20 points on their score track, if a player places their last cocktail token on a combination coaster or if a token is placed to score 4 in a row either horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
Players continue until an end game condition is met, when this happens when a player scores at least 20 points, or if they place their last cocktail token play continues until all players have had an equal number of turns. The player at the end of the game with the most points wins, in case of a tie, the player to last place a cocktail token wins. However, the game also ends when a player makes the famous Piña Coladice by placing their token to form 4 in a row column or diagonal, in doing so the game ends immediately and the player who instigated the end of the game wins.
Happy Hour Variant
As with “Happy Hour” in real life, it isn’t always happy go lucky and embarrassing decisions can be made. In this variant the first player token is flipped to show the Happy Hour coaster. If a player is unable to place a cocktail token after having re-rolled 3 times they must roll a single die and apply its effect, these include, lose 3 points, remove one of your cocktail tokens from a coaster, move another player’s Cocktail token to a different, available space or if you’re feeling lucky and you can roll a 6, immediately score 4 points.
Replayability:
For a game where you are literally rolling dice this game offers some replayability. There are 25 combination coasters and in a single game you will only be using 16 of them allowing for lots of different combinations of coasters creating the 4×4 grid, these coasters are also double sided with different set ups for 2, 3 or 4 players. The Happy Hour variant also changes the game slightly adding to the replayability with the uncertainty of not knowing what you might get if you can’t fulfil a coaster’s requirements.
Pros:
This game is quick to learn and play, drawing upon simple rules similar to Yatzee and Roll For It, Piña Coladice is a fun, fruity party game you can play with families and friends, especially when the summer hits.
The components in this game are incredible, from the spot uv on the box, to the actual coasters used in the game, no expense has been spared when creating this beautiful game.
Cons:
The game is ultimately luck based, you can apply different strategies with the 4 in a row end game criteria and the Happy Hour variant changes the game somewhat but it does come down to rolling dice and resolving the combinations.
Final verdict:
Piña Coladice is a fun, fruity, light-hearted party game combining simple dice rolling mechanics with beautiful components adding to its tropical charm. The component quality is incredible with the printed wooden tokens and actual coasters being used in the game no expense was spared to create this game. Though the gameplay does lean heavily on luck, the multiple end game criterias, quick gameplay and ease of play makes Piña Coladice a refreshing game, perfect for the summer nights with a cocktail.
This game was kindly gifted by Coiledspring Games however all thoughts and opinions are my own.
- 2-4 Players
- Ages 8+
- 10-20 Minutes
- £15.99
