How to Play Tug of War Dice Game

Tug of War might be the most widely yard game ever. Every camp, carnival and school has played this game at one time or another. So what could be ore fun than bring this classic yard game to family game night with Tug of War Dice Game.

We love making original dice games here at Family Game Shelf. Here are some of the other games that we’ve created Whacky Putt–the indoor mini golf game, Monkey Dice–silly fun, Hockey Dice–a fun team game. You can see all of our original games here and be sure to check out our Family Game Shelf Shop for even more original fun!

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Two Player Tug of War Dice Game

To start we’ll show you how to play a two player game. For this variation you will need two dice, one mover or marker and a game board with 11 spaces. You can get your Tug of War Dice board from our Free Fun Library. You can get your password in the black box below.

Playing Tug of War Dice

First, set the mover in the middle of the game board. Next, decide on a go number. This number should be between 1 and 6 and be the same for both players.

When both players are ready, someone says start and both players roll their die. When a player rolls the go number, she moves the move one space closer to herself and continues rolling to get another of the go number.

The trick is that if her opponent rolls the go number, then he will move the mover back towards him by one square. Players continue rolling the die and moving the mover back and forth in a tug of war until the mover crosses over the end of the board.

Winning Tug of War Dice Game

The player who moves the mover to the last square and then rolls the go number is the winner.

Tug of War Dice Game Variations

Two Dice Tug of War

For this variation, the game play is the same with the difference being that each player rolls two dice and adds them together to get the sum number. The go number would be between 2 and 12.  Seven is the most probable number to be rolled so might make a good choice.

One to Six

In this variation of Tug of War dice game, the play is very similar. The difference is that it is played in six rounds and the go number is set depending on the round being played. For example, in the first round, the go number is 1. In the second the go number is 2 and so on. The winner is the player who has the most wins after the six rounds. If there is a tie, you can either play another round using 6 as the go number or you can add a second dice fro both players and make the go number be 7.

Team Tug

To play Team Tug of War, you need two teams that are made up of an equal number of players. Each player needs their own dice. As before, everyone agrees on a go number. When the game starts, everyone is trying to roll the go number. When a player does roll the number, then she stops and waits for the rest of her team to also roll the go number. When all members of the team have the number, they can then move the mover closer to them. They then start over trying to each get the go number. The first team to move the mover across their end of the board wins the game.

Team Frenzy

This Tug of War variation has each team member rolling their own dice for the go number. However, she does not have to wait for her team members. Instead, when a team member rolls the go number, she moves the mover and then rolls again. The winner is again the team that moves the mover across their end of the board.

Countdown Tug of War

This variation is a little different. Instead of one go number, the go number is determined by what square you are moving to. For example, when the mover is in the middle of the game board, you are rolling for a 6. To move one space closer to you, you are rolling for a 5. However, if you’ve moved one space and then your opponent moves the mover back to the middle, you need to roll another six to move the mover back. The start space is also accessed by rolling a six. So the game board rolls would look like this: 1-2-3-4-5-6-6(start)-6-5-4-3-2-1. The first player who rolls a one and moves the mover off the board on their side wins the game.

All Tugged Out

We hope you liked our version of this classic yard game. Tug of War Dice game can be played by anyone at any time for fun and frustration that will lead to victory with a good time.

If you‘re looking for more dice fun, check out our dice game section where you’ll find games like Whacky Putt golf, Tennis and Mafia. You can also check out our dice section in our Family Game Shelf Shop where you can find games like Three Strikes and Fortune Telling Dice.