The Las Vegas game has been reissued by Ravensburger. It contains the basic version of the predecessor and for the main game a modular structure with new action options. In addition, the game received a completely new design. You can find out whether the new variant is convincing in this review.
A game from the brand alea by Ravensburger
Las Vegas Royale is a remake of the popular game Las Vegas. It is by the author Rüdiger Dorn and contains, in addition to the already known basic game, a new variant called “Royale”. It appears under the brand alea by Ravensburger, under which mainly games with a high replay appeal or strategic claim are published.
Photos: Melanie Dürbeck
“Slip into the role of risky gamblers who try their luck with the dice in the glittering world of Las Vegas. You can visit six casinos, each with a different cube. And the amounts of money that you can win there are also different.
Teaser in the Las Vegas Royale guide
Round after round you ask yourself the same questions: Where do you place your own dice to win big? Which casinos do the other players bet on? And where can you possibly snatch a nice sum from an opponent and throw it into your own pocket?
But watch out, many a competition for the fat dollars has already backfired - and in the end a laughing third party is happy! The winner is whoever has the most money after three rounds. "
Good game material
In addition to lots of game material, the game box contains three instructions for German, English and French. Plastic bags are included as an extra for filling. The material feels valuable overall.
The game mainly consists of many dice, a total of 51 pieces, 35 of which are in the five player colors. These are simple D6 dice. One of a player's seven dice is larger than the others. This counts in the game as a die played twice. The remaining seven dice, consisting of two extra dice and nine blank dice, are only required for the extended variant.
Conveniently, a dice plate is included, the one here Cube arena is called. Visually and practically, it forms the central element of the game. It is made of plastic, but you can see a skyline that makes the cube plate look a bit more elegant despite the material. It also looks stable.
The cardboard elements for the six casinos, including the tableaus and tokens for the main Royale game, also feel solid. Nothing can be kinked that easily here, and that's important when the game is often set up and taken down again. Eight panels are included, which are printed on both sides. They thus contain 16 additional action options. The money cards are of a satisfactory quality.
Plastic tokens are included that can be used to suspend the game if the player does not like his throw but still wants to stay in the game. Tokens are commonly used as currency for gambling in Las Vegas.
The material creates a casino feeling through the use of tokens, but also through the look of the game with the dice arena.
Fixed game preparation
The so-called cube arena is placed in the middle of the table and that's why the ring with the six casinos is placed. Each player takes all seven dice of one player color and two tokens. Finally, cards are drawn from the shuffled pile of money cards. Two at a time are openly placed at a casino.
Clear rulebook and simple basic rules
The instructions consist of only eight pages. Since four of the pages only describe the rules of the individual tableaus, there is not much to read and learn. The rulebook itself is clearly laid out and the reader can quickly find his way around. I find the rule text itself formulated to be easy to understand.
It is positive that a black bar is drawn on the right-hand side with brief instructions for the game. Only the essentials are concentrated in these sections. This is helpful for players who have already played the game and have a rough idea of the gameplay. In addition, there are enough examples with illustrations for beginners or if there are any uncertainties. Getting started for both beginners and advanced users will be quick and easy.
The rules for the individual tableaus are noted in the second half of the instructions. In order not to overload myself with too much input, I would only read the sections or read them aloud when these tableaus have also been selected for the game.
Course of the game of the basic game
The base game is basically the same variant as it was before in the normal game Las Vegas Edition already existed. It is recommended as an introductory game. The course of the main game Royale is described in the next point.
A game has three rounds, each consisting of four to six rounds of dice. The player whose turn it is rolls all the dice that are currently available to him. For this he can use the cube arena placed in the middle.
The active player now chooses one of the rolled numbers and takes all dice with the selected number. He must now store this in the associated casino. This goes on in turn until all players run out of dice to throw.
The evaluation takes place after each of the three rounds. First of all, every casino checks whether two or more players have placed the same number of dice. If so, they will be removed from the casinos. Then the player with the most dice receives the highest amount of money, the one with the second most dice receives the remaining banknote card.
Simple gameplay, but tactical possibilities
The game principle is basically very simple. Even if it is a game with a high luck factor, you still have some tactical options.
One measure would be not to assign too many dice to a casino at the beginning, but to check round by round whether it is worth placing there. Because the teammates don't sleep. In the other casinos there is still money to be won and you also have the option of receiving the second highest amount of money. In addition, one can speculate that players “knock each other out” if they have the same number of dice in a casino.
More variety and casino feeling with the main game Royale
The tableaus are used for this game variant and are randomly assigned to the casinos. Thus, every casino receives an action option that the player activates as soon as he assigns dice to this casino. The actions are very different and offer more opportunities to get money or manipulate your dice. In addition, each game will be different due to the modular game structure. With this Royale edition, the game offers a lot more variety than the base game or its predecessor.
Images of Las Vegas Royale
Photos: Melanie Dürbeck
Infobox
Number of players: 2 to 5 players
Age: from 8 years
Playing time: 20 to 45 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Long-term motivation: high
Published by Ravensburger
Author: Rüdiger Dorn
Year of publication: 2019
Language: multilingual (German, English and French)
Cost: 49,99 Euro
Summary
Las Vegas Royale promises a quick introduction through a common set of rules with visual aids in the instructions. For one or the other player, the game will be too lucky. However, thanks to the concise title, you know what is waiting for you. If you can live with the great element of luck or generally like to play dice games, you should get involved with this one. Then Las Vegas Royale offers fun and excitement. Each round, your own luck is explored anew and you can still act tactically. The entry barrier is low because the rules are simple and the instructions are well structured.
Las Vegas feeling arises not only through the game principle, but also through the optical design and the material. With the new Royale-Edition, there are new action elements that can be built up again and again in a modular manner. This makes the game varied and ensures that it is often put on the table. The only drawback is the somewhat high price. Interested parties have to weigh up whether it is worth it to them.
