Clever Cubed Review
If you have read my reviews of Ganz Schön Clever and Doppelt So Clever, you will know I have been big fans of them. They are both in my top twenty most played games of all time. Clever Cubed is the third iteration of my beloved classic and so I was keen to see if it stole my heart as much as the other two… read on to find out!
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Setup
Give each player a sheet of paper and a pen, both included. We tend to roll a die to see who goes first but basically, that is set up complete. It barely warranted a separate heading!
Gameplay
As it is similar to its predecessors, Clever Cubed will feel familiar to those who have played other versions. You will still be rolling dice and checking things off in the different areas of the sheet of paper with the aim of getting the most points out of all those sitting at the table.
Whoever is the first player rolls six coloured dice and chooses one to use on their board. They either cross through the relevant number or add the number of the dice to their sheet. The white die can be added to the blue to fulfil the placement criteria, or can be used as any other colour as a wild die. As mentioned, there are placement requirements to meet or decisions to make, for example if you use the pink die, you can either halve the scoring pip value to get the bonus, or use the multiplier above and skip the bonus. The instructions do a good job of explaining these, so I won’t bore you with the details here.
When choosing a die however, any dice that are lower in number are placed to one side and cannot be rolled again. The active player then rolls the remaining dice again choosing another. They then roll one final time, again selecting a die. All non-active or passive players then get to choose one of the discarded dice to use themselves. Play then moves around and these steps are repeated.
When all players have had a turn of being an active player the round ends.
Throughout the game players will activate bonuses. These include being able to reuse a dice at the end of the round, change the pip value of a die, re-rolling your dice, or filling in another square on your sheet of a specific colour.
Fox heads are another bonus which allow you to add your lowest scoring zone onto your final score, a few of these can make a big difference. At the start of each of the first four rounds you will also get an additional bonus. Depending on player count you will play four, five or six rounds before reaching for a calculator and tallying your scores.
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What it’s like
Like any game with dice a bit of luck is present. There are normally good choices on offer, or some ways to mitigate a bad roll in Clever Cubed. Generally, the mitigation is earnt via bonuses. Those are fairly easy to come by, so it shouldn’t be much of an issue.
I feel like Clever Cubed takes a bit longer to get some of the cool combos going than those released earlier in the series. Chaining actions is arguably the best bit across the whole series. Ultimately it makes you feel clever when this leads to that, which leads to this and then that. So chaining arriving a bit later in the game can make it feel less rewarding than both of its older siblings.
I particularly like the way the turquoise die works in this version, as when you take it you can additionally cross one square for every die you already have of the same pip value, the same is true with those on the silver platter for the passive player.
Watching on as the passive player still holds my attention, as you are keen to see what might be left behind for you to snaffle. That is really as interactive as it gets. Especially as no one would reroll their last dice just to ensure the passive players don’t get anything too good, or would they?
Also worth noting, adding up the final scores can feel a bit like a short maths lesson.
Solo
I have played this a couple of times solo and it worked very smoothly, just like the others do. You are basically trying to beat your own or the rulebooks score. Although, my scores were not that competitive, it was a nice way to spend some time on my own.
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Table Presence
This series of games really cannot brag about its looks. Cute, pretty, and sexy are not adjectives anyone would adorn these roll and write games with. However, Frank Lloyd Wright would be proud as form definitely follows function.
The rulebook is clear, and the majority of the bonuses and symbology will become familiar, especially if you have played others in the series. I always think it is nice that these games come with four pens.
Just like all the others, this has a lovely small footprint and can easily be played on a train or plane fold down table, but be sure to use the lid as a dice tray!
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Final thoughts on Clever Cubed
I’m not going to beat around the bush. Clever Cubed is my least favourite in this series of games. It doesn’t get played as much as the others because I would rather get those off the shelf.
That’s not to say I don’t get enjoyment playing it, I really do. If I hadn’t played its predecessors first maybe I would love this one much more, but I have and I can’t help comparing it. It generally ramps up a little bit slower, and doesn’t have those lovely moments of cascading around the sheet with bonus actions as often.
There is still a lot to like, I think it has the best bonus of them all, with the changing of the dice face. So if you have got tired of the others and want to freshen things up, or if you are a completist, then go grab it. Clever Cubed is still a lot better than a lot of other roll and writes on the market.
Key Facts
Number of players: 1 to 4
Board Game Review Recommended Age: 14+
Publisher’s Recommended Age: 12+
Playing Time: 35 minutes
Setting Up and Take Down Time: 1 minute
Designers: Wolfgang Warsch
Publisher: Stronghold Games
RRP: £15.99
Summary
Clever Cubed comes from a good stable of Wolfgang Warsch designed roll and writes. While still very good in the genre, it isn’t as good as the others from the same designer.
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Artwork and Components
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Complexity
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Instructions
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Interaction
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Value for Money
Overall
Pros
- Another iteration in a great series of roll and writes
- Good bonus
- A very slight ramp up in complexity
- Rolling dice
Cons
- Chaining bonuses take longer to set up
- Some luck in the dice rolls
- Comparing it to others in the same series
- Not the best looker
Need more games?
If you already own Clever Cubed and enjoy it, or are looking for other inspiration, you might also like these similar games:
- Ganz Schön Clever
- Doppelt So Clever
- Clever 4 Ever
- Draft & Write Records
Buy Clever Cubed
If you want to buy this roll and write game after reading our review click on one of our affiliate links below (note there has been no affiliate links until this point)
Reviewer’s Note
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