My Top 10 Favorite Roll-and-Write Games

Jamey discusses his favorite roll-and-write games, including Cosmic Run: Rapid Fire, Qwixx, Cartographers, Birdsong, Railroad Ink, Rolling Ranch, Cat Cafe, Ganz Schon Clever, On Tour, and Welcome To.
Added later: Hadrian's Wall, Nirvana, My City: Roll & Build, Next Station: London
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[@EricWeissAtTopCap]

Thanks Jamey. I Really enjoy your videos, live streams and of course the games you publish and help design. This video in particular is of interest as I love role and writes. So much so that my company is creating and app for Fleet the Dice game. I hope you will have the chance to play the tabletop version soon as it is a deeper experience than many in the genre yet also approachable and completed in a short time. I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate your efforts in keeping the industry strong and hobby fun.

[@andymcguire237]

My favorite is last years Fleet: The Dice Game. It's so damn layered and fun!

[@sporkticus4061]

I second this! Fleet is amazing. It’s like “It’s pretty clever” with the combos but the layers are so good.

[@dr.masque2903]

Thanks Jamey. Weird but I feel like every time I see one of your videos, there is something in there for me. Currently working on a roll and write Santa themed game which will initially be just for the family. Solid list here and some I need to check out.

[@michaelhall7080]

Roll Through the Ages was one of the early Roll and Write games but still a great one and very replayable.

[@jimtompkins9946]

Although it uses miniatures, I think Tiny Towns is another very good type of flip and "write". The roll and write version of Castles of Burgundy is a favourite of mine.

[@uzi_does_it_2017]

Castles of burgundy is my favorite roll and write as well.

[@gaillardlionel]

I love the small form factor of roll and writes, they're easy to carry and store. A game like on tour is pushing it in that area...

[@joec222]

Love the app version of Ganz Schon Clever. So many plays of it and I paid .99! Avenue/kokoro is excellent and one of my favorites.

[@ericdollarhyde3296]

I definitely love the set-up time for roll and writes, they're quickly becoming my go to solo genre for a quick 30 minute lunch game or while I'm laying in bed, also I do love the paper because you can save games easily, and come back to them later.and easy to keep old games so it really makes campaign play attainable.im using roll through the ages bronze age for a 15 game year solo campaign, works really well.and I can use blank spaces on the game sheet to modify, and make/add my own game elements!! Plus the low price point, making roll and write my most played genre lately!

[@J-Wheeler-G]

Whe got Doppelt So Clever because at the moment we couldn't find Ganz Schon Clever (with out overpaying) and we are loving it.

[@Breyfunk]

I would love to see Stonemaier pick up Birdsong much as it did My Little Scythe!

[@nicola-drawntogames2675]

Great video, so interesting to hear you talk about roll and writes here after watching videos where you talk about Rolling Realms - the dry erase vs paper, infinitely scaling... I see parallels between On Tour and Rolling Realms which is fun. As a roll and write fan I’m curious if your top 10 roll and write games have changed since this video? If so would you consider doing an updated top 10 roll and writes video?

[@jameystegmaier]

I have indeed played a few games of this style over the last 2 years that may impact this list. I'll cover the topic in a few weeks in a video about games you might enjoy if you also enjoy Rolling Realms. :)

[@nicola-drawntogames2675]

@@jameystegmaier Awesome, I'll look out for that. :)

[@bobnetherton4957]

Great topic! Roll/Flip-n-writes are one of my favorite types of games. I am approaching this from a completely different aspect, which is interesting. One of the most appealing types of roll-n-write to me are ones that are derived from a larger, perhaps more complex game. My ranking is largely based on the big game they are derived from. In a few cases, I actually prefer the roll-n-write. 1. Steamrollers - because you don't always have 3 hours to setup and play Railways of the World/Steam. This gives me most of that pick up and deliver fun in 45 minutes or less. And the solo mode is very good. 2. Castles of Burgundy: The Dice Game - has a special place in my heart because it was the roll-n-write that really grabbed us. Stripped down Castles of Burgundy that we can play in 15 minutes. 3. La Granja: No Siesta - I bet you can see the pattern :-) 4. Imperial Settlers: Roll and Write - I like the multi-player mode but this one becomes special as a solo game. I really like how Portal is supporting this one though downloadable event promos (Origins, Essen). 5. Corinth - this is derived from another game that I can't recall but I have not played it so this one makes the list as an original I guess. Scratches a lot of the same spots as Imperial Settlers but different enough not to share a spot. 6. Welcome to... - You covered this well on many occasions. Completely agree. 7. Rolled West - a fantastic little implementation of Gold West. 8. Octo Dice based on Stefan Feld's Aquasphere. 9. Patchwork Doodle - I prefer this to Second Chance which is similar. 10. Roll Through the Ages 11 :-) Railroad Ink/Welcome to Dino World I was sad to see Seven Bridges not fund on Kickstarter. I think the issue was the price barrier that you discussed at the end of your video. The Mythbusters would call it "plausible" :-) I hope the designer rethinks some of his production and shipping choices as it looked like a very good and thinky kind of game.

