REVIEW: Gymnastics Gold (Dice & Card Game)

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Gymnastics Gold - Dice & Card Game

After years of practice, it’s time to claim your Gymnastics Gold!

After years of training, the day has finally arrived–you are competing in the women’s gymnastics finals. All of the top gymnasts are here, including you, with the gold medal on the line. As the crowd cheers, you salute the judges, take one final breath, and begin your routine. It’s time to claim the title of World’s Greatest Gymnast!

Buy Gymnastics Gold!

Introduction

Gymnastics Gold is a crazy fun dice and card game… a Yahtzee combined with gymnastics or sorts.

Gymnastics Gold Dice and Card Game

ChalkBucket received a post that was basically an ad for this game. The post was flagged by ChalkBucket staff (great work) as we don’t allow unpaid advertising on the site.

We got into a conversation with the creator of the game and I ended up saying… “Send a free copy of it and I’ll review it on the home page. I have 2 daughters and a son that all do gymnastics and love board games.“

The creator of the game said… “Thank you very much for the understanding and the offer. Is there a specific address / ATTN I should send it to?“

I honestly was thinking in my head that there was no way that a gymnastics board game could be any good. I never expected to sit down an play and be ready to play it again right away.

Game Description

My initial reaction when I started playing was… “THIS GAME IS AWESOME! Very uniquely complex like gymnastics itself… but so much fun if you take the time to read the directions and play it correctly.“

My two Daughters getting ready to play Gymnastics Gold in our (under construction) home.

I played it with my 2 daughters… the older is a 16 year old Level 10 and the younger is a 14 year old Level 9.

My older Daughter’s reaction was… “I think it’s fun… it’s cool.“

My younger Daughter said… “Complicated but realistic. It’s very fun.“

Below is the actual game description straight from the website…

After years of training, the day has finally arrived–you are competing in the women’s gymnastics finals. All of the top gymnasts are here, including you, with the gold medal on the line. As the crowd cheers, you salute the judges, take one final breath, and begin your routine. It’s time to claim the title of World’s Greatest Gymnast!

Gymnastics Gold is a dice manipulation and card game designed to simulate a high-level gymnastics meet. Players will rotate between Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise and Vault, drawing cards and choosing which skills they will try to execute. Harder skills yield greater rewards but also carry harsher deductions.

Each event has unique dice mechanics representing the gymnast’s execution of her skills. Players must decide whether to keep rolling (chasing glory at the risk of more deductions) or to take their lumps and call it quits. Smart decisions–and getting an adrenaline boost at the right time–will ultimately make the difference between a gold medal and not even making the podium.

When the meet is over, awards are given to the top-scoring gymnast in each event, with one gymnast being crowned as All Around Champion.

After years of practice, it’s time to claim your Gymnastics Gold!

Game Play

The coolest thing about the game play is that the game is actually 4 totally different and unique games. Just like gymnastics it has vault, bars, beam, and floor.

Once you play an event and get ready to move on to the next event… you think that it will basically be the same… WRONG!

Be prepared to hunker down with the manual for a few minutes before each so you fully understand each event. This part of the game really makes it like gymnastics. If you don’t know the code / rules… you aren’t going to win. Attention to detail is key with Gymnastics Gold just as it is in real gymnastics.

As long as you read the directions the game play is fun and simple…

  • read your cards…
  • roll the dice (and maybe again and again)…
  • read your cards again…
  • figure out your score…
  • play all four events…
  • add up your all around score… BAM… someone won!

If you really want to get a head start on the game before your copy arrives… you can check out the rules right here.

The Events

Here is a brief overview of the 4 events just to show you that it really is 4 completely separate and unique (and fun) games.

Read the actual descriptions of each event above.

Uneven Bar Rules

Below is the the actual rule book so you can get an idea of the complexity of the game. Again… extremely fun… but high attention to detail is required just like gymnastics.

The rules for uneven bars straight from the rule book.

Overall Review

We had a great time playing this game and will play often. There are no other games like this on the market! This is a very fun and unique game for anyone that loves gymnastics.

The game says 12+ years of age… but I am sure that many of the younger gymnasts that I coach at the gym would really love this game if they had a little bit of help from an adult.

