Last night whilst some club members were playing Railways of the World or team choo choo as I named them. Ben, Charlene and Harrison joined me to play a roll and write trilogy of games by the designers Ben Pinchbeck and Matt Riddle.

We started off our evening of rolling dice and crossing off boxes with Ben and Matt’s first game in this series Fleet the dice game.

I had not played Fleet or Fleet the dice game before. So playing this was a first for me. But one I was keen to play as I enjoyed the other two games in the series.

Fleet the dice game is all about running a fishing fleet. Well that’s the theme.

But let’s face it with a roll and write you aren’t playing for the theme. It’s so hard to do theme in this genre of game.

This game of Fleet the dice game was just the core game, no thrills.

Having played the other two games in the series there are common elements that run throughout them all. So picking up the game was a cinch. You just need to know how it varies from the others.

In this case it’s the flow of the round, the two sets of dice that get rolled at different points in that flow. Plus what is generating you points and when.

There were some pleasing combos in this game. But I didn’t feel the game was as combotastic as Three Sisters.

Ben bought the most fish home for the win!

Next up was the follow up to Fleet the dice game, Three Sisters.

Our play of Three Sisters was an all in game. That’s not just the weather expansion. But also the new rock garden pad that was an extra on the Motor City Kickstarter.

This was a first for Ben, Charlene, and Harrison playing with these expansions. They’d played Three Sisters before. And a first for me with the new pad.

I like the new pad.

Completing a row or column in the rock garden gives you a bonus. You complete a row by marking off a number that matches the die you chose off the rondel.

This gives you an additional factor to consider when choosing that die. Now it’s not only which rondel action you want and the garden you are planting or going to water, but also what you need to mark off on the rock garden to get that bonus.

And you do have to consider things as you won’t fill the rock garden. At best you will fill eleven spaces, but more likely up to eight.

Somehow I managed to win our game of Three Sisters.

Our third and final game of the evening, and the latest to join the series (having only just been sent out to backers) Motor City.

Like Three Sisters this was an all in game.

So we had the unique certificate tiles, plus the Bob’s expansion.

What I like about the expansions in both Three Sisters and Motor City is that they can be added with very little additional over head to the actual game.

Obviously the unique certificates adds no overhead at all, but gives each player a unique sheet. I don’t think I’ll play without these.

The Bob’s expansion uses the auditor die to select a couple of bonuses that can be claimed during a round.

I do like how in both this game and Three Sisters a die is used by the expansion. There is no overhead in using it except remembering to do it.

Harrison won our game of Motor City.

I know for Charlene and I think Ben their favourite of the three is Fleet the dice game. But with the caveat that they need to play Motor City a few more times.

But for me Three Sisters is still my favourite. With Motor City not far behind. Fleet the dice game needs more plays, and to be back in print so I can add it to the collection.

This really was a great evening playing the trilogy. Something I hope we are able to repeat in the near future.