- BGG rating
- 8.1
Mars Attacks: The Dice Game – Area 51
- 3–6 players
- 20 min
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,076
- BGG rating
- 5.9
Mars Attacks: The Dice Game
2014
Rules assistance for Mars Attacks: The Dice Game
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–6 players
- 20 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.2/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Mars Attacks: The Dice Game
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Mars Attacks: The Dice Game is a board game released in 2014 for 3–6 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Philip Reed and Samuel Mitschke and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Re-rolling and Locking.
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About the game
In Mars Attacks: The Dice Game, the Martian players compete to see who can subjugate which U.S. cities first. At the start of the game, four stacks of cards are dealt out randomly, with each stack having as many cards as players. On a turn, the player first declares which city they want to attack, then rolls all ten dice. Any dice showing the "nuke" symbol are locked and cannot be rerolled. Laser guns are similarly locked, allowing the player to reroll only the alien heads. If the player rerolls and ever has as many nuke symbols showing as the number on the face-up cards and the supplementary token, their turn ends; otherwise they can stop at any time, and if they don't have enough guns or alien heads to claim their target, they mark their total with one of their tokens, allowing them to add on to this number on a future turn — assuming that someone else doesn't claim the card first. Some city cards have special powers, such as Seattle's, which allows you to place one die on the symbol of your choice prior to rolling. Las Vegas, true to its nature, wants you to go bust multiple times in order to claim the card. Whoever ends up decimating the largest portion of the earth wins. Ak ak ak ak ak!
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Steve Jackson Games
- Edge Entertainment
Questions and answers
Mars Attacks: The Dice Game 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 Mars Attacks: The Dice Game 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 Mars Attacks: The Dice Game 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.
Mars Attacks: The Dice Game has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Mars Attacks: The Dice Game belongs to these categories: Dice and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Re-rolling and Locking. 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 Mars Attacks: The Dice Game are: Philip Reed and Samuel Mitschke. 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 Mars Attacks: The Dice Game 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.