Chupacabra: Survive the Night - Review

After the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot, the Chupacabra is probably the most well-known mythical creature or ‘cryptid’ circulating in the popular imagination. Hailing from Latin America, the Chupacabra (‘goat sucker’ in Spanish) is a vampiric monster that sucks the blood of unsuspecting livestock and then vanishes into the Hispanic night. This demon-eyed creature is a surprisingly underused theme in the tabletop gaming world, but do Steve Jackson Games capitalise on this tantalising topic?

Chupacabra: Survive the Night is a dice rolling, player elimination game for 2-4 players. Steve Jackson Games have a decent pedigree when it comes to dice games, having previously designed Zombie Dice and Cthulhu Dice, both of which get regular table-time in the Cthulhu Reviews household. In terms of content, you get a sturdy dice cup, a rule sheet, and 24 glow-in-the-dark dice. Unlike Zombie Dice, there is no push-your-luck element in Chupacabra; it is all about eliminating your opponents by stealing their dice. Put thematically, whoever uses their Chupacabras to kill all their opponents’ livestock is the winner! Put more blandly, whoever ends up with all the dice is the winner.

So here’s how it works. Each player gets 6 dice at the start of the game, and all players roll their dice simultaneously. On the sides of the D6s you’ve got: 1 chicken, 2 chickens, 1 goat (x 2), 1 bull, 1 Chupacabra. All players group their rolled animals together in flocks/herds and then take it in turns to use any Chupacabras they rolled to kill/steal other players’ chickens, goats, and bulls. 1 Chupacabra can kill up to 2 chickens or 1 goat, and it takes 2 Chupacabras to take down a bull. But wait, the animals are flocking together for protection! For example, it would take 2 Chupacabras to kill a herd of 2 goats or a flock of 4 chickens, and a formidable 4 Chupacabras to kill 2 bulls. Any dice that players capture, along with the Chupacabras they committed to that capture, are set aside until the next round of rolling.

Players take it in turns to be the first one to attack, as denoted easily by passing the dice cup lid around the table. Finally, there is a lovely little rule called ‘Chupacabra Loco’: when a player rolls all Chupacabras (1 Chupacabra counts as ‘all’ if you have only 1 dice), they go H.A.M. and are able to kill any 1 herd/flock from any player, no matter how many animals are in it. It’s key to note here that the player only takes a single herd/flock in this move, no matter how many Chupacabras they rolled. This additional rule works really well as a catch-up/saviour mechanism, and as is fitting for such a powerful mechanism it occurs very rarely, so when it does occur it is usually accompanied by a surge of excitement.

The dice are of good quality, with eye-catching designs (particularly the ominous, glowing red eyes of the Chupacabra) and a robust feel, although there were half a dozen small painting errors on the dice in my copy. The fact that they glow in the dark is a cool touch and will no doubt get younger players pretty pumped. However, after charging them up in a bright light, the dice lose their glow after around a minute, which sadly makes playing a full game in the dark not a viable option. The game is highly portable, with the dice cup being almost pocket-sized and of sturdy enough construction that it can take quite a few severe knocks.

As with most filler dice games, the setup is extremely minimal; just get the dice out of the cup and away you go! In terms of length, expect a game of Chupacabra to last between 2-5 minutes with 2 players, 3-7 minutes with 3 players, and 5-10 minutes with 4 players. The game works best at the 3 or 4 player count, with more dice being involved and plenty of opportunities for fun thematic banter to ensue. In a 2-player game the inevitable back-and-forth feels a little less dynamic, and while a tense, lengthy duel is possible, a game can also be over in literally seconds (I've known a 2-player game end on the first roll). As you have probably already ascertained, the game is almost entirely luck based, and so won’t give you the chance to flex your gaming skill or tactical know-how. However, this could only be regarded as a negative if the game was claiming to be anything other than a quick, social, game of luck, which it definitely is not.

The game is recommended for ages 8 and above, likely due to the horror-ish theme. I would drop that minimum age a little lower, maybe 6 and over, as the mechanics are simple and the theme is fairly loose/not very graphic. Overall, I think this is an underrated little game in the Steve Jackson catalogue. Chupacabra: Survive the Night gives a brief burst of beastly fun for very little time or monetary investment. If you are into fast-playing dice games, definitely keep a glowing red eye out for this one!

Cthulhu Reviews: 5 out of 8 tentacles 🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙

Designers: David Blanchard, Brian Frodema, and John Jacobsen

Publisher: Steve Jackson Games

Players: 2-4

Age: 8+