2017Michael Kiesling, Andreas Schmidt
- Videos
- 57
- Creators
- 50
2 - 4 players60 - 90 minHeavy weight

2013Andreas Schmidt
From BoardGameGeek
The innkeeper of "The Wild Boar" tavern is a sly old dog! While they treat humble guests who don't ask for much to free rounds, for hard-drinking boozers they close the tap and keep the cool brew for themself. Polterfass is a dice-rolling game without dice! Yes, the dice have been replaced by small beer barrels, and the active player each round is the innkeeper who shares their brew with players who keep their requests modest. The game includes nine barrels - two of them being special ones - that are rolled out of a dice cup. The normal barrel bases show numbers, while the special barrel bases show symbols that allow the innkeeper to double other values or cancel them. After each roll, only the values/symbols of "standing" barrels count. After the active player has rolled for the first time, the other players secretly place cards with numbers in front of them. The active player then decides whether to reroll, change the values, or end their turn. Once their turn ends, the guests reveal their cards and sum them. If the innkeeper's total is less than this sum, they win this round, keeping all the beer for themself while the guest with the highest card actually loses points! If the innkeeper's total is higher, each player scores the value of their played card, and the innkeeper keeps the rest. When one player has at least 75 points, the game ends, and the player with the most points wins!
Barrel Dice has 2 videos from 2 creators: 1 review and 1 how-to-play guide. They date from June to October 2025.
To learn the rules, start with "All the Games with Steph: Beer Mug Dice - Teach" by Steph Hodge, which runs 8 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "Barrel Dice, Playte" by Board Games With B7.
If you like it, try Heaven & Ale and Heaven & Ale: Kegs & More, also by Andreas Schmidt, or Chicken! and Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice, which share several of its mechanics.
2017Michael Kiesling, Andreas Schmidt
2 - 4 players60 - 90 minHeavy weight
2019Michael Kiesling, Andreas Schmidt
2 - 4 players0 minHeavy weight
2021Reiner Knizia
2 - 6 players20 minLight weight
From BoardGameGeek:
The innkeeper of "The Wild Boar" tavern is a sly old dog! While they treat humble guests who don't ask for much to free rounds, for hard-drinking boozers they close the tap and keep the cool brew for themself. Polterfass is a dice-rolling game without dice! Yes, the dice have been replaced by small beer barrels, and the active player each round is the innkeeper who shares their brew with players who keep their requests modest. The game includes nine barrels - two of them being special ones - that are rolled out of a dice cup. The normal barrel bases show numbers, while the special barrel bases show symbols that allow the innkeeper to double other values or cancel them. After each roll, only the values/symbols of "standing" barrels count. After the active player has rolled for the first time, the other players secretly place cards with numbers in front of them. The active player then decides whether to reroll, change the values, or end their turn. Once their turn ends, the guests reveal their cards and sum them. If the innkeeper's total is less than this sum, they win this round, keeping all the beer for themself while the guest with the highest card actually loses points! If the innkeeper's total is higher, each player scores the value of their played card, and the innkeeper keeps the rest. When one player has at least 75 points, the game ends, and the player with the most points wins!
Designer
Andreas Schmidt
Artists
Wanjin Gill, Alexander Jung, Rsseau
Publisher
25th Century Games
Categories
Mechanics