Blog posts
-
, by Eden Miller Future Hotness: Bare Bones
-
, by Eden Miller Free RPG Day DM Spotlight: Ryan and Kage
-
, by Eden Miller This Weekend at GG: 6/12-6/14
Future Hotness: Bare Bones
- , by Eden Miller
- 4 min reading time
Combine the mechanics of Splendor and Yahtzee in a dice rolling deck builder that's simple, elegant, and engaging.
Bare Bones takes the familiar drafting style of gameplay and applies it to a deck and dice combo. The system is simple: cards influence dice, which influence points and coins! With the variety of decks and dice throughout gameplay, Bare Bones offers endless engines to build. Add in the expansions and you're set for an approachable and replayable game made for any board game group.
Fans of games like Machi Koro, Catan, and Sagrada will enjoy the dice rolling and drafting mechanics, while fans of board game staples like Monopoly will appreciate the game's aesthetics, similar to that of a classic board game. Read on to learn more about how to play Bare Bones!
What Are the Bare Bones Bare Basics?
Bare Bones is a simple deck/dice builder, where players construct their decks with cards that affect the dice they can roll. Using several different dice colors, players roll to determine points as well as the coins they can spend to purchase more cards. Over the course of 12 rounds, players try to rack up the most points they can by acquiring new action and dice cards that empower their plays. Bare Bones is a total hidden gem with a minimalist style and engaging gameplay worthy of any game collection.
How Do I Play Bare Bones?
Let's get down to the brass tacks of Bare Bones. Your goal is simple: to have the highest number of points by the end of the 12 rounds.
Each player starts out with three white cards and four blue cards. The numbers on each card represent the numbers on each side of the accompanying colored six-sided die. So, for example, a blue card would add a blue die with the sides 1, 1, 2, 3, and 4 to your dice pool for that round. After determining the first player, players will draft their cards. In addition to their seven starting cards, players will draft three cards from the supply. With a total of 10 cards in their deck, the players draw five cards to form their starting hands and the game begins.
Every round, players will play cards from their hands to determine the dice they're able to roll that round, to a maximum of six dice. The numbers on the dice faces are the points they receive that round, except for white dice, which yield coins to be used to purchase more cards to add to their deck. By paying the coin value in the lower left corner, a player can add that card to their deck.
Action cards allow players to use special abilities with a variety of effects, such as Double Up, which grants double dice for two dice cards, though it nullifies any other dice cards played that round. These can be drafted at the start of the game and purchased throughout each round. Only five action units can be used per hand, though, so be sparing about the action cards played each round!
At the end of the game, the point total from each round is added up along with the total point value of each card in the deck. The player with the highest point value is the winner!
What Do the Expansions Add to Bare Bones?
The High Roller Expansion Pack adds three new sets of cards and four new custom dice. High Roller White Dice Cards allow players to purchase multiple of the same card on their turn. The After Hours action card offers players a bonus round at the end of the game, drawing a card for every After Hours card set aside in addition to their five-card hand. The Investment action card pairs with any White Dice Card in the player's hand, enabling that player to set those cards aside and pull them back into play on a later turn, gaining three coins when they do.
The Golden Dice Expansion Pack also adds three new sets of cards and four new custom dice. The Golden Dice Cards count for both coins and points, contributing two pips toward the player's action units total that round. The Showdown action card prompts the player to roll off with two opponents, setting aside their winning dice to be added to that round's points and coins. The Upgrade action card allows the player to trade a card from their hand into the supply for a dice card valued up to two coins more than the value of that traded. That card may be played immediately, enabling the player to construct synergies to increase their point total.
