A good two years ago we already An Age Contrived from the still young game publisher Bellows Intent and were enthusiastic about the game. Now Rolling in Wonderland The second title will soon be realized via crowdfunding. The game designer behind this game is Daniel Alves, who was also responsible for CMON's Masmorra and various expansions for Chronicles of Drunagor. Find out what we think of the latest title in the following crowdfunding preview.
Note: We received the game prototype from Bellows Intent for preview purposes. The final product may therefore still contain various changes.
In Rolling in Wonderland We're off to the familiar world of Lewis Carroll. In Wonderland, we encounter familiar characters like Alice, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, and the Centipede. Together with them, we collect dice, activate actions, and try to earn as many victory points as possible.
The game board consists of six spaces, each assigned to one of the six previously mentioned characters. Each space has its own action, which can have varying effects depending on which dice are removed from it. After the evil Jabberwocky has found his place on one of the action spaces, a round of Rolling in Wonderland begins – as the name suggests – with the rolling of the dice. These dice, in addition to different colors, each have symbols of the different characters. The dice are distributed among the corresponding action spaces according to the symbol rolled. After that, the main part of the game begins.
In the main phase of a round, we collect dice from the corresponding action spaces one after the other, turn by turn. We must choose an action space and take all the dice on it. It's important to note that we can only collect a total of 6 dice per round. This means that if we take 6 dice on our first turn, we won't have any further turns that round. However, if we choose an action space that has fewer than 6 dice available, we can take another turn later.
With so-called "mushrooms," we can manipulate dice (except for the black ones). This allows us to move any die to any other space, or reroll two dice from a space and hope that they move to different action spaces. The idea behind this is to manipulate the dice as skillfully as possible, potentially giving us a better starting position for the action we want to perform.
Actions of the individual Wonderlands
Once we've chosen an action and taken possession of all the dice on it, we can perform the action. Collected black dice give us new mushrooms, which we can use for manipulation in later turns. All dice determine how the selected action can be interpreted:
At the milliner We can draw Hatter cards. The number of cards is determined by the number of dice (1/2 dice for 1 card; 3/4 dice for 2 cards; 5/6 dice for 3 cards). Hatter cards give us powerful, one-time or permanent additional effects that can help us score points.
The white rabbit Depending on which colored dice we collect, we advance at different distances along the rabbit track. The further we progress, the more victory points we receive at the end.
Alice provides us with cards with dice collection targets. Depending on which dice we collect from the Alice space, we can mark them on our Alice cards. Completing an Alice card earns us valuable victory points at the end.
The Queen of Hearts Lets us distribute soldiers throughout Wonderland, depending on the number of dice we collect. Firstly, to attack the Jabberwocky, and secondly, to secure our dominance over Wonderland. At the end, in classic Area Majority style, we receive victory points for having the most soldiers on each of the six action spaces.
The actions of the Grinning cat are determined by the color of the dice you can collect. The number of dice also determines how many actions you are allowed to perform. The Cheshire Cat always gives us a selection of different actions from the other Wonderlands, which can be combined in any way.
The centipede works like the White Hare. Here, too, the color of the dice collected determines how many steps we may advance along the Centipede's path. Each space gives us a weaker version of the presented actions. In addition, we also receive victory points the further we progress.
If all players have collected 6 dice at the end, the round ends and the player checks where the Jabberwocky is. The player with the most soldiers on site receives 3 victory points. The player with the second most receives 2, and the player with the third most receives 1. Then, the player checks whether the game ends or continues. The game ends as soon as a player reaches the end of one of the two paths (White Rabbit or Centipede) or has deployed all of their soldiers. Another possibility is for the Jabberwocky to visit all Wonderland spaces once. All victory points are then added up, and the player with the most points wins.
Our opinion on the game
We've been able to play Rolling in Wonderland in a variety of different configurations. With both frequent and casual players, it was great fun to collect dice and cleverly utilize actions. Manipulating the dice, in particular, is a key aspect of the game, as this ability is absolutely essential and gives the game its tactical flavor. Because the dice are randomly distributed at the beginning of each round, they're rarely optimally placed for us. However, through manipulation and the Hatter cards, we have a great deal of influence over what we can do and how, and that's tremendous fun!
Anyone can quickly grasp the mechanics of Rolling in Wonderland, but it's worth noting that the game is more complex than it appears at first glance. There are many small components to pay attention to if you want to complete the game successfully. All the ways to earn victory points and the area majority approach are fun, but can be a real headache at first, especially for casual players. Frequent players will quickly get the hang of it, while casual players will need a little time to get used to it. In our opinion, the game is more suited to the family/connoisseur game category.
However, that doesn't mean that Rolling in Wonderland is extremely complex and that families can't play it with their children. Quite the opposite: after one or two rounds, the game concept is quickly grasped, and everything can take its course. We can definitely recommend Rolling in Wonderland to all players. Casual players and families will enjoy a simple game whose theme may also appeal to children. Frequent players will also be able to fully explore the tactical aspects to earn every single victory point.
Kickstarter
From the October 07th you can get Rolling in Wonderland on Kickstarter The Standard Edition, which roughly corresponds to the prototype, will be available for $39. A Deluxe Edition will also be available for $79. This includes a neoprene playmat, printed meeples, mushroom-shaped inlays for each player, and additional game material for a fifth player. Both versions also include a few promotional items.
Information about Rolling in Wonderland
| Number of players: 1 – 5 Age: from 8 years Playing time: 45 - 75 minutes Difficulty: Advanced family game, simple connoisseur game Classification: Dice & Action Drafting, Area Majority Author: Daniel Alves Illustrations: Arthur Mask Publisher: Bellows Intent Official Website: Link Link to the campaign: Kickstarter Campaign start: 07.10.2025 End of campaign: 30.10.2025 |
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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Feuerland Spiele 31012 Arche Nova, Ages 14+, Large* |
43,99 EUR |
* = Affiliate link/advertisementAs an Amazon Associate, we earn money from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through one of the links, we receive a portion of the purchase price as commission. This doesn't cost you anything extra, but it helps support our website. Last updated on September 9.11.2025, XNUMX / Affiliate links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API. Images from Amazon PA API.
