New Game Round-up: Gamewright — Dice for Counting, Dice for Dodging, Dice for Storytelling & a Super Sushi Sandwich Slam

Qwixx is a quick-playing dice game. Each player has a scoresheet with the numbers 2-12 in rows of red and yellow and the numbers 12-2 in rows of green and blue. To score points you want to mark off as many numbers as possible, but you can mark off a number only if it's to the right of all marked-off numbers in the same row.

On a turn, the active player rolls six dice: two white and one of each of the four colors listed above. Each player can choose to mark off the sum of the two white dice on one of their four rows, then the active player can choose to mark off the sum of one colored die and one white die in the row that's the same color as the die. The more marks you can make in a row, the higher your score for that row. Fail to cross off a number when you're the active player, however, and you must mark one of four penalty boxes on your scoresheet. If you mark off the 2 or 12 in a row and have at least five numbers marked in that row, you get to also mark off the padlock symbol in that row, locking everyone else out of this color.

When either a player has four penalty boxes marked or a second color is locked, the game ends immediately. Players then tally their points for each color, sum these values, then subtract five points for each marked penalty box. Whoever has the highest score wins.

In the super-fast sushi card game Sushi Go!, you are eating at a sushi restaurant and trying to grab the best combination of sushi dishes as they whiz by. Score points for collecting the most sushi rolls or making a full set of sashimi. Dip your favorite nigiri in wasabi to triple its value! And once you've eaten it all, finish your meal with all the pudding you've got! But be careful which sushi you allow your friends to take; it might be just what they need to beat you!

Sushi Go! takes the card-drafting mechanism of Fairy Tale and 7 Wonders and distills it into a twenty-minute game that anyone can play. The dynamics of "draft and pass" are brought to the fore, while keeping the rules to a minimum. As you see the first few hands of cards, you must quickly assess the make-up of the round and decide which type of sushi you'll go for. Then, each turn you'll need to weigh which cards to keep and which to pass on. The different scoring combinations allow for some clever plays and nasty blocks. Round to round, you must also keep your eye on the goal of having the most pudding cards at the end of the game!

Slamwich is a real-time, pattern recognition card game such as Twitch, SET, and Bongo, with cards that are die-cut to resemble slices of bread topped with sandwich items, sandwich thieves, and sandwich munchers. To play, deal the deck out as evenly as possible, then set any remaining cards aside. One by one, each player takes the top card of her deck and flips it onto a central pile. Under certain conditions, players race to slap the pile — creating a "slamwich", if you will — and typically whoever is first to do so claims all of the cards in the pile. These conditions are:

• If the flipped card is identical to the card directly underneath it — a "double decker" — slap the pile.
• If two identical cards have exactly one card in between them — a "slamwich" — slap the pile.
• If a thief is placed on top of the cards, slap the pile.
• If a muncher is revealed, the next player flips as many cards as the number on the muncher card. If she fails to turn over a muncher card, the previous player claims all of the cards; if she creates a slamwich or double decker, or she plays a thief, then everyone races to slap the pile.

If a player runs out of cards, she's out of the game. Whoever collects all of the cards wins.

Pull apart the pyramid! In the simple yet elegant strategy game Pyramix, players take turns removing one cube at a time from the pyramid stack. As cubes come out, others slide down toward the base. Plan your moves carefully as the bottommost cubes are worth big points at the end — and watch out for cobras that can drop in and take a bite out of your score!

In the fast-moving dice game Dodge Dice, there's one simple goal: dodge the penalty points. Roll the dice and try not to have them match the color of the penalty die. Use your skip chips to pass a turn, but spend them wisely or else you might get hit with big points. End the game with the lowest score and escape with a win!

How many bricks are in the Empire State building? How far away is Pluto? Make your best guess in Over Under, a party game of estimating far-out facts. Draw a card and ask others for their best estimate to one of 600 questions. Then decide whether their answer is either OVER or UNDER the correct amount. Collect the most cards and guess what? You win!