The game retails for $51.99 and it’s worth every penny of that. I would definitely purchase this game. As a matter of fact… we are going to order a bunch for our pro shop in the gym (using the “Crowd S@le” below).

I would highly recommend both add-ons that you can purchase for the game as well. The “booster pack” is vital in my opinion.

Buy Gymnastics Gold!

One Time Crowd Sale!

Game Crafter (the manufacturer) is doing a one time sale on Gymnastics Gold right now. This sale is perfect if you are looking for the maximum discount and would like to gift it for Christmas. Please read the details of the sale below.

There is a one-time “Crowd S@le” occurring from July 22 through August 8 (timing not coincidental). The concept here is that people from all over can place orders and the company will do a bulk run, thus decreasing cost for everyone. The more copies ordered, the greater the discount. Everyone gets the max discount, which increases for every 10 copies sold. As an example, the starting price for the sale (which includes a small discount) is $49.99. If 10 copies are sold, the price (for everyone, even those who already ordered) drops to $48.31. At 50 total copies, the price is $41.59. At 100 it’s $33.22. Best way to get a discount, but it’s a one-time thing. The trade off is that the games then get processed in their long-run queue, which means they likely won’t ship until December. It’s similar to a Kickstarter queue.

Gymnastics Gold Crowd S@le

Episode 5: Simone VS. Herself

The “Skill Bucket” Theory… did Simone fill hers?

18 replies

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Avatar of JBS JBSJul 22, 2021 #1

Let the discussion begin...

Who's going to purchase this game?​

If you have any questions... post them here. I can try to answer them... and if not me... maybe the creator @GymDad33 can help us out?

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Avatar of NutterButter NutterButterJul 22, 2021 #2

I intially voted no, but changed my answer to a yes after reading your review. I want to send it as a care package to my DD at college. It won't ship until December, right?

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Avatar of JBS JBSJul 22, 2021 #3

I intially voted no, but changed my answer to a yes after reading your review. I want to send it as a care package to my DD at college. It won't ship until December, right?

It says around November 26th on the “crowd sale” page.

I think it would be a great gift for a college aged gymnast or fan!

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Avatar of NutterButter NutterButterJul 22, 2021 #4

The website is not very clear concerning shipping....is shipping included? Also, the website appeared to automatically add 2 additional items, one not even related to the game. This combined with the unclear language surrounding shipping makes it seem a little sketchy. I'm a little hesitant to put in my payment information.

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m mommyof1Jul 22, 2021 #5

I am curious about how realistic the gymnastics content is. Most gymnastics books, movies, etc. are comically inaccurate.

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Avatar of JBS JBSJul 22, 2021 #6

The website is not very clear concerning shipping....is shipping included? Also, the website appeared to automatically add 2 additional items, one not even related to the game. This combined with the unclear language surrounding shipping makes it seem a little sketchy. I'm a little hesitant to put in my payment information.

I don't believe that shipping is included. Maybe @GymDad33 can answer these questions. I can say that I received a copy of the game very quickly... however... I did not pay for it.

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Avatar of JBS JBSJul 22, 2021 #7

I am curious about how realistic the gymnastics content is. Most gymnastics books, movies, etc. are comically inaccurate.

We have only played once so far… but I have been coaching for 20+ years and my daughters are a L9 & L10 and nothing jumped out at us as totally incorrect to gymnastics itself.

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G GymDad33Jul 22, 2021 #8

Hi Everyone. I am the designer of Gymnastics Gold and will do my best to monitor and answer questions as life allows.

As to shipping, that is indeed extra. That should show up as you reach the "Shopping Cart" page.

Timing for delivery is difficult to predict. The Game Crafter prints on demand (that is, there is not a warehouse with games on shelves--they print as orders come in. It's a necessary and enabling model for smaller publishers.) If you order individually--that is, not as part of the crowd s@le--the item will usually be shipped within a couple of weeks. For the crowd s@le, we go into what is called the "long run" queue. Thus the extended timelines. (COVID has driven some larger companies to use The Game Crafter for local prints given the difficulty in getting items out of China--thus increased the backlog as in so many other industries and extending long-run timing). The shipping date listed on the Crowd Sale is the company's best guess given their current expectations. So, it's a trade-off, the more orders that come in, the lower the price (for everyone) but the longer the run.

