Farkle is a popular dice game that started centuries ago. Yet people are still innovating this game by adding new elements to it. Diec Tavern: Farkle Roguelike changes the traditional game by adding mods, different dice multipliers which help the player enormously. Creating you own dice loadout is key to winning this game. That for me is what makes this game so addictive and fun.
Bank or Gamble
The main goal of each player in a normal game of Farkle is to be the first to get to 10,000 points. Rolling a 1 gives you 100 points whereas rolling a 5 gives you 50 points. There are also dice combinations you can get such as three of a kind which gives you points equal to the Number you have rolled. For example, three 2’s gives you 200 points. The best combination the player can get is a full straight meaning you got one of each of the number of dice e.g. 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 in one turn.
The player then gains “Hot Dice” which means they can get an additional set if they wish. If a player fails to get any combination or a single 1 or 5, they “Farkle” and lose all of their points that round. It’s up to you if want to be brave and re-roll after scoring or bank the points you have.
I like this element of the game as it creates tension for the player and forces the player to choose between playing it safe or gambling wht they have to get more points.
A New Way to Farkle
This game decides to change the traditional game by making it a rougelike, having random dice, mods and tools in the tavern shop to help the player enormously throughout the campaign. They are all unlocked by completing different objectives and progressing through the game. There are several different dice to collect such as Triple 3’s which heavily favors 3’s and the hunting bow which slightly favors 1’s. You can buy these items from the tarvern merchant as your progress the campaign.
The player can also discover synergies with specific types of dice. These synergies provide the player a bonus. They rank from early to ultimate and help the player enormously to win the game. For example, the ultimate Truth of three synergy requires the player to have have three triple 3’s and three antioch dice to triple the bank multiplier. Discovering new synergies and what you need to get them is what makes this game fun and adds replay value.
Tools, Badges and Coatings
Badges are also crucial to having a successful campaign. For example, I frequently used the safe in the bag badge in my dice bag. This badge gave me a 1.5x multiplier when I didn’t re-roll. It increases to x2 after 10 uses and x4 after 20 uses. The helped me enormously to beat the campaign. A late game legendary badge called rebels mark also removes opponents special moves making it extremely powerful in the late game.
Tools are useful in certain scenario’s . For example, lead weights can be used to increase the likelihood of you rolling that number. Trick cup is used to re-roll dice without using the re-roll action. Lead weights stack and have no limit so you can easily guarantee you land on the number that want every time. I believe this is too powerful and eliminating any chance or bad luck in the game does make the game too easy. The lead weight should have a limit on how much it can stack to avoid the player from eliminating chance and making the game too easy.
Coatings/ Stickers provide a minor bonus such as providing 50 points when rolling on a side that has the cursed sticker. But they don’t provide the player with a winning strategy. There are only 6 of them in the game aswell. I would have preferred to see more of them and for them to have a greater impact on the players ability to win.
Consumables can help in an emergency. For instance, the hot dice liquor can instantly trigger a hot dice. Once used they are consumed and cannot be used gain unless bought again from the tavern merchant.
Characters also provide bonuses to the player. For instance, the traveler increases the round count by 1 whereas the gambler increases the bank multiplier by x1.5 but decreases the round count by two. At the end of a failed run, trying a different character can change the way you play the game and can increase your chances of winning if the bonuses they provide are strong.
Your Journey Begins
Starting at the Village Tavern, the player will have to beat each opponent’s score to win. Starting at 1,500 points and going all the way to 500,000 points. If a player loses at any point during their Journey, it will come to an end and they will have to start at the beginning again.
Beside the first two opponents, the rest have special rules. These special rules range from Farkle bleed where the player loses points when they Farkle or Badge confiscation where the last badge slot is taken away. Each Tavern you go to has 5 opponents. At the end, there is a boss with a more powerful special rule. This forces the player to change their strategy accordingly with can be challenging when coming up against a late game boss but very rewarding and satisfying when you defeat them using a clever strategy.
The first two taverns, village and town are very easy once you understand how to build your loadout. The later taverns can prove more challenging and difficult but are very rewarding when you beat them. It’s a game that has a lot of trial and error, some strategies work whereas others might not but that what makes this game so fun for me.
Shady deals
In between each level, you will encounter the roadside merchant who offers special deals like giving you gold or giving you a free tool etc.. However unlike the regular tavern merchants who you pay with gold, you pay him with time. You have a round penalty every time you agree to take one of his deals. For instance, if you agree to get gold off him, you lose two rounds against every opponent in that tavern. You can choose to walk away if you don’t want to take the risk.
This is helpful in the really game as more money means you can spend more on tools, badges or dice in the shop. But he is less impactful in the late game once you have setup your build.
Some of the tooltips need to be made shorter as there is no option to extend the tooltips so you can read all of it.
It’s not the longest game as a campaign may run for about 6 hours on average but at a price tag of £9.09 on steam i think it’s worth it. The game is currently holding a 20% discount on steam as part of a launch deal which ends on September 21st.
Summary
Overall, Dice Tavern: Farkle Rougelike is a fun, addictive game that changes the old Farkle game and adds new elements to it. It’s a good introduction for anyone who has never played Farkle but is willing to give it a go. With it’s cheap price tag it’s easily accessible to anyone. With some minor changes this could be one of the best Farkle games out there.
