[Review] Easy Come, Easy Go

Easy Come, Easy Go (Out of the Box Games, 2005 – Reiner Knizia) is basically Knizia’s version of Yahtzee. If you don’t like Yahtzee too much, even as a lark, then you can probably stop reading now, because ECEG (Easy Come, Easy Go) won’t change your mind much. The components are absolutely stunning with one of the best dice cups I’ve ever used and beautiful prize tiles. But do these components justify the game?

Sadly, I can’t say that I’m a big fan of the gameplay. At first, when I first tried it, I had a blast trying to roll different dice combinations. But the game is really too long for what it is. With four players, our game lasted for forty-five minutes, which was thirty minutes too long. With tinkering, ECEG can probably be modified to play in a shorter period of time. But then, I’m not sure that it will do anything other dice rolling games, such as Dancing Dice or Can’t Stop, do better.

Nine prize tiles are laid in the middle of the table. Players take a turn (starting with the highest roller, rolling four dice (six-sided dice with sides 0 – 5) on their turn, trying to match one of the nine prizes. The combinations for the prizes are…
- A total of 3 or less
- A total of 17 or more
- All four dice showing the same number
- A total of 7 exactly
- A total of 13 exactly
- A straight (“0”, “1”, “2”, “3”, etc.)
- Two pairs of matching dice
- Three dice showing the same number and all four dice with odd numbers
- Three dice showing the same number and all four dice with even numbers
Once the player rolls the dice, they must “lock” at least one die before rolling again. Once a player has frozen dice in this manner, they may not reroll them again that turn. This means that a player will roll the dice four times at the most. If a player does not match any of the nine prizes, they pass the dice to the next player. If they DO match a prize, they take the prize tile, placing it in front of themselves on the table. A player takes the prize, even if another player currently has it.

If a player has three prizes, they have a chance at winning. If they keep all three prizes through two turns, then the game is over, and they’ve won!

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: As I said above, the components are grade A+. The dice cup is made of “leather” and felt, and just does a wonderful job – I may steal it for another game. The dice look like normal white six-sided dice, until one realizes that they have a null sign on one side instead of six pips. The tiles are wonderfully illustrated (by John Kovalic) and have some sort of laminate on them so that they are easy to slide around and maneuver. Each of these tiles (almost the size of a 3” by 5” card, would almost make a great coaster. Everything fits inside a custom plastic insert in a small, cubish box.

2.) Rules: Out of the Box does a good job in their games of managing to stretch a couple rules out onto six pages, and ECEG is no exception. Of course, this is because they use full color illustrations and explain everything so clearly that there’s no possible way you could misunderstand it. The game is simple to teach – even for Out of the Box, known for such simplicity.

3.) Luck: Okay, the picture of dice on the front of the box and the logo “The dicey game of changing fortunes” should warn people that the game is plumb full of luck. Yes, there is a minutia of strategy in determining which dice to “freeze” and what combos to go for, but the game is mostly luck luck luck luck luck. If you know this going into the game, it shouldn’t be a problem.

4.) The Never Ending Story: What WAS a problem was how the game didn’t really end well. The rules state that a person wins after they have three prizes for two whole turns. So here’s how a game would go: Laura would get three prizes. On the next turn, Peter would steal one, and then Zak steal the next. Then Zak would have three prizes. On the next turn, I would steal one, and Laura would steal one. A few turns later, Peter would get FOUR prize; but Zak would steal one, and I would steal one. This repeated itself ad nauseum, and it finally got to the point where I started rooting for people to FAIL when they tried to steal a prize from someone else, just so that the game would end. Changing the rules to requiring just one once-around to determine victory would help change this, but the rules as is state that a “challenging” game would require a player to hold on to the prizes for 3 rounds! Save me from such tribulation now!

5.) Fun Factor: When first playing the game, it’s fun to roll the combinations, especially when stealing from someone else. Howls of fun and joy fill the air. This lasts only a short time, however, until people begin to realize that too much of this fun becomes monotony.

I hate to be negative about the game, because at first glance it seems like fun. When I demoed the game at Origins, I had a blast, because I only played for five minutes. Easy Come, Easy Go is a GREAT five minute game. It’s simply a lousy thirty minute game. I’m sure that many games aren’t this long (I’ve played in one), but it only takes one to sour people on the game. If you really want this game, just play it for a short while, then put it away. That way the fun stays fresh.

Tom Vasel
“Real men play board games.”
www.tomvasel.com