-
:strip_icc()/pic1071691.jpg)
This is a very recently acquired game. As part of the Spring Game On! Game Day we had a no-ship math trade. One of the games that I got out of the trade was this one. I did not know much about it and there is not a lot of opinion out there on the game either. I did know it was a light, dice rolling heavy racing game that is published by Impact! Miniatures, the same company that makes the awesome ElfBall. Since there was no shipping, that was enough for me to take the risk on the trade. So is Dunger Derby a fun game or will it just be going back up in the next math trade?
Game Overview
In Dunger derby players race Dungers. What are Dungers? According to the back of the box "Dungers are smelly, short sighted, hairy, violent beasts lacking intelligence." These are warthog like creatures and the game comes with five plastic miniatures in different colors. The board is a hex map with four check points in a figure eight(ish) configuration. The goal is for a player to have their Dunger cross checkpoints one through three in order, and then be the first to cross the finish line. On a player's turn the first thing they do is pick the direction they want their dunger to run. The player places the disc of random in the hex next to their dunger and point it in the direction they want it to go. The player then rolls 2 six sided dice on a roll of 2-6 the dunger listens and moves the right direction. on a roll of 7-12, the stubborn beast takes on in a different direction. The player rolls one six sided die, and consults the disc of random to determine which way the dunger runs. The player finally rolls two six sided dice and moves their miniature that many spaces in the required direction.
If a dunger runs into the wall it stuns itself, loses a turn and then move the next turn in the chosen direction (no rolling to see if it listens). If two dungers finish in the same space or adjacent to each other then they fight. Both players roll the dice (and if the active dunger actually moved in the right direction to get here it gets +1). High roll wins and stuns the opposing dunger. Their are also traps players will place on the board to complicate things more. The first player to have their racing dunger run across the finish line after touching the other three checkpoints wins.
The Game We Played
It turns out that I must have chosen a really stubborn and stupid Dunger. My wife's little racing creature mostly listened to her and ran the direction she wanted. In the rare instance that it did not, it often just ran back the way it just came. My stupid little critter though ran everywhere. I consistently rolled high on the listening roll and had the thing going everywhere. On three separate instances it ran straight into the wall stunning itself. It did not take long for my wife to pull away. By time she crossed the finish line, I had just touched the second check point and was trying to make it to the third.
Our Thoughts
My Rating: 3 (it's OK)
My Thoughts: This game is a lot of luck dice fest. Most of the time the decision at the beginning about which direction to attempt to run is immediately obvious. This is not a deep strategy game, but it is not suppose to be. The theme of this game is unique, fun, and oddly compelling. The luck filled dice rules do convey the theme of annoyingly stubborn animals racing around. This is not a good game with just two adults. However, this could be a good game for kids or a good game for a group of three to five friends looking for a fun, easy excuse to trash talk and laugh while playing a silly little game.
Her Rating: 1 (Never Want to play again)
Her Thoughts: This game is very frustrating in not getting to go where I want, and it is just silly. I could really feel the theme in the game though.
Verdict
Combined Rating: 4
Personally, I am a little disappointed that my wife did not like this game that much. Because while I did not love it, I found it pleasant enough. I am also a little disappointed by the component quality. The hex board is a paper map, and a particularly flimsy paper at that. This is not a great two player game, so it should be one that we get rid of. However, I can see this being a game that some of the teens at the church could have a lot of fun with and enjoy. Before deciding to get rid of it, I will play with them. If their are youth who like it then we will probably keep it, if not then it will probably end up as a Sweetener in the Gen Con no ship math trade.
My wife and I love to play games together. Join us for the journey!
- [+] Dice rolls
