Player 3 – Rumble in the Dungeon

This is a game I had wanted to try for a while but I was reluctant to purchase it because I wasn’t sure if I would play it on a regular basis. However I was able to pick it up for a reduced price at the Barnes & Noble Red Dot Sale and I have to say it exceeded my expectations, especially with my own Player 3 at home. When setting up the game I dumped out all of the room tiles and let the little one build her very own dungeon. A simple step in the game that really made it shine. The tiles have excellent art on them and Player 3 really enjoyed mixing and matching the pieces by length and width to create a truly unique dungeon experience each round. Once the dungeon was set up I placed the entrance and treasure room insuring they were the farthest away from each other and we moved on to character placement.

Usually character placement in the dungeon is random however Player 3 had different ideas. So we spent a bit of time discussing why each character would be in their designated rooms and once each character was placed, I passed out our secret identities and explained the rules of the game. Player 3 caught on to how the game worked immediately.

Game play proceeded quickly which wasn’t a bad thing as it kept Player 3 fully engaged and focused the entire time. However she didn’t start catching on to the bluffing aspects of the game immediately. Which, wasn’t a bad thing either as it opened up a discussion between us as to why I was winning each game. Now if you’ve heard any of my panels or other ramblings on the internet, you’ll know I don’t like telling younger players “how to play” a game. As I believe telling a player how to do something crushes any creative or strategic problem solving.

So to get around this I merely explained how it was important to watch what other people are doing on their turn as this could give clues to who they favored and that also meant you might want to disguise your own moves. After that it was a whole new games as Player 3 was able to start testing her bluffing abilities. The big takeaway here being that I didn’t tell her “don’t move your own character all the time because then I’ll know it’s yours!”. Instead I let her test how things worked and let her figure how to solve a problem on her own.

Edited Rules: None
Age my Child Played: 6 , and any game savvy 4 year old could play too however this game could become boring for older children and adults playing multiple times. (Box Recommended Age: 8+)
Skills Required: Not putting stuff in your mouth.
Skills Acquired:  Problem solving, beginners strategy building, bluffing and deduction.
Replay Value: You’ll get more replay value out of this game if you let your children design the dungeon, as it never seems to get old for them. For an adult this game could get boring after your fifth time in a row playing. I recommend setting it up and after a few games letting the little ones play with their siblings and friends.
Review: Over all I would say this game was meant for kids as I personally wouldn’t play it over and over with adults. However the rules are so simple that you can teach it to any non-gamer and gaming children with great success. After that they would easily be able to set up and play each round on their own. Also since you only take one action to  each turn this becomes an excellent game for first time players.

Have you had a chance to play Rumble in the Dungeon with your child? If so, I would love to hear what age they were and if they enjoyed the game in the comments below.