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Sky Team
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Cock & Bull
2009
Rules assistance for Cock & Bull
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 5–15 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.0/5
Rules assistant for Cock & Bull
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Cock & Bull is a board game released in 2009 for 2 players, 5–15 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Fredrick M. Smith and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling.
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About the game
A fast paced 2-player dice game with cocks, bulls and monkeys on the faces of the dice. Players try to place six 2-sided chips on a wooden game board that has an antique feel. When you roll pairs of monkeys, cocks or bulls, you place down or flip over a chip in the appropriate spot on the board. Strategy comes in when you roll a cock & bull, you can either score one point on the pegboard, or remove one of your opponents chips. Bonus points are scored on the pegboard after you capture an area on the board with chips. When you roll 1 monkey your turn is over. There are two ways to win, either get all six chips on the game board, or move your wooden peg from start to finish. The original edition of this game was hand made and self-published by F. M. Smith beginning in 2009. The heavy wooden game boards are all signed and numbered personally by the creator. The game pieces fit inside a small cloth game bag included with the boards. The 2014 edition, published by Blue Panther, has a two-piece game board with wooden cubes to mark the scores, replacing the wooden pegboard of the original 2009 First Edition. This edition is easily identified by its smaller sized tan colored box with black lettering. The 2018 classic edition, also published by Blue Panther, has a one-piece game board with peg holes like the original. The box also includes a piece of felt in the bottom converting it into a dice tray. This edition comes in a 9 x 12 black box with white lettering.
Questions and answers
Cock & Bull supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Cock & Bull is 5–15 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 Cock & Bull for ages 10 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.
Cock & Bull has a complexity rating of 1.0 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.
Cock & Bull belongs to these categories: Dice. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling. 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 Cock & Bull are: Fredrick M. Smith. 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 Cock & Bull 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.