[@rickadam6051]

Great list Mr. Stegmaier! You listed my two favorites Cartographers and Welcome To. I am always willing to play either one of those games. I'd be interested to see what you would do if you ever tried your hand at a roll and write or flip and write.

[@mirajusman9543]

I laminated some sheets for " Welcome To" thanks Jamey

[@GamingIndoors]

Hey Jamey - do you ever have an off day mate ? You’re always so cheery :)

[@jameystegmaier]

Gaming Indoors Definitely! But I try to be cheery for the videos :)

[@mkitten13]

This is not a big genre for me personally, I'm generally more drawn to heavier and/or more complex games, and it's difficult to pull that off with a sheet of paper and some dice. Often, I end up feeling what they lack rather than what they bring, if that makes sense. But I do have one that I actually love, perhaps because it goes beyond what I usually find in roll 'n writes, and that's La Granja: No Siesta. I love that it's dice drafting, that the die faces are unique and not numbers, but that you can still manipulate what you get with the discs, I love that it has special abilities you can unlock, that it has an advanced variant that mixes up things. I feel it brings a lot for such a little game. As for my preference in terms of format, I definitely would say pen and paper over dry erase boards and markers. Not because I care to keep the used sheets between games, I actually throw them out. But it can get really inconvenient if you have brought a game to game night and too many of the dry erase markers are suddenly dried up. With pens, there's generally plenty around no matter where you go, so even if you brought some that fail, you can still salvage the gameplay. Also, I find dry erase writing messy, and it's so easy to accidentally wipe out something.

[@StevenStJohn-kj9eb]

I think one other design issue you could have mentioned is the other side of scalability: solo play. It seems like many (most?) roll and writes are soloable as-is or with very minor rule tweaks (as interaction tends not to be a major part of moving the game along). The only 2 roll and writes I play regularly are Castles of Burgundy: The Dice Game and 30 Rails, and both solo very easily. While I solo other games (Scythe, Terraforming Mars, Viticulture, Ex Libris), it sometimes feels odd to set up a big game for just yourself. Roll and writes, however, feel like you're doing a crossword puzzle or you're reading a book - they feel like they can and should be played solo. Also, their (often) small footprint and (often) shorter play time and (often) limited components means you can solo them in places where you wouldn't normally game - a waiting room, an airplane, a restaurant. Random question: is Boggle a roll and write?

[@bobnetherton4957]

The solo mode of many of these games was a big draw for me for exactly the reason you describe. I always bring one or two on an business trip. Even with multi-player, the shorter setup and play times get these to the table easier than their larger relatives.

[@gaillardlionel]

Silver and Gold deserves a spot on that list, it's great

[@TheWildernessEnthusiast]

YES!

[@aaronstark5060]

At the time you made this video, I’d have agreed with your point on maximum price for a roll and write. However I gladly changed my mind on that for Hadrian’s Wall.

[@josedeza8998]

A few that I haven’t tried yet but am sure I will love, and probably you’re gonna like are/ SteamRollers, Silver and Gold and Rome & Roll (in KS right now). A couple that could probably fit your top ten are Kokoro: Avenue of the Kodama (route building ala RailRoad Ink), and Castle of Burgundy: The Dice Game.

[@JosephFlemming]

My first play of Imperial Settlers roll and write was pretty fun. I wasn’t sure bc of some mediocre reviews but it was great. I do agree we need the. It’s from IS as it’s too hard to remember all your goods and actions after a while

[@wombatwad]

Just started into this genre. Welcome to is awesome

[@helenslater3129]

I love Welcome To and Cosmic Run Rapid Fire :-)

[@jkledis]

I enjoyed Cat Cafe very much - in fact my wife made me preorder it. We played it at our Game Cafe. I also have Twice as Clever and enjoy it because I can play it in solo mode. These did cost less as I expected them to. Are you developing a roll and write? I hope so I love your games!

[@stephenspackman5573]

For myself, I prefer games that don't get consumed. Interestingly, it's as easy to photocopy Railroad Ink after a game as it is to copy Ganz Schön Clever before one-but I can't imagine anyone doing it! There's one important difference between paper games and dry erase games, though, and that's ease of in-play update; games like Talon and HEXplore It use dry erase for dynamic status keeping on components that (for different reasons) would be less comfortable with cards or chits, while still being cheaper and simpler than things like dials; quite different from the monotonic quality of typical roll-and-writes. Actually, come to think of it, the underlying technical commonality of this class of games is “randomness feeds monotonic constraint satisfaction”, which suggests that a lot of polyomino games-Spring Meadow is the example I can see from here, but there are lots lately-arguably fall in the same category, while getting the job done entirely with tiles.

