There are some games whose very existence sets the gaming sphere on fire. Column inches dedicated to Frosthaven musings stretch on for miles, debates relating to the best version of Brass continue into infinity, and as for Pandemic, well, the only people yet left to sample its magnificence are probably professional contrarians of the highest order.
And then there are those items that proactively shy away from the limelight. Death-themed dice games, shy stocking fillers, niche products designed to be played in the wee hours of the morning when the main event has long since passed you by.
Mutton Bustin is one such game. Brought to us by 25th-century games – publishers of Nova Roma, Sunny Day Sardines, and the uproarious Green Team Wins – Mutton Bustin is one part dice game, one part simple board dash, and approximately four parts utter chaos.
The game requires at least two people, with each player taking turns to ‘ride a sheep’ as it races to the finish line. Dice are rolled, and results are calculated in real-time; nobody takes turns. The sheep rider rolls a single die, requiring an ever-higher score to move one place around the board. The other player(s) roll multiple special dice, searching for a sheep symbol. Each time they find one, they are allowed to place it in the centre of the board; place six dice there, and you have knocked the rider off his sheep, thus busting his titular mutton. Scoring involves comparing the number of dice you put in the center with the number of score-based regions the sheep moved around the track.
Ice-breaking or – depending on your perspective – social anxiety-inducing cards keep things moving at pace. Before play begins, one player draws two cards and, when placing dice in the center, they are required to follow the card’s directions: name a candy bar, make a noise like a trumpeting elephant, stand up, and sing the first verse to Hallelujah, you know, the kind of thing.
The game is fun, for want of a more apt description. Rounds are over in seconds and consist of furious dice tossing, tableside caterwauling, and enough somatic gesturing to risk losing a lampshade or two. The single counter piece is cute, the card stock is of good quality, and although this might not be your go-to game when the in-laws come around, it is, at least, a safe pair of hands for those times when your non-board game-obsessed fans come around.
