The Best Roll and Write Board Games in 2025

The roll-and-write genre has exploded in popularity recently. This accessible style of gameplay, reminiscent of classic Yahtzee, involves rolling dice or drawing cards, then using the results to fill in a personal score sheet. While simple in concept, roll-and-write games offer surprisingly sophisticated gameplay and endless opportunities for creative strategy.

Their appeal lies in their straightforward rules and immediate gratification. Players enjoy the creative freedom of personalizing their sheets, while the rules remain easy to grasp. This winning combination makes roll-and-write games accessible to a wide range of players, regardless of experience. Below, we highlight some of the best the genre has to offer.

TL;DR: The Best Roll & Write Games

Rolling Realms, Marabunta, The Fox Experiment, Twilight Inscription, Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up, Welcome To... Your Perfect Home, My City: Roll & Build, Railroad Ink, Next Station: London, Dinosaur Island: Rawr 'n Write, Cartographers, Long Shot: The Dice Game, Three Sisters, Fleet: The Dice Game, Sagrada Artisans, Motor City, Rolling Realms

Rolling Realms

Available on Amazon. Rolling Realms' unique charm lies in its realms, each inspired by another board game. Players assign die roll results to mini-games reflecting their source material. Three realms are played simultaneously over nine rolls, then replaced with three new ones, repeating twice for a full game. The realms themselves are superb microcosms of their inspirations, offering clever, family-friendly mini-puzzles. For an even greater challenge, consider the standalone sequel, Rolling Realms Redux, featuring more intricate realms playable solo or combined with the base game.

Marabunta

Available on Amazon. Renowned designer Reiner Knizia brings his strategic prowess to the roll-and-write genre in Marabunta. Designed for two players, this game depicts a tribal ant struggle over territory containing various resources. Dice rolls offer choices: expand influence across color-coded hexes or gain bonus points. This fascinating blend of spatial and mathematical strategy showcases Knizia's mastery of game design.

The Fox Experiment

Available on Amazon. Inspired by a real-life fox domestication experiment, The Fox Experiment from Elizabeth Hargrave (designer of Wingspan) uses dice to represent genetic heredity. Players breed foxes, selecting traits to meet end-game goals across multiple rounds of selection. While slightly more involved, it's a rewarding experience for its unique use of dice mechanics.

Twilight Inscription

Available on Amazon. Twilight Inscription uniquely adapts the sprawling scope of Twilight Imperium into a roll-and-write format. This 90-minute experience emulates the 4X genre (explore, exploit, expand, exterminate), offering a condensed version of the epic original. The game uses separate sheets for each aspect, creating strategic trade-offs as players choose which sheet to focus on each turn. Its larger scope makes it feel more like a full strategic board game than a typical roll-and-write.

Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up

Available on Amazon. Super Skill Pinball: Ramp It Up cleverly recreates the pinball experience using only dice and a pen. Players choose from four tables, navigating their ball through bumpers and targets based on dice rolls. The inability to reuse boxes adds a strategic layer, making for a thrilling puzzle.

The Best Board Game Deals

Welcome To... Your Perfect Home

Available on Amazon. A "flip-and-write" game (using cards instead of dice), Welcome To... Your Perfect Home involves town planning. Players choose house numbers and building cards to create three streets, balancing house order with various bonuses (pools, parks, etc.). It offers surprising strategic depth.

My City: Roll & Build

Available on Amazon. Based on Reiner Knizia's My City, this game features a rewarding campaign structure across multiple episodes. Each 30-minute episode introduces new rules, gradually increasing complexity. Episodes can also be played individually.

Railroad Ink: Deep Blue Edition

Available on Amazon and Target. Railroad Ink involves drawing a transport network on a grid based on custom dice rolls. Players link exits to maximize score, balancing dead ends with future connections. The Deep Blue edition adds rivers and lakes, offering additional strategic elements.

Next Station: London

Available on Amazon. A flip-and-write game where pencil colors are key. Players draw train networks from starting stations, aiming to cross districts and utilize tourist sites. The inability to cross lines except at stations adds strategic depth.

Dinosaur Island: Rawr ‘n Write

Available on Amazon. This game adds complexity and depth to the roll-and-write format. Players build a dinosaur theme park, managing resources, attractions, and staff while running a tour route to score points. It's a rich, strategic challenge.

Cartographers: A Roll Player Tale

Available on Amazon and Target. Cartographers introduces player interaction by having players draw monster icons on each other's maps. This adds a personal touch and enhances the world-building aspect.

Long Shot: The Dice Game

Available at Barnes & Noble. This horse racing game features a track board and player betting. Players can also buy horses to gain special powers, creating interesting dependencies between players.

Three Sisters

Available on Amazon. Three Sisters emphasizes action chaining. Players grow crops and flowers, gaining bonus actions that can lead to further bonuses, demanding strategic planning.

Fleet: The Dice Game

Available on Amazon. As a fishing fleet owner, players use dice to buy licenses and launch boats, maximizing profits through interconnected benefits.

Sagrada Artisans

Available on Amazon. This campaign game allows players to color in their stained-glass window designs as they build. It adds a relaxing and creative element to the strategic gameplay.

Motor City

Available on Amazon. Players manage four aspects of car production (design, engineering, etc.), using a dice-drafting mechanic and blueprint board to bring their muscle cars to market.

For more gaming options, explore our lists of the best board games of all time and the best puzzle tables.