Board Games
How to play Trouble
Race four pegs around the board into your protected finish, bumping opponents Home when you land on them.
What you need
Classic board with Pop-O-Matic die and four pegs per color
Set up the game
- Put pegs in matching Home. Pop once each; highest starts, then continue left.
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Playing Trouble
- Pop once. A six either brings one Home peg to Start or moves an active peg six; it also grants an extra pop.
- Other numbers move one active peg clockwise by exact count. Count occupied spaces when passing. If no legal move exists, do not move.
- Landing on an opponent bumps it Home. You cannot land on your own peg. An opponent on your Start is bumped on entry; your own Start peg blocks another entry.
- After one circuit, enter your own Finish by exact count. Move within it in the indicated direction and by exact count. Other colors cannot enter. First to finish all four wins.
Entry bumps and grants another pop
An opponent sits on your Start. You roll six and choose entry: put a Home peg onto Start and bump the opponent Home. You do not move another six spaces, but do pop again because six grants the extra turn.
Match rules to the board
Newer versions can add Warp, Double Trouble or a different result for rolling one. Do not import them into this classic sheet. If your board or die differs, use its own product-number instructions. Establishing the version beforehand avoids a dispute after someone makes a childhood move that this copy does not permit.
Read the die before popping again
The bubble keeps the die contained but does not make repeated taps a single roll. Let it settle, state the number and count the destination. This simple routine helps excited children separate operating the toy from taking a legal turn.
Exact finish is a planning constraint
Near the end a large roll may be unusable for a leading peg. Check whether another peg can use it rather than counting beyond Finish or circling again. A peg cannot make a second circuit merely to spend a roll.
Beginner decisions
- Inspect all available pegs before automatically moving the leader. Bump risk and remaining travel differ.
- Moving a finished peg deeper may free a reachable entry space for the next one.
Common rule mix-ups
- Entering on a six and also moving six with that same result.
- Splitting a roll across pegs.
Questions about this game
Three tries to start?
Not in this 2002 sheet. Without a six or active peg, wait.
Are track spaces safe?
Do not assume safety on the ordinary track; the finish is protected.
Sources and edition notes
Hasbro/Milton Bradley 4658 classic 2002 sheet. Not newer A5064 Power Up rules or its simplified teaching playbook.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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