
- BGG rank
- BGG #401
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Heaven & Ale
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 2017

2013
Rules assistance for Beer Mug Dice
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 3 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Beer Mug Dice is a board game released in 2013 for 3–6 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Andreas Schmidt and its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
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 Yes, the dice have been replaced by small beer barrels, and the active player each round is the innkeeper who shares their brew with players who keep their requests modest.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!
Beer Mug Dice supports 3–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Beer Mug Dice is 20 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Beer Mug Dice for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Beer Mug Dice has a complexity rating of 1.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Beer Mug Dice belongs to these categories: Dice. Its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Simultaneous Action Selection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Beer Mug Dice are: Andreas Schmidt. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Beer Mug Dice as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.