My family and I recently discovered Heckmeck while on vacation in Greece. The owner of the apartment we were renting had a few games, and we quickly became addicted to this ridiculously-themed dice rolling game. As with most dice games, there is an enormous amount of luck involved, but we quickly discovered that there is also a decent amount of tactics and strategy involved that can significantly increase your odds of winning.
Know when to roll and when to stop
Many factors can play into whether or not you continue to roll on your turn. During every turn, I do an evaluation of the circumstances and take note of the following:
- The phase of the game
- How many Worms you and your opponents have accumulated
- The tiles you and your opponents are currently showing on top
- What tiles remain in the center of the table
- The tactical math of your current dice roll
I’ll go into some of these factors in more detail later in this article, but let’s talk about the last bullet point – the tactical math. Heckmeck is a very tactical game, with very little long-term strategy but plenty of opportunities to rack up short-term advantages that can turn the tide in your favor.
The first consideration is always whether or not you can take a Worm tile yet. If not, obviously you should keep rolling. If you can, then it’s time to stop and think about:
- How many dice you still have left to roll (unkept dice)
- How many, and which, numbers are still available (unkept numbers)
- The upside potential of continuing to roll
In general, if I have only kept 3 or fewer numbers and I still have 4 or more dice left to roll, I’ll continue to roll to increase my score. This is especially true early in the game when most tiles are still available. If it’s not mathematically possible (or extremely unlikely) that you’ll increase your score enough to take a more valuable tile, then it’s not worth continuing to roll. You should also consider whether the possible remaining combinations of dice can make you land on a number your opponents are showing at the top of their pile, allowing you to steal.
Keep the correct dice on every roll
You can face some pretty tough decisions when rolling the dice in Heckmeck, but I have some rules of thumb that I like to use. Keep in mind that these aren’t set in stone because there are many other potential factors to consider, but for now, let’s just assume that we’re early in a game and no player has a significant number of tiles or worms.
- Always keep Worms when you have an equal number of 5’s and Worms
- Keep three 5’s over two Worms
- Always keep two or more Worms or 5’s
- Avoid keeping one Worm or one 5
- Keep three 4’s, but avoid taking two 4’s until you have kept 5’s and Worms
- Keep a single 1, 2, or 3 when there are no other good options
These rules of thumb seem to handle most scenarios in a turn of Heckmeck, but certainly not all. It’s all about maximizing the sum of your dice (while having at least one Worm!) and avoiding going bust. Let’s get into some more specific advice and tips for various stages of the game.
Be aggressive early in the game
At the beginning of the game, you haven’t won any Worms yet and all of the tiles are still available in the middle of the table. This means you aren’t risking anything by going for some big rolls! Take this opportunity to stretch your rolls and push you luck to try to get at least one 4-Worm tile. If you don’t succeed, there is little harm done. If you’re successful, then you have a huge advantage for the rest of the game. A 4-Worm (or even a 3-Worm) tile is a massive leg up on the competition, and you can then focus on protecting that lead throughout the rest of the game.
Roll the dice when you have few Worms
The same principle applies later in the game when you have few (or no) Worms. You have very little to risk, and you need to make up ground on your opponents. The best way to do this is often to take some bigger risks and go for one of the highest remaining tiles. If you only have one or two Worms in your stack then you aren’t risking much if you go bust, but if you succeed then it can easily get you back in the game.
DID YOU KNOW? You can find an expansion pack for Heckmeck on Amazon called Heckmeck: Extrawurm. It adds some extra worms and dice with special powers, bringing some new flavor to this classic game.
Don’t risk busting when you have a good top tile
If and when you secure a high-value Worm tile, you should do your best to cover it with other tiles as quickly and reliably as possible. Stacking one or two 1 Worm or 2 Worm tiles on top of you more valuable tile provides some insurance in case you go bust later in the game, and also helps to pad your lead. Don’t push your luck if you’re showing a 3 or 4 Worm tile on top of your stack, because if you go bust it’s likely to lose you the game.
Steal from your opponents whenever possible
Stealing from your opponents is a huge swing in the game since you’re subtracting from your opponent and adding to your own stack of Worms. If possible, you should almost always steal from your opponents if you can. This is especially true in 2-player games since the net impact is larger than it would be with more players.
Late in the game, it’s often worth trying to target specific players to steal from. Always remember how many worms your opponents have in their stack so that you know who is leading. Then, if you’re behind that player late in the game you should make every effort to steal from their stack and whittle away and their lead.
The only scenario in which I would consider not stealing from an opponent is in a game with 3 or more players and I already have a significant lead. In that case, it’s in my best interest to shorten the game by taking any additional tile that I can from the table. This not only pads my lead and protects my other Worms from being stolen, but it hastens the end of the game and gives my opponents fewer opportunities to steal from me.
Numbers aren’t worth points – Worms are
When you’re trying to decide whether or not to continue rolling during a turn, keep in mind that a higher numbered tile isn’t necessarily worth any additional Worms. Sometimes, based on your previous rolls and what tiles are still available, it’s unlikely (or even impossible) to get a tile worth more Worms that the one you can currently take. It’s not worth risking going bust just to get a higher numbered tile that’s worth the same amount of Worms. The only possible upside to risking it is to make it harder for your opponents to steal your tile, but I can’t see any scenario where that outweighs the risk of going bust.
Play to your outs, even if it’s high risk
Heckmeck is all about balancing risk vs reward and knowing when to push your luck. Even if you make all of the correct decisions, you can still easily fall behind since the game is so luck-based. In these situations, it’s time to take some more risks and go for a big score. Barely losing is the same result as losing big, so there’s no sense in playing it safe when you’re way behind. Take some calculated risks when you have the opportunity. This can include actions like:
- Going for a lucky roll to steal a tile away from the leading player
- Pushing your luck with the dice to secure a high-Worm tile
- Passing up two Worms or 5’s on a dice roll, hoping to get more on a subsequent roll
Thanks for reading! Did I miss something, or do you have your own thoughts to add? Drop a comment below – I’d love to hear from you!
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