
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,371
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Canoe
- 2 players
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2003

2007
Rules assistance for Strut!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Strut! is a board game released in 2007 for 2–5 players and 20 minutes per game. It was designed by Bruce Alsip and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling.
The object is to win the game by ridding yourself of all cards in your hand before your opponent[s]. Game Summary Decide on a scorekeeper. Once the cards have been shuffled, the scorekeeper deals 3 cards face down to each player, along with an equal number of white dice, called a stash. The scorekeeper places the remaining cards face down off to one side of the table to form a deck. The scorekeeper begins the game by rolling two dice (1 black & 1 white) in the center of the table. If no one scores, play rotates clockwise to the next player who rolls two dice. Any two die, including the black die can be rolled (see below). Before each roll players examine their cards to see what dice combinations will be needed to match a card in their hand. Two white dice from your stash, or. One die from your stash, and one (previously rolled) die from the table, or Two (previously rolled) dice from the table. Player’s take turns rolling until someone shouts STRUT! indicating a player believes they have won the round. A round is won when you match a card in your hand with a dice combination on the table. Let’s say you have a 4 of a Kind (card) in your hand. There are 8 dice on the table 1,3,4,6 and four 5’s: 5, 5, 5. You quickly shout Strut! believing your dice combination (four 5’s) matches the card (4 of a Kind) in your hand, thus winning the round. But have you? You have if one of your 5’s is the black die. The black die must always be part of the score. Keeping score is very simple. All dice on the table are scored. The black die counts face value [1]=1 point, [2]= 2 points [3]=3 points, etc. White dice count 1 point each. In the example above, you scored a total of 12 points (5 points for the black die and 7 points for the white dice.) After each round the winner’s points are totaled by the scorekeeper. After the scorekeeper has recorded the points, the winner discards his/her winning card, placing it “face up” under the deck. If the winner’s accumulated score totals less than 30 points then he/she must draw one new card from the deck. If the winner has accumulated 30 or more points, no card is drawn allowing that player to begin ridding his/her hand of cards in an attempt to win the game. (Re-Action cards are an exception to the “30 points” rule.) All other players keep their cards. Dice on the table are evenly redistributed. Note: As you will see as the game progresses, tactics and strategies become a big part of each round. The winner begins the next round by rolling 1 black and 1 white die. Play continues until someone shouts Strut! The first player to accumulate 30 or more points with no cards remaining in their hand wins the game. The Black Rooster If an opponent throws the Black Rooster card down on your winning card, it spells disaster! You must turn in all the cards in your hand, and draw 3 replacements. Plus, you lose all your accumulated points.
Strut! supports 2–5 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 Strut! 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.
Strut! has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Strut! belongs to these categories: Card Game, Animals, and 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 Strut! are: Bruce Alsip. 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 Strut! 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.