Trouble

1 Overview

Trouble is a race board game for 2 to 4 players published by Hasbro. Players race four pegs from their home base around a circular track to the finish zone, using the iconic Pop-O-Matic bubble die roller in the center of the board. Land on an opponent's space and send them back to Start. First player to move all four pegs to the Finish wins.

The Pop-O-Matic bubble -- a plastic dome housing a single die -- is the defining feature of Trouble. Press it, it pops, the die tumbles. No losing the die under furniture. Trouble is designed for ages 5 and up and plays in about 45 minutes.

2 Components

• Game board with Pop-O-Matic center
• 16 pegs (4 each in red, blue, yellow, green)
• 1 die (inside the Pop-O-Matic bubble)

3 Setup

1. Each player chooses a color and places all 4 of their pegs in their Home base.
2. Determine starting order -- highest roll of the Pop-O-Matic goes first.

4 Gameplay

1. On your turn, press the Pop-O-Matic bubble to roll the die.
2. To move a peg out of Home, you must roll a 6. Place a peg on your starting space.
3. Once a peg is on the track, move it forward (clockwise) the number of spaces shown on the die.
4. If you roll a 6, move a peg and take an additional turn.
5. You may have multiple pegs on the board simultaneously.
6. Each turn, you must move a peg if you legally can. You cannot voluntarily stay put.

5 Special Rules

Whammy (Landing on an Opponent)

If you land on a space occupied by an opponent's peg, their peg is sent back to their Home. Two pegs of the same color can share a space (they are not sent home by each other).

Warp Spaces (Some Editions)

Some editions include "Warp" spaces that teleport your peg to a different location on the board. Check your edition's specific board for these spaces.

Finish Zone

Pegs enter the Finish zone from the player's colored entry point. Each peg must land on a specific Finish space -- you need an exact roll to enter each Finish slot. You cannot move past the Finish.

6 Winning

First player to move all four pegs into the Finish zone wins. Each peg must land in a Finish slot by exact count. If you cannot place any peg in a Finish slot on a given roll, try to advance other pegs closer.

7 Strategy Guide

Spread Your Pegs

Don't focus all your movement on one peg. Advancing multiple pegs simultaneously gives you more options each turn and makes it harder for opponents to target all your pieces.

Target Leaders

If an opponent has a peg close to Finish, send it home whenever you can. A single setback near the finish is more costly than a setback early in the track.

Safe Clustering

Two of your own pegs on the same space cannot be sent home by opponents. Clustering two pegs together creates a temporary safe anchor -- useful when opponents are close behind.

Exit Home Early

Rolling a 6 gets a peg out of Home AND gives you another roll. Prioritize getting all pegs out of Home as fast as possible. Pegs stuck in Home are dead weight.

8 FAQ

9 Variants & House Rules

Double Trouble

A common house rule: when two of your own pegs land on the same space, they form a "blockade." No opponent can land on or pass through that space. They must roll around the blockade without touching it. This adds a defensive layer that young children find exciting. Note: two pegs on the same space still do not protect each other from rolling a 6 and needing to use the move, but they cannot be knocked home.

No Exact Roll Required for Finish

The official rule requires an exact roll to enter each Finish slot. For very young children (ages 5 to 6), the near-finish experience of repeatedly rolling past the last slot without finishing is genuinely frustrating. House rule: any roll that would land a peg in or past a Finish slot counts as entering it. This keeps the game moving and reduces the frustrating endgame stall that occasionally occurs under exact-roll rules.

Speed Mode

For a faster game: players start with all four pegs already on the track (no need to roll 6 to enter). Remove the Home zone mechanic entirely. First to get all pegs into Finish wins. This variant typically runs in under 15 minutes and works well for restless younger children.

10 Age & Accessibility

Trouble is designed for ages 5 and up, but the experience varies significantly by age group.

Ages 5 to 6

Focus on the Pop-O-Matic bubble as the entry point. Young children love pressing it and counting the die roll. Do not worry about strategic play at this age; the goal is turn-taking, counting spaces, and color recognition. Adults should resist the urge to play strategically against young children and instead help them understand each move's consequences.

Ages 7 to 10

Children in this range are ready for full strategic play. Concepts like targeting leaders, spreading pegs to protect against being sent home, and exact-roll finish management become genuinely interesting. This is the core age group for whom Trouble delivers its best experience.

Adults Playing with Children

Trouble is one of the better games for adult-child mixed groups because the Pop-O-Matic die roller ensures fair rolls (no adult-child coordination issues with rolling dice), and the send-home mechanic creates genuine excitement that adults find entertaining too. If an adult wins a session against children, the gameplay was fair, and that is actually a better experience than a thrown game children can usually detect.