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Darwin's Dice
2016
Rules assistance for Darwin's Dice
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 10–30 min
- 6+
- Complexity 1.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Darwin's Dice
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Darwin's Dice is a board game released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 10–30 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Pierre Lippuner, Fabian Engeler, Stefan Weisskopf, and Pascal Frick and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Trick-taking.
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About the game
Description from the publisher: Darwin’s Dice is a simple, fast-paced trump card game, where two dice set the conditions of every turn. You’ll need both a tactical approach as well as a fair amount of luck. Two to four players meet in this game for a struggle of sheer survival. Only the player who’s best prepared and whose cards match the conditions can obtain the opponents’ cards and collect points. Before each turn a player – the Darwin – rolls the dice. The combination of number (1 to 8) and colour (blue, green and yellow) determine which card becomes the trump during this turn. Additionally, one die (with + and -) specifies if high or low numbers have an advantage. Each player then plays a card upside down and then flip them over simultaneously. The player of the strongest card wins, becomes the new Darwin and rolls the dice for the next turn. The strongest card is either the trump or – of no trump has been played – the highest or the lowest card. If it comes to a draw, the size of the animal is of the essence (+ for big / - for small). But there are three special cards as well: The red cards (1 to 8), if they should win a turn, although they are not able of becoming the trump and will always lose in a draw, they can destroy the collected cards of the player with the second best card. The grey cards (0 and 9) are always the highest or lowest numbers. They can only be beaten by the trump. The brown cards (4.5) are the worst cards, because they are neither the highest nor the lowest cards - they are right in the middle. But if the trump has been played, they are the only ones able to beat it. A game consists of several rounds, each consisting of individual turns. Each turn consists of rolling the dice and playing one card. A round is over when all the hand cards have been played. The game is over when the card deck is used up. At the end of each round – after all the hand cards have been played – the points of the cards, according to the number of symbols in the corner, are counted and written down. These points are safe and cannot be destroyed. At the end of the game – when the card deck is used up – the player with the highest score wins.
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Questions and answers
Darwin's Dice supports 2–4 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 Darwin's Dice is 10–30 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 Darwin's Dice for ages 6 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.
Darwin's Dice has a complexity rating of 1.3 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.
Darwin's Dice belongs to these categories: Card Game, Animals, and Children's Game. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Trick-taking. 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 Darwin's Dice are: Pierre Lippuner, Fabian Engeler, Stefan Weisskopf, and Pascal Frick. 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 Darwin's 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.