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Barrel Dice

Barrel Dice

2013·Andreas Schmidt

3 - 6 players
20 min
Light weight: Learn it in minutes

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 Yes, the dice have been replaced by small beer barrels, and the active player each round is the innkeeper who shares their brew with players who keep their requests modest.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

Watch first

Learn to play

All the Games with Steph: Beer Mug Dice - Teach8:25

All the Games with Steph: Beer Mug Dice - Teach

Steph Hodge

Steph Hodge

Review

Barrel Dice, Playte1:20

Barrel Dice, Playte

Board Games With B7

Board Games With B7

Which Barrel Dice video should I watch?

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.

All videos

All the Games with Steph: Beer Mug Dice - TeachHow to play8:25

All the Games with Steph: Beer Mug Dice - Teach

Steph Hodge

Steph Hodge

Barrel Dice, PlayteReview1:20

Barrel Dice, Playte

Board Games With B7

Board Games With B7

Creators who cover this

All channels
Board Games With B7
Board Games With B7
1 video of this game
Steph Hodge
Steph Hodge
1 video of this game

Games like this

All games

Heaven & Ale

2017·Michael Kiesling, Andreas Schmidt

Videos
57
Creators
50
Mainly reviews

2 - 4 players·60 - 90 min·Heavy weight

Heaven & Ale: Kegs & More

2019·Michael Kiesling, Andreas Schmidt

Videos
6
Creators
6
Mostly unboxings

2 - 4 players·0 min·Heavy weight

Chicken!

2023·Scott Almes

Videos
27
Creators
24
Mainly reviews

2 - 8 players·10 - 20 min·Light weight

Don't L.L.A.M.A. Dice

2021·Reiner Knizia

Videos
20
Creators
17
Mainly reviews

2 - 6 players·20 min·Light weight

About Barrel Dice

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

Dice

Mechanics

Dice RollingPush Your LuckSimultaneous Action Selection
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