[@manonfire1174]

I have heard the games that use cards called "flip and fill"

[@Keindzjim]

Or "draw and draw"

[@Tr1n1tyNZ]

Thanks Jamey. Given me a few ideas as I’ve never played a roll and write (unless you count Yahtzee when I was a kid 😜). I don’t think I’d mind no interaction as I would probably play solo or two player at most. I still can’t see why Cartographers is so popular - I prefer the tactile aspect of placing tiles or Tapestry pieces. Do you think you will ever design a roll and write given how accessible they are?

[@nirszi]

Would love to see a Tapestry roll/flip and write.

[@jameystegmaier]

We now have one! Check out the Tapestry realm in Rolling Realms. :)

[@nirszi]

@@jameystegmaier got it last week. Looking forward to playing it!

[@mattyweaves]

I thought Railroad Ink was ok, and I love Welcome To (especially when we put on a 50's spotify playlist while we play), but Fleet The Dice Game has blown everything else away. You need to get your hands on it, and get the Lighthouse Dice Tower too, because it's awesome.

[@benjaminbaker4810]

Hey Jamey, would you be able to try out Explorers the flip & write game by Phil Walker Harding? It is such a good game, and instantly became my #1 favorite game in the flip and write genre. I'd be curious to find out what your favorite mechanic in it is, and maybe how it would rank on this list if you updated this top 10 list. Another one you should try whenever you have the time about is Dice Stars, an excellent lesser-known Bruno Cathala roll & write game. (and one I just posted a fan made rolling realm for on BGG).

[@jameystegmaier]

Definitely, I'll check it out!

[@benjaminbaker4810]

Also, watching you describe On Tour, your #1 game on this list, I noticed you basically described Rolling Realms (infinite # of players, since all players use the same dice). I'm guessing On Tour was a big inspiration for rolling realms. Makes me want to get On Tour!

[@marcomarques6205]

Roll and Write game and Rubik Cube.?? Nice.👍

[@tomasxfranco]

What's that ball of fur sunbathing in the back?

[@jameystegmaier]

That's a cat!

[@spaztekwarrior]

Saint Malo :) one of the first and one of the best :)

[@Assie8911]

Hi Jamey, great list again.One question?could you put a picture on the screen for games you don't have.if you have the time.It would help alot .thank you for making these videos.

[@ZoidbergForPresident]

There's another recent one that may be considered a roll and write but more "complex": Dungeon Academy. Not your usual roll and write but darn funny, I can only advise you to look into it.

[@trapper0707]

If you like Rolling Ranch you should try La Granja No Siesta similar concepts but with more interaction between players. Veeery very cool

[@alexcrouzen1130]

Did anyone have the thing where they thought who this 'Roland Wright' was and how he suddenly made all these new games?

[@MrStevenvanL]

'Shut Up & Sit Down' did - they even had Roland Wright make an appearance in their videos.

[@kodim420]

Have you tried Avenue or the reprint, Kokoru: Avenue of the Kodoma?

[@shawns3911]

This list has to be redone to include Rolling Realms

[@troynewhoff9542]

You really need to play metro x if you havent and fleet dice as mentioned.

[@amandinem7071]

Thank you for your video. Do you prefer deep blue edition or blazing red edition of railroad ink ?

[@jameystegmaier]

I've only played the blue version. :)

[@fredoblong]

At number 2, I was getting ready to post "What about 'On Tour'?", lol...you did well! As mentioned, you may want to try Silver and Gold if you haven't already. Probably my 1 or 2 w/ On Tour.

[@nebelung1]

yea, I don't think roll and writes should go above $30 unless they have some spectacular components, like a huge board or something.

[@AthexTube]

Thats Pretty Cleaver - translation for ganz schön clever

[@stephenspackman5573]

My German's really rusty, but I'd have rendered it more like “really pretty clever” or (more idiomatically?) “pretty darn clever”. I want to render “ganz” as “quite” in the odd British sense of “completely”, but that collides with the “pretty” which (almost coincidentally) translates literally as “pretty”, and it's impossible to resist keeping that. In any case-and I stress that I might be misunderstanding!-I thought there was an elegance in the German title's apparent ambiguity between a smugly self-praising game (“this is pretty clever”) and a representation of the self-satisfaction a player feels after a good move (“that's pretty clever”).

[@CoUNtryForEva]

welcome to dinoworld

[@ibiliss]

Does anyone even know an underrated gem called "Merkez"?

[@FestaNoYoutubiu]

It’s difficult not to stare at the window,