Roll for the Galaxy

ROLL FOR THE GALAXY is a 2014 DICE-BASED CIVILIZATION-BUILDING BOARD GAME designed by WEI-HWA HUANG + THOMAS LEHMANN (Lehmann is also creator of the 2007 CARD GAME RACE FOR THE GALAXY on which Roll is spiritually based) + published by RIO GRANDE GAMES. Roll takes the CORE PHASE-SELECTION MECHANIC of Race + reimagines it with DICE + WORKER PLACEMENT + SIMULTANEOUS PLAY, creating a game that shares thematic DNA but plays completely differently. OVERVIEW: 2-5 players build PERSONAL SPACE EMPIRES by simultaneously rolling their WHITE WORKER DICE + assigning them to the 5 PHASES OF EMPIRE-BUILDING: (1) EXPLORE — roll to discover new WORLD or DEVELOPMENT tiles. (2) DEVELOP — build TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS (permanent bonus cards). (3) SETTLE — settle new WORLDS (planets with bonuses + VP). (4) SHIP — trade goods for CREDITS. (5) PRODUCE — produce GOODS on your world tiles for later shipping. TURN STRUCTURE: SIMULTANEOUS + FAST — every player rolls their dice pool at once + selects a SINGLE PHASE + assigns dice to it privately behind a screen. All players reveal simultaneously — phases selected by ANY player happen for ALL players (but the SELECTOR gets a BONUS in that phase). Then phases resolve in order (Explore → Develop → Settle → Ship → Produce). DICE MANAGEMENT: Each round rolls fresh dice from your cup; dice come in COLORS with different phase probabilities: WHITE (starting workers, generic), BROWN (settlers, better for Settle), BLUE (traders, better for Ship), GREEN (developers, better for Develop), YELLOW (explorers, better for Explore), RED (production, better for Produce), PURPLE (military — allows conquering military worlds). New dice are ACQUIRED as you settle worlds + build developments. WORLDS + DEVELOPMENTS: Colored TILES randomly discovered + built; provide VP + bonuses + dice types. Some are MILITARY WORLDS requiring military dice to conquer; others are NON-MILITARY. GAME END: Triggered when a player builds their 12TH TILE (world or development) or the VP CHIP SUPPLY runs out. Highest total VP wins (from tile VP values + tile bonuses + shipped goods VP + development bonuses). SPEED: MOST GAMES 45-60 MINUTES — fast for a strategy game due to simultaneous play. WEIGHT: BGG weight ~2.9/5 — MEDIUM. Learning curve is moderate; iconography-heavy but consistent. RANKINGS: BGG Top 200 (peaked ~#150-200); universally praised for pick-up-and-play + strategic depth combination. STRATEGY: Balance the 5 phases + adapt to opponents' selections. Since selected phases benefit EVERYONE, PARASITIC STRATEGY (never selecting, letting others select) is viable but loses selection bonuses. EXPANSIONS: AMBITION (2015 — adds objectives + goals + new tiles), RIVALRY (2017 — adds player factions + special abilities), BLACK GOLD (2019 — adds resource tokens + new phase interactions). The RIVALRY + BLACK GOLD expansions each PLAY WELL STANDALONE with the base game. RELATIONSHIP TO RACE FOR THE GALAXY: Different games sharing the RACE UNIVERSE + PHASE SELECTION concept; Roll uses DICE + SIMULTANEOUS PLAY + WORKER PLACEMENT; Race uses PURE CARD PLAY + PHASE SELECTION. Fans of one often love the other; both are excellent + complementary.

VP from tile values + shipped goods + development bonuses; highest total wins.

Win condition · Highest total VP at game end.

No central board; each player has a personal tableau of worlds + developments.

• Dice pool (5-8 dice per player initially; grows via game)

  Simultaneous rolling

• Dice colors: white, brown, blue, green, yellow, red, purple

  Different phase probabilities

• Player screens (hide dice assignments)

  Simultaneous phase selection

• World + development tile stacks (drawn during Explore)

  Empire building materials

• Credits (currency for ship phase)

  Trading currency

• VP chips + tile VP values

  Scoring components

• Select phases you're set up to exploit most

  Selector bonus is real.

• Balance world settlement (VP) with development building (bonuses)

  Both scoring paths.

• Diversify dice colors for phase flexibility

  Specialization risky.

• Race to 12 tiles or force VP chip exhaustion

  Endgame timing.

Roll for the Galaxy

The game name.

Dice colors

White, brown, blue, green, yellow, red, purple — different probabilities.

5 phases

Explore, Develop, Settle, Ship, Produce — round sequence.

World / Development

The two tile types you build.

Selector bonus

Extra reward for choosing the phase.

Credits

Trading currency from Ship phase.

Military world

Requires purple military dice to settle.

• Roll for the Galaxy community tournaments (informal)

  periodic · Global · since 2015

• Online Board Game Arena play

  ongoing · Online · since 2016

• 🇺🇸United States
• 🇬🇧United Kingdom
• 🇩🇪Germany
• 🇫🇷France
• 🇮🇹Italy
• 🇯🇵Japan
• 🇨🇦Canada
• 🇦🇺Australia
• 🇳🇱Netherlands

• Rio Grande Games (publisher)

  Founded 1998 · New Mexico, USA

• BoardGameGeek community

  Founded 2000 · Online

• BoardGameGeek — Roll for the Galaxy— BGG
• Rio Grande Games— Rio Grande