I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most of you have at least heard of the board game Trouble. You know, die popper in the middle, diamond-shaped board, different colored pegs that you move around said board, etc? Personally, I am not a fan of games based on chance, but the overall gameplay is sound. I am a little fuzzy on how this particular version of Trouble landed into my board game closet, but I suppose the Force works in mystery ways.
Star Wars R2-D2 is in Trouble: 2-4 Players, Ages 5+, Average Play Time = 30 Minutes
First, let me get one thing off of my chest before we begin. The die popper makes an R2-D2 noise whenever someone “pops” the die. This doesn’t happen every so often…this happens frequently. After five minutes of playing, you’ll wish that the Stormtrooper who shot R2-D2 on the planet Endor had been wielding a bazooka instead of a laser rifle. I’ve always wondered why C-3PO was a perfect candidate for Zoloft.
For those of you who have never played Trouble, the object of the game is to move all four of your pegs from your home base, around the board, and into your finish spaces before everyone else. You can send your opponent’s pegs back to their home base if you manage to land on them.
The trip around the board can be a difficult one, especially if you don’t have earplugs.
The strategy comes in to play when deciding which piece to move based on your die roll. Players have the option to play it safe and attempt to keep their pegs away from everyone elses or just do a mad dash around the board and hope for the best.
The pieces are similar to that of the regular Trouble game, though this game comes with stickers to place on them. The board looks a lot more futuristic than the original and a tiny R2-D2 figurine is included inside the popper along with the die. The game comes with batteries (three AAA’s) so if you feel as if your work day wasn’t bad enough, feel free to install them and let R2-D2 guide your way to a recurrence of your morning migraine. Overall, I felt the quality of the components could have been better.
Despite my disappointment in the overall quality, the board, pieces, and colors are eye-catching.
In regards to a review, it’s simple to learn and to play and thus can appeal to players of all ages. It’s simplistic nature may be a turnoff for those that enjoy games of strategy, though it will appeal to people who would rather play games based on chance. I personally am not a fan of Trouble, but Jennifer, who isn’t a fan of strategy games, likes it.
This version is worth about $20.00 on Amazon, whereas the original version is worth about $14.00 on the same site. If you’re a big Star Wars fan and HAVE to have the Star Wars version, then I suppose paying the extra few bucks isn’t all that bad. Otherwise, you can get the same enjoyment from playing Trouble by picking up the original version.
Final Verdict: 4/10
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