Harry Potter Strike Dice Game Review

First impressions count. So, when you lift the lid of this box, remove the instructions, and take a look at the dice and area beneath…. It’s a little so-so. Harry Potter Strike Dice Game is a dice rolling game, and includes 26 proprietary D6’s. They’re okay, they’ll do the job with little fanfare. The arena, where you’ll commence your battle, is housed within the box itself and is tiered gold plastic, with a foam oval centre to presumably muffle the sound of dice on plastic, except it’s not stuck to the bottom. It’s a strange frustration to have, but the first impression makes the game feel immediately cheap.

Moving past that, the game is a mixture of Strike and Impact, which means it’s on comfortable and trusted ground. You’ll roll the dice, where you can hit others, or a double sees you successfully casting the spell and retaining the dice, or a dreaded X roll removes the dice from your hand completely. Running out of dice puts you straight out of the game, and you gain points for how many players are left. Lowest points wins. There’s not much more to it than that, so it's quick and easy to play and enjoy, for a range of ages.

As a Harry Potter game then, it’s a little light. Symbols on the dice represent spells, which could easily be anything at all. Then, the spells used are a little unusual and aren’t particularly attack spells. Relashio is a revulsion jinx that isn’t particularly well known, Accio a summoning spell, but those such as the stunning spell that may have been truer to the series itself aren’t included. Again, small niggles but those which contribute to the wider game, especially if you’ve been attracted to it as a fan of the franchise as it likely hopes.

Overall, it’s a mixed bag – a serviceable quick and easy game, but one which feels a little cheap and franchised. 

Charlie Pettit

PLAY IT? MAYBE

Designer: Dieter Nüßle

Publisher: Ravensburger

Time: 15 minutes

Players: 1-5

Ages: 8+

Price: £20

This article originally appeared in issue 48 of Tabletop Gaming. Pick up the latest issue of the UK's fastest-growing gaming magazine in print or digital here or subscribe to make sure you never miss another issue.

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