Fleet: The Dice Game

In my ongoing battle against Minecraft and Roblox, I have drafted roll & writes into service—and, for some reason, they excite my heir more. Right now, Fleet: The Dice Game is his number-one choice: he sits there “blacking out” the little fish in the boats with such devotion that the game has become a proper ritual at our table. And, to tell the dark truth, I am not having a bad time either.

At its core, Fleet is a roll & keep dice game. The choices around what you keep and what you use create a pleasantly demanding feeling that reminded me a little of the particular anxiety of one-versus-one Wingspan. It is not simply “roll and mark”: the dice ask you to decide where each opportunity is worth investing.

As your sheet fills with fish and boats, its clever mechanisms begin to connect into something with the appeal of an engine builder. There is room to build your own path, while the presence of the other players makes the experience more lively. For me, the game truly shines with three or four players.

The designers have delivered a very enjoyable piece: friendly enough that my kid asks for it again, yet clever enough that I want to sit down beside him. If you like roll & writes, I think you absolutely should take a look. And if you have a soft spot for engine builders, all the better.