Seeing Spots: Laughing at Dogs and Rolling Spotty Dice
Create an adorable dog pack by filling in spot patterns on quirky and cute dogs with the help of different tricks in Spots.
Just thinking about a solo game of Spots is pleasant and fun! Although I’ve played with others, the solo mode is an enjoyable time of rolling dice and finding artwork that’s hard not to smile at. This has been sitting on my shelf for a bit and with a quick play time, it was time to fetch it for more fun. I was finally ready to sit and stay for this experience!
Game Overview
Game Name: Spots
Publication Year: 2022
Designers: Alex Hague, Jon Perry, and Justin Vickers
Artist: John Bond
Publisher: CMYK
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Various trick tiles provide a different set of actions to roll dice and fill in the spot patterns on dogs. It takes a short time to play, yet the push-your-luck elements are a lot of fun and keep gameplay very light. Plus, the dogs are all a joy to look at with their unique expressions and names!
First Play
December 29, 2022
Complexity
1
Latest Play
October 6, 2024
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
12
Play Time
5 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
18" x 14"
Low Score
N/A
Starting Out
It all begins with a yard, treat token, buried dice, and initial dogs. That’s it! All of the buried treasure can be seen beneath the yard, which adds another whimsical feature.
My starting dogs were Wilbur and Mayor, offering a few laughs before the first dice roll! See the spaces for dice?
The assortment of spot patterns can make some actions easier or more difficult, but this isn’t a game about perfect balance. It’s all about having some fun with silly dogs!
It’s also very nice to have clearly defined sides for dogs still in need of dice and completed dogs.
The Best Dog Pack
The solo opponent operates quickly and it’s simply a race to see who can complete 6 dogs first. Still, there are some interesting strategies and push-your-luck aspects.
After a few tries, I managed a victory with this dog pack! Doog is always hilarious to see, and any dog wearing a hat or sunglasses is a win in my book. Ha ha!
Nothing is all that deep here… Unless you count the buried dice! Controlling them and not busting can be a challenge.
I also ran into fun moments when I had piles of dog treat tokens, which helped with re-rolling all of the dice.
Imperfect Spots
Maybe it’s a small thing, but the dice add to the fun of the game. They feature custom patterns that mimic spots with slightly imperfect faces. How very cute to look at!
Although there are different assortments of trick tiles to add some variety to gameplay, it’s a pretty simple game.
I see it as an option to bring out when something light and silly is needed. There is certainly a game here with the choices to make, too, so it offers up a good deal of fun.
Plus, the trick tiles can really change up how things play out. I’m looking forward to playing with more of them!
Getting to the Heart of the Fun in Board Games
I always enjoy adorable and cute things… Have you seen my collection of Calico Critters?! Ha ha! But at times, I look at my collection and think back to the older games I had during childhood. Most of those don’t stand up to being enjoyable, but this game reminded me of that sense of having pure fun and not needing to evaluate every aspect.
There probably isn’t enough of a game here for a lot of players. For me, I love the simplicity and the sheer joy of drawing a dog card to see the next piece of artwork. That sense of fun isn’t just about finding interesting challenging, solving optimization puzzles, or improving over time. Sometimes, tossing dice and looking at dogs is enough!
Finding Actual Spots
My parents’ dog, Zoey, isn’t exactly spotted… But she does sport a mix of black and white! She also decided to cuddle up with a moose that matched these treat tokens.
I love dogs! It’s actually kind of interesting to see the spread of animal-themed games. Dogs don’t seem to be as prolific as cats, although I’m not complaining.
Zoey would likely make a terrible board game companion only because she just has to be as close as possible.
She only stayed here because that moose toy was apparently the most comfortable pillow ever devised!
More Pets for Tricks
If there was a new kind of trick tile in the game, Zoey found it! Naturally, she flopped over on this moose… Who sports a beard for unknown toy-related reasons. Ha!
This is her usual pose of reaching out for attention. She’s a master of looking off into the distance like she’s been neglected her entire life… All for want of more pets!
A lot of the trick tiles in the game absolutely mimic real life, and they add even more to the experience.
Although Zoey won’t roll any dice, she’s an honorary part of this game who I always think of when I play. Woof!
Interesting Choices
The rulebook includes recommended tile sets, although a random assortment is also possible! I enjoyed seeing the subtle differences in how I approached each round.
A tile is flipped over once used, but if a turn starts with a single option, a treat is added to that tile as the rest are flipped over. So there are never any truly dead turns.
My pile of treats helped out a lot, particularly when 2 or 3 dice just didn’t want to cooperate!
Some of my best moments were managing to complete 4 or 5 dogs at once, leading to very exciting endings.
Session Overview
Play Number: 3-8
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Dog Park Tile Set
Outcome: 3 Wins & 3 Losses
More fun dogs! The deck may not be enormous, yet there are so many adorable faces to see. I had a lot of laughs as the dice rolled, mostly in my favor. Never did I bust, although I did have 7 spots buried at a few crucial times. Such a fun little game! There isn’t a lot here in terms of major variety or entirely new strategies, but it’s a quick bit of push-your-luck with some of the best dogs around!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- All of the artwork is adorable and whimsical with all different sorts of spotted dogs with silly expressions or poses.
- Different tiles provide a surprisingly interesting mix of actions to explore across a lot of sets and combinations.
- Gameplay features very simple rules and a sequence of play that moves very quickly, typically lasting 10 minutes.
- Treat tokens help provide ways to re-roll dice and can be an important part of the strategy to win earlier.
- The solo opponent takes practically no time to operate, yet flips over tiles and provides a race to complete 6 dogs.
- Burying dice offers another mechanic that seems very small, but provides another tiny bit of strategic depth.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There may not be enough variety to make playing this one fun forever, although different tile sets can help.
- Gameplay is very much luck-based so it isn’t always about finding the best strategy, but getting lucky with dice.
- Dog cards aren’t always balanced, especially when some are paired together as the starting cards to complete.
- Card quality is a little underwhelming, with some warping and some uncolored edges on brand new cards.
Victory Conditions
Complete 6 Dog Cards First
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the standard difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game with the Adoption Event set.
Win at least 1 game with the Dog Park set.
Win at least 1 game with the Puppy Pen set.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like about Spots? All I have to say is… DOGS! Ha! Are there any other solo games you like that feature dogs? I’m getting much pickier about which games I keep these days, yet this one is just like a fun walk through the park. It continues to make me laugh with all of the cute artwork. Definitely glad I can keep playing this one for a long time!
0 Comments