Don’t 4 Get Me Knot for Celtic Animals: Fun with Knot Dice
Place dice in different, interconnected patterns in a variety of games and puzzles available for the beautiful collection of Knot Dice.
Dice! I probably went overboard at one point with everything for Knot Dice… I may or may not own every possible set in green. And blue. Ha ha! Yet I realized I hadn’t tried out the animal-themed sets and had a variety of games still left to try out. So out came an immense number of dice, ready to be rolled and placed in all sorts of beautiful, knot-like patterns!
Game Overview
Game Name: Knot Dice
Publication Year: 2016
Designer: Matthew O’Malley
Artist: Uncredited
Publisher: Black Oak Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
So pretty! Different games and puzzles are included to enjoy these unique dice. Knots are formed from connected edges, but with a lot of game choices, these can be enjoyed in many ways. Look at this gorgeous final pattern with tons of knots! The end product is always simply beautiful to look at.
First Play
June 18, 2018
Complexity
1
Latest Play
July 3, 2025
Expansions
2
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
90
Play Time
15 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
20" x 12"
Low Score
N/A
Is This Enough Dice?
Mmm… I ask again, is this enough dice?! Actually, it is. I found additional sets to find new homes for, as I’m pretty sure this is more than I will ever need for every solo game!
The base set of 18 dice is enough to enjoy. Yet I have extra dice, along with Knot Dice: Squared and Knot Dice: Celtic Animals. Lots of variety and more games to play!
I made use of the dice bags, which actually helped fit these on a shelf in an odd spot. Saved a lot of shelf space for boxes!
But what about gameplay? This is a very relaxing sort of activity, often with low stakes and some calm dice rolls.
Heads or Tails? Or Feet?
The most recent set of animal-themed dice look awesome! These come in different sets, and I appreciate the addition of the tiny pips to make the dice even more functional.
However, the intricate patterns were a little too much for my mind to follow when it came to the animals. Look closely, and you’ll find that I placed a die incorrectly by accident.
I loved the new patterns and the neat inclusion of the animals! Just not particularly easy for my eyes to follow.
Pretty sure I still could have created a legal pattern with my last few dice here… Just a shame I missed that mistake!
Celtic Animal Patterns
In time, I felt a little more comfortable with these dice. I also realized that the pips could help me out with the animal faces. Helpful little reminders were appreciated!
I completed a bunch of puzzles by simply aligning a set of dice into patterns, then moved onto Kells. This is a simple game about rolling dice and connecting all of them.
Assuming I got it correct this time, all 18 dice were placed in this assortment. Talk about an interesting mix of knots!
Still, I’m undecided about the animal faces. They look lovely, but I still took a lot longer to “see” the line connections.
4 Get Me Knots
With another set of dice, I wanted to try out another game I hadn’t tried: 4 Get Me Knots in green! This is all about creating patterns to represent a bouquet of unique blooms.
Connected patterns must use a different number of dice to score. As usual, dice are rolled to offer up different options.
Look at this abstract bouquet! I actually liked this visual effect a lot and could kind of see how these might look like flowers. I mean, it took a lot of imagination, but I saw them!
This was a really enjoyable little challenge that created lots of very cool patterns. Definitely planning to play again!
Going Outside of the Box in a Few Ways
I really did go outside of the box… I moved most of these dice into bags for storage. Ha ha! This was actually quite helpful, as I fit all of the rulebooks and scoring tokens in a box and moved the rest into dice bags that can shift a little bit. Managed to move everything into an empty area on a mostly full shelf, thereby freeing up more storage space for game boxes. Yeah!
More importantly, though, I like how different this is. Placing dice in patterns might not seem like it has a lot of variety, but the games are quite interesting and unique. I loved creating my flower patterns in 4 Get Me Knots, and Kells will always be a hit for me. Not everything is enjoyable or works out as well as I would hope, but there’s a lot to love with these dice!
Session Overview
Play Number: 71-90
Expansion 1: Knot Dice: Celtic Animals
Expansion 2: Knot Dice: Squared
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Puzzles & 4 Get Me Knots
Outcome: 16 Wins & 2 Losses
The puzzles worked out nicely and had me thinking a lot, but I definitely loved 4 Get Me Knots even more! It will take a bit to work up to a victory with all of the unique designs. Yet I loved creating these and figuring out how to use the different types. Very nice and relaxing sort of experience!
%
90 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
4
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- Creating flowing patterns of interwoven lines and knots is a very calming experience with a lovely table presence.
- Different sets add a lot of variety to play, along with more ways to play to create even more unique patterns.
- Even the most complicated games move quickly and require a minimal time commitment to reach the end.
- The dice themselves are larger than standard dice and feature a nice contract between the colors.
- Many types of games and puzzles are included to get the most out of the dice, yet all seem easy to learn and play.
- Completing a pattern is very satisfying and it can be nice to sit quietly and visually trace the lines for a moment.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Some of the more intricate line designs, particularly on the animal-themed dice, can be a little difficult to follow.
- Collecting too many dice can be an issue, as the solo games and puzzles use a fairly small number most of the time.
- Dice sizes can vary slightly and pieces of silver paint are prone to flake off a little bit during the first few plays.
- Luck plays a big role in many games with dice rolling, which can lead to unsatisfying losses even with good planning.
Victory Conditions
Meet the Game or Puzzle Goal
- Overall Goal Progress 60%
Goals and Milestones
Complete 5 pages in at least 1 game of Kells: The Book.
Complete 5 walls in at least 1 game of Kells: The Abbey.
Complete 10 pages in at least 1 game of Kells: The Book.
Complete 8 patterns in at least 1 game of 4 Get Me Knots.
Complete 10 walls in at least 1 game of Kells: The Abbey.
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite game or puzzle to play with Knot Dice? Do you enjoy any dice set more than the others? I sometimes view this as more of a calm sort of activity, yet the games can present some neat challenges. 4 Get Me Knots, in particular, looks to be a very fun way to pass the time! Much like Kells, it seems like something I’ll continue to enjoy now and again.
These are all so interesting. I decided I would buy a set one day … maybe not today …
Hope you enjoy the dice if you pick up a set someday!