As we continue to deal with the impact of COVID-19, it has been very difficult to sit down and play board games with one another. So, we’ve decided to provide reviews of games that we have played digitally. We won’t be able to comment on some elements of the game (like components), but we can provide insight into the gameplay experience. We hope you enjoy!
When I first saw Lucky Numbers on Board Game Arena, I thought I had gotten Internet lost. Had I accidentally wandered onto a lottery site and was about to buy a bunch of scratchers?
Okay, that’s not really what happened, but that story is slightly more amusing than “Ryan wanted to play, Bob said it was fun, so we started a game.”
Instead of big cash prizes, though, Lucky Numbers provides a simple yet very satisfying board game experience. After our first game, we thought about playing something else, but soon jumped into another round. After Bob and Ryan had logged off, I ended up playing four more times on the site that evening. And after I just finished writing that last sentence, I started another round.
Big Cash Prize
Each player starts a game of Lucky Numbers with an individual player board featuring a 4 by 4 grid. You’ll also be given four random clovers, each featuring a number 1 through 20. These are arranged from least to greatest diagonally across the board.
The rules are simple: you must fill your board with clovers ordered from least to greatest in every column and every row. To do so, you’ll draw clovers randomly a face down stack, or face up from a community table. The table is filled with unusable drawn clovers, or clovers that have been replaced on a player’s board in a previous turn.
Players continue to get clovers and add to their board until one player has completely filled their grid. At that point, the game is over, and the player with the filled board wins!
It All Lines Up
It feels a little silly to write very much about this game, because it’s very straightforward. And when I first heard it described, I was skeptical about how entertaining it could truly be. And yet, here I am, playing yet another game while writing this review at 2 in the morning.
Lucky Numbers gives me the same experience from my favorite BGA game, Can’t Stop. It’s a little bit longer, but turns go by quickly and there’s not too much to decide on each turn. This is definitely one that holds back the analysis paralysis.
So as I start my third game (these paragraphs are hard to write while you’re playing something!), I’m thinking about how this would be a really good game to play with newer gamers. Again, with straightforward rules, you’re going to have quick buy-in. Plus, there’s lots of fun to be had looking at everyone’s board and oohing and aaahing as you watch players draw poorly turn after turn, or luckily grab the exact clover they need to complete a row or column.
In the end, Lucky Numbers is a simple, quick, and fun. What more are you looking for? A million dollars?
HA HA HA HA! (Ugh, these attempted themes and callbacks for my reviews are just killing me…)
You can play Lucky Numbers on BGA, or you can buy a copy on Amazon. For more great BGA titles, check out this article.
Highs
- Easy to learn
- Quick to play
- It can be addicting very quickly
Lows
- Every game’s going to be pretty much the same
