Using the outer of three concentric tracks players start on the streets as a rookie committing crimes and dealing drugs. Trying to make as much money as possible, players work their way in and up the underworld ladder and try to get up through the three levels of DAD without being jailed or sent to hospital (ground level). Players can come and go without affecting game play. The object is to make the most money and become a DON.
(from £30.00)
Dollars and Dibble is a new board game from Bristols OP8 State. Called by one of its creators - a game for the Noughties - this is Monopoly with a difference.
You start life in D.A.D. as a Rookie with no cash and no assets. You earn your cash through crime and robbery, then you buy various drugs of good, bad and mediocre quality, and sell these at a higher price to increase your profits. Everything in this game is based on luck, the roll of the dice. For example, you land on a Crime square, pick up a crime card which enables you to have a go at committing a bank robbery worth £20k. Your success or failure at this crime is determined by the dice - a 1 or 2 and you have succeeded, £20k to you, sir, a 3 or 4 and you fail but dont get caught, a 5 or 6 and youre caught and must go to court and do your time. It is entirely up to you whether you try to commit the crime/buy/sell the drugs, in the same way that it is up to you in Monopoly whether you want to buy Oxford Street should you land on it. There are, as in life, unexpected twists - there is one square which, when landed on, means that your character has done themselves the terrible evil of taking all the drugs they had in their position and then ends up in hospital (length of time depends on the roll of the dice).
In one round, I had committed an armed robbery, bought some fairly good E, sold it at a good price, burned down my old school just for the hell of it, and got off with a warning from the police based on my agreed cooperation with them on other suspects crimes.
This is a game for 1-12 players and comes with a funky design including a pen in the shape of a syringe.
When first published towards the end of last year, the Bristol police were a tad unhappy about it - morally it could be seen as encouraging drugs and crime, but as its creators are quick to point out, it is no worse than all those Playstation games where the aim is to shoot and kill as many people as possible. Indeed D.A.D. comes with a pack all about drug useage and safety.
D.A.D. is a fantastic game, badder than the nicey nicey Trivia/Monopoly, faster than a shoot em up and more unpredictable than anything Ive ever played. Whos the Daddy?
