Cube Quest!

QuickFacts:
Board Game Geek: Here
Dice Tower Review: Not yet released
Geek and Sundry Tabletop: Not played
Plano Box Size: Not really necessary
Number of Players: 2
Val’s ‘Geek Intensity’ Rating:

Hey there! We’re Chris & Valerie and we like to play games together. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy for us to find others to play with – this means we often have to pay special attention whether the selected game is a good fit for two players. Here we explore these games and help you decide the all-important question, “Can this game work well with just two players?”

What’s this!? A PREVIEW! Valerie and Chris recently traveled to PAX East to try some new games. Here’s a quick preview of the upcoming Gamewright game, Cube Quest!

Disclaimer: We did not have the rule set available to us at the time of play testing but went by both the verbal instructions provided by Gamewright and our own guesses. Any assumptions on the game play, game materials, or the like are just that: assumptions. We’ve reached out to Gamewright for a demo copy and will update and review if they’re generous enough to help us out.

Further, this is supposedly a reprint and modernization of KingBrick with a fantasy flair which both Valerie and Chris have not played.

Base Mechanics: (as we understood them, see the disclaimer above)

The goal is to protect your King cube and knock your opponent’s King cube off the board.
You have 40 points to build your army and an assortment of cubes (dice) to select from. Cubes cost between 2-4 points and further differ by their roles. Example: The “Skulker” cost 3 and it can be removed from the board (rubber mats) and returned to a more strategic location when certain criteria are met. Other roles consist of Heroes, Healers, Grunts (?), King, and more, each with a cost and ability.
After your army is built you deploy them on your rubber mat. Your opponent will do the same on their rubber mat. We used the box as a separator so we could not see each others army or setup (think Battleship).
Once built and deployed you take turns literally ‘flicking’ your cubes to more advantageous locations, preferably on your opponents rubber mat.
Each cube has sides which, if landed upon on your opponents mat can trigger a capture event. If such an event occurs you roll that dice to confirm or deny the capture.

Chris’s Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this game. It was one part Stratego (deployment), one part Ala Carte (physical antics), and one part Warhammer (build your army with points) gently stirred and poured over a beautiful rubber place mat. I’ll tell you right now, I love rolling dice and I love rubber mats. I love a 3D game space and I love the randomness of a game not influencing my ongoing strategy. This game has all this. I can see myself choosing not only a cacophony of armies but also layouts on the board. This game is wide open for expansions in both cube and players. Can you imagine different sized cubes? Different sided cubes? A ROUND MAT for games with more than 2 players?! I can’t wait to see how they can expand this game.

Now to be fair, and repeat above, we didn’t get the full scope of the game. The demo box art shows dice stacked on top of each other, and we guessed on a variety of game-play elements which could dramatically change how this game can play. As such I will withhold my criticisms to two pieces of feedback:

If the gameplay is a ’1 flick’ turn, alternating between the two players, I feel the game could suffer from a slow pace and less dynamic cube movement. I’ll flick my Knight onto Valerie’s board, she’ll counter making my Knight rather exposed. I’ll counter flick until it’s captured or removed from the board. Meanwhile both our armies are resting comfortably in stasis neglected. I hope this is not the case.
The demo mat showed wear in a location which I can only assume is a common ‘flicking’ location. I hope the final product does not exhibit this.

Valerie’s Thoughts:

A game where not only are you allowed to flick things but are actually SUPPOSED to? Sign me up! The flicking mechanic gave a totally new spin to this Stratego-style game. The rubber mats were very nicely made and the die-like cubes were lighter than regular dice to facilitate in the flicking (or so I assume, though it could be that they were prototypes). Without having rules to refer to, game play was a little unsure and we didn’t have the best set-up (our table wasn’t nearly wide enough). This strikes me as a great game to play on a carpeted floor, so when cubes get flicked off the mats they don’t bounce and travel for days. This game would be great for families or younger children – even if they can’t help in logically setting up the board, they’ll love the flick aspect. It works great for 2 players and does seem to have the ability for multiple expansions. I’m not sure about replayability – that would be the only negative for me. It also could potentially be a great drinking game, if you like to play that way. The price ($30) is a little steep for the components, but as they are quality built and will probably take a fair share of abuse, it seems worth it. Overall, I enjoyed the game and would love to try it again!

Final Thoughts:

Valerie and I played this with another couple at PAX East. We decided girls vs boys with each player taking turns. I admit the ‘party’ atmosphere was apparent as there was smack talk, laughs, and all the necessities with playing a game that uses a small percentage of physical finesse. I like to equate this to a round of Mini Golf with friends. Cheers, jeers, fun frustrations, and every once in a while a hole in one. The only ‘con’ to the team thing is the duration between your flicks. Chris wanted to do a flick, but he had to wait for 3 other players to go. There was some serious, “are we there yet?” feelings coming out. That being said, the game is designed for two, so this isn’t really an issue. Definitely added to the (sort-of) short list of potential purchases!

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