Spots and More Spots: Getting Well with Dogs and Dice
Fill in patterns on adorable, quirky dogs with all sorts of thematic actions and dice around the yard with Spots.
I’m back! Not to harp on it, but I got hit hard with COVID last week. I lost a few days to complete brain fog… There were no games for the first time in years, and I probably couldn’t tell you if I was awake or asleep for most of those days. Thankfully, I’m on the mend! I eased back into solo games with a delightful and easy sort of choice today… Spots!
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
All of these dogs have spots that align with dice patterns. The goal is to simply complete 6 dogs first! There are a variety of action tiles, though, and a lot more variety than it might appear. Lightweight solo games are nothing to scoff at… Or woof at? Ha! Just a very happy kind of game!
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
The Clown-Arounds
If you hang out around Solitaire Games On Your Table, you’ll know that this month has an optional theme around books and literature. Well, I had an idea about that…
Hello, childhood books! I still have about 50 books I grew up learning to read with. And there are lots of fun themes!
Get Well, Clown-Arounds! seemed like the perfect pairing with this game. Why? It’s all about green spots that convince everyone they’ve become ill. And it has dogs!
Be prepared for multiple crossovers over the next month or so. Hope it’s all a fun look back at my oldest books!
Unlucky Dice Rolls
My poor dogs. Ha! This is a game that has a little bit of strategy with the different action tiles, but mostly comes down to the luck of the dice. It’s either there, or not.
Multiple times, I busted even when the chances were extremely low. My dog pack was pretty unimpressed, and it was no surprise when the solo opponent handily won.
I went with a new tile set I wasn’t familiar with, so there was certainly a level of learning how to optimize my rolls.
Recovering from being so sick also required a little patience and kindness. I just found the funny moments!
Staying Put in Town
My old book was filled with more dogs than I expected! Wag-Around was a main character who had to track down grandma to deliver a letter, but look at this fellow!
Finding an appropriate action tile made me appreciate the sheer variety in what the game includes. Every action is unique, and can pair very differently with others.
Although I’m definitely not in the target audience, I took a few minutes to read through this book again. Charming!
The artwork also made me stop. I remember staring at the pages and finding all of the hidden, or stealthy, details.
An Interesting Action
Since I didn’t use all of the tiles previously, this new tile set gave me a lot more to consider. Scavenge had one of the best images, and it was actually very neat to use!
Paired with lots of spots in the yard, this was one of the safest actions out there. I managed to roll dice when I could discard almost any of them… Very helpful.
Even with the same set of action tiles, there is a lot to enjoy about the synergies that can be discovered.
But it was still full of lots of bad luck… These dogs were very unimpressed with my lack of treats. Ha ha!
Getting Well Without the Help of Board Games
The number one thing I wanted to do while I was feeling terrible is pretty obvious… Solo games! Unfortunately, I couldn’t even muster the energy to do much of anything. I was asleep on and off, walking into the wrong rooms and putting things down in the wrong places. My husband kept an eye on me, but my goodness! Such a disastrous time.
October was supposed to be the time I dug into some of my more complex games, especially ones that might fall into the Halloween theme. With the way I’m feeling, that’s absolutely not an option yet. So I’m pivoting to doing some cute book pairings with lighter games. It may not exactly feel like the right seasonal choice, but I’m excited about it all!
Know that if you’re struggling to pull together the energy to play a game, I was there. I ruined my years-long record of playing a game every day. It was that bad. And although I lamented it and suffered from extreme boredom, I’m back! The games were there waiting for me, and I’m thrilled to be back in the hobby after what feels like ages away!
Closer to Victory
It wasn’t long before I started completing dogs at the same time, often saving a full turn when I really wanted to be daring. Risky, yet that’s what this game is about!
The quick play time kept me coming back for more, and I couldn’t help but laugh at almost every dog. Every piece of artwork is just perfect for this cute and quirky style!
Some dogs seemed to work better together than others, but no one seemed to be any better or worse than the rest.
I was still outsmarted by the solo opponent many times, yet that’s what I expected as I slowly started to get better!
“I Must Be Very Sick!”
I’m pretty sure this page spread indicates what my life was like for several days last week. Not recognizing myself in the mirror? Yep… Happened twice. I looked terrible!
Spots all over? Not really, but the tell-tale double lines on my test were about the equivalent. Too bad it didn’t turn out that someone had colored on it. Nope: Sick, for real.
Sleeping in a shoe? Honestly, I could have. This setup looks oddly comfortable and I wouldn’t object. Ha ha!
Let’s just say I’m glad to be able to play even a light game again and share a vaguely coherent, mildly funny post!
Session Overview
Play Number: 9-12
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Puppy Pen Tile Set
Outcome: 1 Win & 3 Losses
At last! It took long enough, yet I managed to get all of these dogs together. The best part is that if I pull myself together, I will eat cabbage, taters, and ham today. But not the dog varieties. Ha ha! This is a wonderful little game that’s perfect to enjoy when deep thinking is not required. It offers a silly experience with enough strategy to keep it interesting and funnier than I ever could be!
%
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)
- Every dog is unique and features some of the quirkiest, silliest artwork in a charming style designed for laughs.
- There are a lot of action tiles included, and different combinations create very interesting decisions.
- Play time flies by with quick dice rolls and fairly clear action paths, though there is always a bit of uncertainty.
- Not a lot of thought is needed, making the game an excellent choice when limited brainpower is available.
- Custom dice almost look like standard dice, yet the slightly imperfect pips fit in with the experience perfectly.
- Only a handful of dogs are ever seen during each play, adding variety and the delight of seeing a long-lost favorite.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The card quality is a bit underwhelming, with lots of warping and some orange showing through behind the blue.
- Random luck is the core mechanic with the way the dice roll, which means planning too far ahead isn’t possible.
- Completing 6 dogs first is the win condition, and the solo opponent can achieve this quickly with the right rolls.
- A few of the actions are a little ambiguous, although there is an excellent online resource from the publisher.
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? Do you have any other lighter solo games you enjoy when you’re not feeling great? I may take a little time to dive into deeper games with the way I’m feeling right now, yet there are plenty of these simpler games I look forward to enjoying. Not feeling good enough to play anything was terrible… Glad to be getting better!
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