During my youth, the best way to settle a disagreement was with a classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. As I got older, that translated to the card game War. What would happen if you mixed the two into one hybrid game? You’d get Dogo Dash!
| Dogo Dash (2019) | |
| 2-5 players | 15 minutes |
| Ages 6+ | BGG Weight – (unavailable) |
Disclaimer: We were provided a PnP version of Dogo Dash for the purposes of this preview. The artwork and colors may see some changes between this preview and the final production, but is the most current version. -L
Dogo Dash is a trick-taking party game in which players are trying to earn points by collecting the most cards by the time the draw deck runs out. Setup is quick and easy – shuffle the deck and deal 4 cards to each player. Looking at their hands, players will then select one card to play this turn, and will place it face-down on the table. Once all players have chosen their card, everyone will reveal their cards at the same time. The player that played the strongest card is the winner for the turn, and collects all of the played cards. The strength of the cards is as follows: Cookie beats Bear and Dog, Bear beats Dog and Cat, Dog beats Cat, and Cat beats Cookie (and therefore all other cards this turn).
In the event of any ties, where multiple players have played the strongest card, play continues with a small change – the cards played in the round of the tie remain on the table. The tied players select another card from their hand and reveal it simultaneously. Whomever wins this tiebreaker collects all the cards. If the tiebreaker ends in another tie, then the tied players split the cards between themselves. If any player plays a Good Boy card, that round automatically is considered a tie, and a tiebreaker commences with all players. All players draw back up to 4 cards, and play continues in this fashion until the draw deck is empty. The player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner!
As you can see, this game is pretty simple to learn and fast to play! The elements of War and Rock, Paper, Scissors are evident, but altered with more ‘character’ options and a more involved hierarchy of power. Unlike traditional Rock, Paper, Scissors, the animals/cards of Dogo Dash are more versatile in play. Instead of only beating one other type of card, each card will act differently based upon what other cards are played that turn. For example, Dog always beats Cat – unless someone also played Cookie. Because Cat beats Cookie, which beats Dog, so Cat wins this round! Instead of relying simply on numerical order to determine the hierarchy of power, the game feels more engaging and fun to play.
Another neat element is the inclusion of the Good Boy cards. When played, they automatically force a tie. All players then must participate in the tiebreaker. The Good Boy cards could be a strategic way to bag a ton of cards for yourself – forcing a tie and then winning the tiebreaker earns you essentially 2 rounds worth of cards! Or they could just be a silly way to interfere with opponents or just to keep a round from ending. There are also a couple of special card combos that can be played in a round, but I will leave those for you to discover on your own!
So all in all, how does Dogo Dash perform? I think it is a fast, fun, and light little game that can be played in many different situations. Whether you need a small filler game, are introducing newer gamers to the hobby, or want to find a game that is kid-friendly, Dogo Dash fits the bill. The gameplay feels familiar, but with a few twists, and that makes the overall game fun to play. Definitely check out Dogo Dash once it hits KickStarter – you don’t want to miss out on this treat!
