Are you ready to harness the power of the elements? Don’t get over zealous – the goal is to focus on just one element, and channel its’ power completely. Spread yourself too thin and you’re bound for disappointment (and a low score). Pay attention to the dodekka’s value, and maybe what your opponents are picking up, to try and leave them with everything they don’t want. Tread carefully, you’ll need a little luck, and a little strategy to get ahead!
What Is It?
A set collection, hand management, push your luck game for 2-6 players. On their turn, players can add a card to the dodekka from the top of the deck, or pick up the card closest to the deck. If they choose to add a card and end up busting (cards in the dodekka exceed a value of 12) they must take all the face up cards into hand. The exception to busting is if a card is played that is the same number as the last one, you do not bust, even if the total is over 12. Once the deck is emptied, players score all cards of any one element in their hand, and cards are worth the values on them. Then, they subtract 1 point for each card of any other element still in their hand (regardless of their value). Whoever has the highest score is the winner!
Who Is It For?
- Fans of push your luck, set collection, and hand management mechanics. I would say the push your luck is the strongest aspect in this one
- Players who don’t mind very light strategy with a fair bit of luck
- 3-6 players — Works fine at 2, but you collect so many cards that your score is bound to be insanely low, so it just feels a bit better with more players
- Ages 6+ — Easy concept/rules and could even be a bit of a teaching tool for simple addition
Components / Quality
The game is just a deck of cards. The colors are nice, and each element also has a symbol so you can play even if colorblind. The numbers are displayed clearly. The art is simple, but nice on the back and front. Cards are language independent as well, so if one person can teach it, anyone can play! The rules are short and sweet, easy to learn from. Also include a bit of backstory, which I found really neat! Finally, the box is the perfect size for the deck and has more simple but nice art on the front.
PROS
- Easy to learn/teach/play
- Easily portable
- Plays quickly
- Works at all player counts
- Great for all ages & gamers and non-gamers alike
- Scoring generally seems to be close
CONS
- 2-Player games often end with negative scores, which always feels a little disappointing to me
Final Thoughts
Overall, Dodekka is simple, quick, and fun! It involves more luck than skill, but that makes for a nice filler game in between heavier strategy types, or just a nice light game for a game day where you’re looking to play lots of shorter titles! It’s really easy to learn and turns move quickly and smoothly since they don’t require a lot of thought beyond double checking the current total of the dodekka. Definitely worth checking out if you like shorter games, push your luck, and something that’s easy to travel with!
My Final Ratings:
Overall Game – 7/10
Aesthetics – 6/10
Replay Value – 6/10
Difficulty – 2/10
*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*
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