Since its publication by EmperorS4 and AEG in 2018, Walking in Burano has proved to be a popular card drafting set collection game. Now it's back. Wei-Min Ling has reworked the game to create a roll&write version where the 1-4 players are drafting dice rather than cards.
If you've previously enjoyed the original Walking in Burano you'll immediately recognise Maisherly Chan's appealing and distinctive art. Whereas in the original game you were building a terrace of brightly coloured houses, here you're scoring points by choosing (marking off) decorations on an already constructed terrace (ie: your roll&write sheet). Each round, six coloured dice are rolled and placed out in the corresponding compartment in the box. Players each have two boats and you choose a die by placing one off your boats next to it. You can't choose the same die twice but other players can copy your placement. If they do, you both earn a coin.
Players each have two sheets to mark off: one represents your terrace of brightly coloured Burano buildings, the other focuses on coins. When you mark off a location on your buildings board it can net you a coin. You'll need to spend coins in order to invite a character to admire your decorations (ie: help you score for them). Coins can also be spent to modify dice rolls: always a welcome aspect of roll& write games because it's a way of mitigating unlucky rolls.
The game comes with four different street layouts (ie: a pad containing 10 copies of each). As with all roll&write games we recommend laminating one of each sheet so you can use and reuse the sheets with a dry-wipe marker pen.
This Roll&Write version inevitably invites comparison with the original game. The main interaction in the original game was in snatching a card that another player needed for a high-scoring set. This version has very little interaction between players. When we saw that coins were awarded for using the same die as another player we immediately assumed this was a benefit for getting in first. In fact tho' the rules give a point to all the players at that die location, so no conflict there. We classified the original Walking in Burano as a 'gateway game' so it was never especially complicated but this Roll&Write version is simpler still. That's no bad thing: it means it plays quickly (our Board's Eye View plays were a filler-length 20-30 minutes) and it makes this very playable as an accessible family game. It's one you might well consider packing to take with you on your holidays, whether or not you plan to end up in Burano, Italy.