Milton Bradley Parcheesi Review

I have the feeling that most games in the market are based on, or are at least partly based on games that have come before them. One such game is Sorry!, which is a younger version of the game Parcheesi. Milton Bradley brought out a gamed called 'Parcheesi - The Classic Game of India a while ago, and it has had newer versions come out since then. This one was a gift from my mom (much like many games that I now have), and it wasn't a difficult one to figure out, because it was basically like one of my formerly favorite board games. It just took a few moments to get used to the board, but once I had I was off and running.

Parcheesi has its roots in Backgammon, where you start with a certain number of game pieces (men), and you must get them around the board and back to "home base", where they are counted as points for you. When someone has moved all of their men into the Home circle, they are declared the winner of the game, because they have achieved "Parcheesi." It sounds pretty easy from the outset, but there are some oddities to the rules that could complicate matters a little bit.

The Game Play:

There are a total of 16 pieces, split up into four colors (red, yellow, green, and blue). Each color denotes one team, and they go in one of the starting spots on the board. You also get 2 dice and a game board with which to play everything on. The rules are imprinted on the inside of the box lid, so you are going to need that while you are playing if this is your first time. Play goes from left to right, with the first person being decided by whoever rolls a combination of 5 first. When that has been decided, it is the first players turn to roll the dice.

In order to get your men out of the start, you have to roll either a 5 on one of the dice, or a combination of 5 when they are added together. The 5 gets you out of the entry, and on to the playing board. If you roll a combination you just move out, and on to the board. If you roll a 5 and something on the other die, you go out using the 5, and then move forward the number denoted on the second one. So, if it is a 6, you move forward 6 spaces. Once that is done it moves on to the next player.

If you don't roll a 5, or a combination of 5, you get skipped on your turn. Once you have a man out, you move him the spaces denoted by the dice, excluding when a 5 or combination of 5 is rolled, because you want to get your men out on those numbers. So, just remember that the number 5 is key to success in this game and you should be good to go. One kink to the rules, is that you can 'capture' other player's pieces by landing on the spot that they were on. Doing so sends that piece back to the starting blocks, and sets your opponent back slightly. This can be a huge strategy if you are trying to win the game.

When your pieces (all 4 of them) have made it around the board, there is a safe zone that your pieces can get to (7 spaces) from where they cannot be captured any more. Also, another quirk, is that if someone ends up in the spot that someone uses to leave the home-base, it has pinned that player in for that time. This is a good trick if someone is pulling ahead, to be used to trap them for a few turns in order for everyone else to start catching up. The final quirk, is that if doubles are rolled, you get to count the numbers on the top and the bottom of the dice. For example, if you roll 6-6, you also get credit for the 1-1 on the bottom for 14 spaces. This can be a big table turner in a game.

Thoughts On The Game:

Parcheesi is a very interesting game that has flavor from a lot of other games that are in the market. It is a shade of "old school" though, because of the way it is set up, and the look of the board. I think it is an extremely fun game, much as I think Sorry! is, and it is one of those games where luck does play a large part, but if you are just playing for fun with friends, it really doesn't matter. I do recommend Parcheesi, and I suggest giving it a try if you haven't played it before, because it can serve for hours of family fun.