Designers: Michael Pittre, Christina Pittre

Artist: Christina Pittre

Publisher: PenTree Games

Genre/Mechanisms: card drafting, dice rolling, press your luck, set collection, take that

Funding Status: At the time of this posting, pledges for On the Rocks currently total 91% of the initial funding goal, with 7 days left to go on the campaign. If you want to help make this project fund, jump in now!

Player Count: 1-4

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

What It’s About:  It’s Azul meets Potion Explosion.

How It Works: On the Rocks is played over 3 rounds, and whoever has the most points at “Last Call” wins the game. On a player’s turn, they complete the following actions: Complaints, Roll, Draft, Mix, Select & Place, Save, Resolve, Tip Cards, and End Turn.

During Complaints, the active player resolves any Complaint Card given to them previously by another player, then places it face down in their Discarded Tips tab. During Roll, the active player rolls both dice, and may alter each die by flipping it to its opposing side, spending 1 Ingredient Marble for each die flipped. During Draft, the active player draws the number of Ingredient Marbles from the bag matching the dice pip totals. In Mix, the active player distributes the Ingredient Marbles around the 4 bowls Mancala-style. At the start of the game, the active player can begin their distribution from any bowl they like; on subsequent turns the active player begins with the bowl emptied by the previous player. During Select & Place, the active player removes all of the Ingredient Marbles from any one bowl and places the marbles on their player mat. During Save, the active player can place up to 3 Ingredient Marbles they can not distribute onto Recipe Cards into their Extra Ingredients shelf; any remaining, unplaceable Ingredient Marbles beyond those 3 are returned to the Shaker Bag. During Resolve, any filled Recipe Cards are flipped over and the Ingredient Marbles are returned to the Shaker Bag. Additionally, if the selected bowl contained a Gold Premium Marble, the active player selects any 2 Ingredient Marbles of their choice from the Shaker Bag and places the Gold Marble on the Coaster. Once the Coaster contains all 3 Gold Marbles, they’re returned to the Shaker Bag. If the selected bowl contained a Black Spill Marble, the active player takes the top card from the Spill Deck and resolves its effects, then places the Black Marble on the Coaster. Once the Coaster contains all 4 Black Marbles, they’re returned to the Shaker Bag. During Tip Cards, the active player can activate any of their Keep, Pass/Complaint, or Share Tip Cards. A Keep Card is kept, as it’s helpful to the player. A Pass/Complaint Card has negative results, and can be given to another player to be resolved at the start of their turn during the Complaints action. The Share card can also be resolved during the Tip Cards actions, and its effects benefit the active player as well as one other player. During End Turn, the player selects a new Drink Order if they’ve completed a Drink Order during their turn; then they pass the dice and Shaker Bag to the player on their left.

When a player Completes an Order, they place all completed Recipes face down on their Completed Orders Tab. Then they place one of their 3 Lemon Markers on the Round Indicator shelf. Once a player has placed all 3 Lemon Markers, the third round ends, and “Last Call” triggers end-game scoring. The first player completing all 3 Drink Orders receives a few bonus coins, dependent on player count. Players add up all points for their completed Recipe Cards as well as for any active Tip Cards that have not been discarded, as well as any Bonus Coins in their possession. They then deduce 2 points for every incomplete Recipe Card. In case of a tie, the player with the most completed Recipe Cards wins.

Comparisons:  Potion Explosion. On the Rocks is so, so close to Potion Explosion. With some Azul-style drafting.

What Should I Pledge?:
$45 On the Rocks: includes the base game, access to the Print-n-Play files, and all unlocked stretch goals.
$500 On the Rocks VIP Lounge: the On the Rocks pledge, plus a custom insert by Print N Play 3D, a custom designed card, and every PenTree Game Title released in the future.

Add-Ons:
None.

KS Exclusives:
The Kickstarter Promo Pack, containing 9 Signature Cards and 20 Reservation Cards.

All-In Total: Let’s assume you’re not pledging $500 for some unknowable number of future games. In the continental U.S. you’re looking at $45 for the On the Rocks pledge plus $14 in shipping for a total of $59.

On the Rocks completes its Kickstarter on Friday, October 25th and tentatively ships in August 2020.