I’d like to say yesterday was an interesting day and also my first day taking an LFT on the road back to civilisation.
However it wasn’t. It was a very painful day where taking an LFT was the last thing on my mind or actually do able.
Within minutes of waking up a pain on my right hand side started and it got worse and worse. The pain was so bad I was sweating, and being sick from it. I’d got a gallstone. A large one guessing by the pain.
I have a high tolerance for pain. But this pushed the limits even for me. I eventually called 111, and whilst on the phone to the local on call doctor I was throwing up. Her advice call an ambulance.
So I did. However the ambulance service decided I wasn’t a “priority” for sending an ambulance and should make my own way to A&E. Which might involve calling my doctors surgery to see if they could help get me to hospital. I certainly didn’t have the money for a taxi.
Whilst rolling on the floor in agony (and that word doesn’t not even come close to describing the actual pain) trying to think clearly what to do, who I could call, about half an hour or more had passed and the pain level dropped!
Another area of my anatomy then also started to hurt.
All of the above was over about a four to five hour period.
Now I was dealing with a painful side and a bladder area also in pain. And also screwing up the messages to my body about when I needed to go. I was regular up and down trying to go.
But at least with the new “lower” pain levels I was able to drift in and out of sleep during the afternoon. The pain finally stopped around 8:30pm. Gone just as quickly as it had started.
Looking back it wasn’t just a big gallstone that I passed but a few smaller ones too. Luckily for me. I don’t think I could have done a second large gallstone.
But enough of my medical problems, and over sharing. Let’s talk roll and writes! There is no relationship between the two. No easy way to segway into the rest of the post. So let’s just change the subject totally.
I enjoy roll and writes. I like the puzzly nature of them. They do tend to be a communal solitaire game with very little player interaction. Although some decisions you make like die selected may have an impact on the other players. But that’s the closest you get to “interacting” with other players. I think they can all be played solo as well. But I’m not big on solo game play. Besides one or two of them have app versions that more than replace that side of the game.
Below are the eight roll and writes in my collection.
I have played all of them bar one, Rome and Roll. From my understanding it’s probably the heaviest roll and write going. I’m hoping to get it to the table with Jonathan one day for a learning game. It’s on a couple of my bgstat challenges.
Probably the “funniest” one in my collection is That’s Pretty Clever. But not funny haha, more funny how I was introduced to the game and by whom.
I was first introduced to That’s Pretty Clever at UKGE 2018 by Jonathan during a gaming session at our hotel. It was his copy we were playing.
The funny bit to me is Jonathan isn’t a big roll and write fan. Yet I believe he still has this in his collection (but I might be wrong on that, I don’t remember him selling it on). And he introduced me to the game.
I like to think that each of the roll and writes I own are different from the others in some way (Qwinto and Qwixx might be the exceptions).
Currently my favourite two are Rolling Realms and Three Sisters. It’s just coincidence that these are also my two most recent additions.
You’re correct that I don’t really like roll and writes. I have two of three in my collection though. Let me think, and this is off the top of my head. I have Patchwork Doodle, which would be my favourite roll and write (although technically it is a flip and write); I have the aforementioned That’s Pretty Clever!, Castles of Burgundy Dice Game, Second Chance (which is very much like Patchwork Doodle being from the same designer). I can’t think of any others I own, but I’m sure there will be one that I’ve missed.
Out of your games, I think Qwinto and Quixx are the best. Rolling Realms is OK, but I wouldn’t get too excited to play it. Three Sisters was rather good, but man, it is combo heavy – almost to the point that you really need to take it slow and explain exactly what you’re doing, otherwise you’ll easily get lost. It can become quite confusing. As for Imperial Settlers, well, I did not like that.
The roll and write genre has been a bit hit and miss for me. There was a point that it felt like every game and it’s expansion was getting the roll and write treatment and it kind of put me off them – there was too many of them coming out (and I still think there is).
Glad you’re feeling much better though :)
I think the industry likes to follow trends when they see how successful a mechanic/genre is. Look at the time it seemed every game was getting a dice version, or there was a legacy version.
I think that’s a very valid point. The industry would obviously be silly if it did not follow the current trends. That said, I’d personally rather play and actual board game over a roll and write; even the dice game versions feel like proper board games than those that are dedicated roll and writes (technically most roll and writes would be classed as dice games but with the added pencil and paper). The Castles of Burgundy Dice game is actually a roll and write, although it was released and sold as a dice game.
As an addendum to my original comment and now I’ve had a chance to scan my shelves, here are a couple of additions to my roll and write collection that I forgot: Metro X and Zooloretto: The Dice Game.
I feel ashamed that I forgot about Metro X as that would take the top spot out of my roll and write games, pushing Patchwork Doodle to second place (although, like Patchwork Doodle, Metro X is technically a flip and write). My love of Metro X might be something to do with the theme, as it is quite satisfying to build an underground system.
And I’ve added this week Long Shot The Dice Game and Next Station London.