A new dexterity game is coming to the board game markets with Rocking Raft, a 2-4 player lightweight family game from publishers Horrible Guild.
That’s right, the makers of the highly anticipated The Queen’s Dilemma are first dipping their toes into some less than calm waters with a very different type of game, as Rocking Raft has you trying to collect gems and place them on your lifeboats as you are left adrift on the open sea, using a wonderful looking raft that you can rotate and rock to your hearts content to get the falling gems to your lifeboat.
A very silly looking game that looks perfect for children, Rocking Raft looks like it has potential to become a family favourite in households in no time.
A pirates life for me
In Rocking Raft, you will start with a raft full of glittering stolen treasure. These gems will slide and tumble across the deck, as you play as pirates rocking the raft to try and grab the richest prizes available.
Essentially you will be the one who tries to grab as much treasure onto their lifeboats at the end to win the game, rotating and rocking the raft to suit your ends while leaving your fellow pirates starving for that sweet bounty.
A game which can be taught in 5 mins and played in 15, its an easy to learn game that is perfect for families with young children, with fantastic table presence that should hold the little ones attention more than your standard Buckaroo or Pop Up Pirate.
It will even include a variant for people experienced with the games, as your boats will be able to take in water and you have to act quickly not to sink, so there should be enough of a game here to keep everyone entertained.
A lot of comparisons can be made to the popular dexterity game Viking See-Saw, and perhaps Rocking Raft can be a suitable successor.
What treasure’s await?
Rocking Raft is due to become available on the 1st of June, so hopefully you only need to wait a couple more months to get your hands on that treasure.
While I am generally more interested in complex games, there is always room for a lightweight game on the board game table, and perhaps there isn’t enough board games these days aimed at a younger market, so I think its always good to see something like Rocking Raft shown some love.
Let’s just hope the raft isn’t too bumpy a ride for Horrible Guild, and it makes a splash with young board gamers everywhere come June.