There should not be anything automatically added to your cart. There are two other items showcased on the main page, one related and one not. The non-related game (Close Call) is another title that I designed. I wavered on whether or not to include that as an add-on and eventually chose to do so. But that's an optional add-on--totally different type of game vs. Gymnastics Gold. I will, however, check in with The Game Crafter on the question and report back when I have better information.

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G GymDad33Jul 22, 2021 #9

As to how realistic the content is, the skills (and scoring) are all rooted in the Code of Points. If you look hard enough, you will see some concessions. As an example, some skills that may earn 0.1 connection bonuses on Bars will instead earn 0.2 collectively in the game--a concession to keep the rule monitoring a limited as possible.

Increased scoring is tied to increased skill difficulty and, as a chemical engineer by trade, I had a lot of fun with the math ensuring that higher payoffs were paired with higher risk in terms of probability of success.

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G GymDad33Jul 22, 2021 #10

One last note about the Crowd Sale as this can often also be unclear. Everyone receives the same discount as determined by the total number of orders at the end of the sale. As an example, if there are a total of 50 copies sold, regardless of whether or not you were the first to order or the 50th, your discount is 20%.

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G GymDad33Jul 23, 2021 #11

The website is not very clear concerning shipping....is shipping included? Also, the website appeared to automatically add 2 additional items, one not even related to the game. This combined with the unclear language surrounding shipping makes it seem a little sketchy. I'm a little hesitant to put in my payment information.

When you first get to the Buy Gymnastics Gold page, the system does populate 1 of each of the featured games, but you can change those to 0 before going any farther.

Thank you for pointing this out so that people are aware. I only want people purchasing those games they are interested in.

The deduction tracking sheets that Justin refers to are lower and would need to be added manually.

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Avatar of JBS JBSJul 31, 2021 #12

Don't forget to purchase your copy of Gymnastics Gold!

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G GymDad33Jul 31, 2021 #13

If anyone has any remaining questions about the game: from details on how to play to what went into designing it or anything in between, I’ll be happy to answer.

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Avatar of txgymfan txgymfanJul 31, 2021 #14

The game looks great for gymnasts and gymnastics families. I’m impressed with all of the thought and work that you put into it.

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G GymDad33Aug 05, 2021 #15

Hi Everyone. The Crowd Sale officially closes at 8PM EST on August 7th (Saturday). As noted earlier, as more people purchase the game, the discount increases for everyone.

I can almost guarantee you won’t see this game on store shelves. We’re a small company and inventory is a killer. We’ve adopted the print-on-demand model but this Crowd Sale allows us to tap into bulk pricing—but only if the crowd comes. And the printer only allows us to do this once.

Gymnastics-themed games are rare. In fact, there are practically none. It’s a shame that girls who dedicate so many hours to the sport they love don’t have the same options other athletes do in that regard. Get your daughter, niece, or best friend the game that will make her the talk of the gym. And grab it before the price goes up.

As always, I’ll keep an eye on this thread to answer any questions you may have. Thanks again to Justin for reviewing the game and to the folks at Chalk Bucket for spreading the word.

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L LuciaAug 06, 2021 #16

Hi Everyone. The Crowd Sale officially closes at 8PM EST on August 7th (Saturday). As noted earlier, as more people purchase the game, the discount increases for everyone.

I can almost guarantee you won’t see this game on store shelves. We’re a small company and inventory is a killer. We’ve adopted the print-on-demand model but this Crowd Sale allows us to tap into bulk pricing—but only if the crowd comes. And the printer only allows us to do this once.

Gymnastics-themed games are rare. In fact, there are practically none. It’s a shame that girls who dedicate so many hours to the sport they love don’t have the same options other athletes do in that regard. Get your daughter, niece, or best friend the game that will make her the talk of the gym. And grab it before the price goes up.

As always, I’ll keep an eye on this thread to answer any questions you may have. Thanks again to Justin for reviewing the game and to the folks at Chalk Bucket for spreading the word.

Will it be available to purchase after Aug 7? Sorry, I'm not familiar with Crowd Sale but would like to get this game at some point in the future.

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