Overview
Trouble is a board game played similarly to the popular Ludo game but with slightly different rules. The game is easy to play as the rules are simple. A minimum of two and a maximum of four players can play the game. Trouble is played using a specialized board containing a pop-die roller called POP-O-MATIC. The game’s objective is simple, be the first player to move all four of your coloured playing pegs from “Home” to “Finish”. Players move their pegs around the board to get to the “Finish” line, and while doing so they try to send opponent’s pegs back to “Home”. Continue reading to learn more about how this game is played.
Objective
Be the first player to move all your four pieces from “Home” to “Finish”.
Trouble Game Rules
Pegs can only move around the board once.
A peg must be moved from “Home” to “Start before it can be moved around on the board. To move a peg into the “Start” space from “Home”, a player must roll 6.
A player gets to roll the die again if they roll a 6. Players can roll 6 many times in a row as there is no punishment for rolling multiples of 6 successively.
If a player does not roll a 6 and they have no peg in play (all their pegs are on “Home”), their turn ends.
Pegs must always be moved clockwise around the playing track and each space on the board must be counted when moving a peg whether the space is full or empty.
If your peg lands on a space occupied by an opponent’s peg, the opponent’s peg will be sent back to “Home” while your peg occupies the space.
You cannot land on your peg, including on the “Start” space. This means that a player cannot have two pegs in their “Start” space at the same time.
Once in the “Finish” line, a peg can only move on an exact die roll and in the direction of the arrows.
Number of Players Needed
Minimum of 2 players is needed to play the game. At most, four players can be involved in a game of Trouble.
Equipment
A plastic game unit with POP-O-MATIC
Game board
4 rubber game board feet
Die roller
16 plastic playing pegs
Setting Up
On the game board, there are four “Home” spaces which have different colours. Each player selects a set of playing pegs (Remember there are sixteen of them, which means four pegs per colour). Each peg set has a “Home” space that is of the same colour. Players select a peg set each and place the pegs in the matching “Home” space.
If only two players are involved in the game, players may play with two peg sets each. Once the pegs are placed in their respective “Home” space, the game is set up. However, before play can begin, the player to have their turn first must be determined. Players take turns to roll the die by pressing the POP-O-MATIC once and letting go. The player who pops the highest number gets to start the game and play continues to the left.
How to Play Trouble Board Game
Players take turns to roll the die by pressing the POP-O-MATIC once and moving their peg the number of spaces they rolled. Before a peg can begin to move around on the board, it must be moved from “Home” to “Start” on a die roll of 6. If a player does not roll a 6 and they have no peg in play (all their pegs are on “Home”), their turn ends.
Once a peg is on the “Start” space, it can be moved around on the board. Note that rolling a 6 gives a player an extra turn as the player is allowed to roll again and move their pegs on the board the number of spaces they rolled. If you roll a 6 to move a peg into the “Start” space, you can roll the die again to move that peg or any other peg that is out on the board already. Unlike in some other games that players are penalized for rolling multiples of 6 in a row after the allowed limit, there is no penalty for rolling multiples of 6 in Trouble game. Players can roll 6 as many times as possible in a row, gaining an extra turn each time.
If a player that has a peg or more out on the board rolls a 6, the player is free to either move another peg out from “Home” to “Start”, or move a peg that is out already six spaces on the board. It is not a must a player must move a peg out every time they roll a 6 provided they have a peg out. A player is forced to move a peg out into the “Start” space if that is the only possible move.
Pegs must always be moved clockwise around the playing track and each space on the board must be counted when moving a peg whether the space is full or empty. If a player lands on a space that is occupied by an opponent’s peg, the opponent’s peg is sent back to “Home” while the player’s peg moves into that space. The peg that is sent “Home” has to be moved to “Start” with a die roll of 6 before it can begin to move around on the board once again.
If an opponent’s peg occupies your “Start” space, you can send it back to “Home” by rolling a 6 while your peg moves into the “Start” space. Players are not permitted to land on their pegs, including on the “Start” space. A player must move out a peg occupying their “Start” space before moving another This means that a player cannot have two pegs in their “Start” space at the same time.
After a peg has been moved around the board, its journey ends on a “Finish” that matches its colour. A peg that enters the “Finish” line is safe and cannot be sent back to “Home” by opponent’s pegs. This is because only pegs of a colour can enter into the “Finish” line of the same colour, no pegs of other colours are allowed.
Note that pegs can only move around the board just once. Once in the “Finish” line, a peg can only move on an exact die roll and in the direction of the arrows. This means that the peg can only move into one of the “Finish” spaces if the player rolls the exact number needed to move the peg there. If a player rolls a number greater or lesser than the needed number, they cannot move the peg in the “Finish” line. Instead, if they have other pegs, they can move those else, their turn is over and play moves to the next player.
Winning the Game
The first player to move all four of their pegs around on the board from their “Home” to their “Finish” wins the game. If there are more than two players, play may continue to determine the other positions.