Says Forge is a 2017 title created by Régis Bonnessée, published by Libellud, and located in our beloved peninsula from Asmodee. The game introduces an original "says crafting”: The dice supplied are in fact provided with interchangeable faces, which can be replaced with more powerful versions that we will buy during the game.
Components of Dice Forge
The materials of the game are of a very good standard. Let's start with the illustrations: beautiful, rich, colorful. Unfortunately, the images on the cards are sometimes a bit small and similar to each other, a detail that, due to the lack of a reference name, makes it difficult to search for the specific figure in the regulation (but it is also possible to trace the card based on the its cost). The dashboards are of good quality and are extremely ergonomic: we especially liked the die-cut tracks in which the cubes are inserted to take into account the resources in our possession. The central board (in which the game box is also used) is very beautiful and, thanks to its manufacture, it can improve the gaming experience. Finally, the dice: beautiful, large and resistant. The interchangeable faces fit together well and stably, without accidentally detaching (indeed, it takes a bit of force to remove them). Considering the materials on offer, the price of the game is ultimately incredibly low - an extremely rare circumstance these days.
Meccaniche
Says Forge it's a simple title and the rules are explained quickly. The players roll the dice at the same time applying their effects (usually by collecting the indicated resources), after which, in turn order, you can use any carte "rinforzo"In our possession. At the end of this phase and finally we can perform one of the two available actions: obtain cards or buy faces to mount on the two supplied dice. The same procedure is repeated for a certain number of turns (which depends on the number of players) and at the end the accumulated victory points are counted.
I 45 minutes of duration indicated on the box are in fact respected, and reach the scarce hour if we also include the explanation of the rules. To vary the experience, we find already included two sets of cards: in addition to the "basic" set that we will use in the first games, we will have an "advanced" set with cards to replace (partially or completely) the initial ones. In addition, an expansion is already on the market, as well as several promotional cards now only available through the secondary market.
Considerations
The title certainly has some notable strengths: the originality of the mechanics, the sumptuous materials, the price and the simplicity of the regulation, however it did not fully convince us. As is to be expected in a game of dice, luck has a major impact on the game and little control is offered to the player. The most obvious flaw in Says Forge is that it often happens to "forge" excellent faces on their dice and never see them come out in throws. After the first few games, we realized how the quantity of upgraded faces is preferable to the quality, and how much more convenient it is to focus on upgrading only one die rather than improving both. Even so, however, there will be games in which from your throws you will get nothing but the basic faces, and frustration will assail you inexorably as the other players progress without you being able to stop them in any way. Says Forge it can be a good title to try with newbies or younger players, while for experienced gamers we recommend that you continue to look around.
