Navigator Lana

Have you ever heard the phrase “Mutton Bustin”? I learned it is a popular rodeo event in which children ride sheep until they’re bucked off.

In 25th Century Games’ version of Mutton Bustin, each person takes turns rolling dice and moving along a sheep and rider token. With each space they move forward, the Rider must roll the die, matching the next spot. This becomes increasingly difficult as the round continues, but you earn more points if you can achieve this. For example, it needs one pip, later two, then three, to six. Meanwhile, the other players are rolling sheep dice, and each time it lands on the sheep’s face, they must perform the wild task card in front of them to lock the dice in place, getting close to knocking the rider out. If the Rider yells, “STOP!” before all 6 dice are locked in, the rider gains their points. If the players successfully lock in all six sheep dice and complete their crazy objective, then the rider loses all their points.

The excitement begins as soon as the dice start rolling. Everyone moves simultaneously, keeping all players engaged with the task at hand and assuring nobody is left out or waiting long for a turn to finish. The Rider focuses on rolling the following number around the track to gain more points, with the six-sided die flying as quickly as possible. The Sheep players roll dice while performing crazy antics each time it lands on a sheep face. Someone might yell, YARR MATEY, to talk like a pirate while another takes a pretend selfie, attempting to lock in their dice, beat the Rider, and knock them off the sheep.

One of the best things about Mutton Bustin is how it brings people of all ages together. Shyness is shoved out the door when everyone has to be goofy together. My teenagers are laughing and hollering alongside my 8-year-old. Once the player stops or gets bucked off the sheep, it moves to the next Rider Player, and now everyone teams up against that player. The rotation of teamwork against the Rider is a clever mechanism to balance out cooperativeness and competitiveness. When Christopher asks every day to play this game again, I know it’s an instant winner.

Mutton Bustin is not just a dice-chucking dexterity game. It’s a source of joy and bonding, making it the perfect addition for a family game night or a filler game among friends. This game promises and succeeds at lots of laughter and hilarious interaction among all players!