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Players: 2-4 (ages 8+)
Playing Time: 10-15 minutes
“Ready, Roll, Bingo!” That’s the tag line for Fundex’s Blackout—but this dice-rolling, card-collecting family game isn’t just the stuff of senior centers and Bingo halls. It’s a simple, fast-moving game that the whole family can enjoy.
Before you begin, you place three Blackout cards in the center of the playing area (along with the Dice Slice, which is basically just a fun way to roll the dice). Each card shows five numbers—a combination of the numbers 1-5, with the occasional Free space.
When it’s your turn to play, you start by rolling the three dice (again, numbered 1-5—plus special symbols, including Wild and Reroll). Then, for each number you roll, you place a chip on the matching number on one of the three cards.
If you place the last chip on a card, you get to keep it. You remove the chips from the card, place the card in front of you, and replace it with a new card in the center of the playing area.
The object of the game, then, is to be the first player to collect five Blackout cards.
Although it’s likened to Bingo, Blackout doesn’t really have that much in common with the classic number-matching game. Both games are easy to learn and play. In fact, although Blackout’s suggested minimum age is eight, players as young as five or six should have no problem keeping up. And both games involve matching the numbers called (or rolled) with those on a card. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
Bingo is a pretty slow-moving game—and there’s very little interaction between players. Blackout, on the other hand, takes just a few minutes to play—and it’s much more head-to-head than the classic game that inspired it. Players work with the same cards to match the same numbers—which means that if one player places the fourth chip on a card, it creates a golden opportunity for his or her opponents.
Since each player is dependent on the luck of the roll, though, the game’s strategies are pretty basic. You can try all you want to keep from placing the fourth chip on a card and setting up your opponent, but you can’t control the numbers you roll. Of course, your opponent can’t control the dice, either—so there’s a chance that play will return to you before that fifth chip is placed.
Blackout is definitely more about luck than it is about skill—which may be a turn-off for some players. But it’s anybody’s game—which makes it fun for the whole family. It’s easy to learn and quick to play, and it comes in a cool fold-up container that you can easily throw in a backpack—making it a great (portable) way to pass the time during a flight, on camping trips, or even while you’re waiting for dinner to arrive at your favorite restaurant.
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