Bloom: A Roll and Write Game of Circling Flowers and Completing Sets

Roll dice, draft them, and circle flowers, in a race to complete sets and score points before your opponents.

As Gamewright’s newest roll and write, how does Bloom shape up to its predecessors?

Gameplay

Each player is given a sheet that shows six 4x3 grids of flowers. Flowers can come in five different colors as well as white, which can act as any color. There are six dice, one that matches each of the flower colors (including white, again acting as a wild). At the start of each round you roll all six dice, and then players take turns choosing one die each.

When you select a die your goal is to take the number shown on the die, and circle that number of flowers whose color matches the die's color (if you selected the white die, you choose which of the other five colors it represents this round). However, the flowers must be in a connected group (and flowers cannot be connected diagonally). So if you select the purple die and it shows a three, you can circle a group of three purple flowers that are connected (or two purple flowers and one white one). If you do not circle enough flowers, or if you circle a flower of the wrong color, you mark on your sheet that you have an unhappy customer for each flower missing or each flower of the wrong color. Unhappy customers are worth negative points at the end of the game. Once per game you may also choose to reroll all the dice still on the table when it is your turn to select one.

You score points by circling all the flowers of a certain color on your sheet. Only the first three players to complete a color will score points for it, and you earn more points for being the first or second player to do so. You also earn points for circling all the flowers in one of your grids.

The game ends once a single player has circled all the flowers of three different colors or has completed four of the grids on their sheet. The player with the most points then wins the game.

Review

Bloom is neat little roll and write that is compact, simple, and easy to play. Turns are fast, and the game 'rolls' along nicely. Kids can easily learn how to play, but there is plenty of strategy in the game to interest adults.

Gamewright’s games always look great, with high quality components, and Bloom is no exception. It is also an extremely compact little game that makes it great for travel or slipping into a bag to take to events. It is bright and colorful, and the dice fun to roll.

There is an intriguing race element, as you try to complete sets of flowers before your opponents, which also gives you some options for drafting to spite other players. But there are also some interesting options based on the layout of the flowers, and the sheets are well designed with clever placement of flower groups.

Bloom is not a game that brings anything incredibly new to the roll and write genre, instead it is about presenting an elegantly designed and streamlined take on it, and it does so competently and enjoyably.

Pros: High quality components, interesting choices, easy to learn and fast to play, portable

Cons: Does not offer anything particularly new

Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.