Glückshaus

Number of players: 2+
Type of game: Dice
Period: 1500+

Glückshaus (German for “House of Fortune”) is a traditional dice game of luck and simple strategy. Played since the late Middle Ages, it uses a specially numbered board and two dice. Each number represents a “room” in the house, some of which have symbolic or festive meanings—most notably the Pig, Wedding, and King.

History of Glückshaus

• Origins: Glückshaus originated in 15th or 16th century Germany, and became popular across Austria, Switzerland, and the Low Countries.

• Social Game: Traditionally played at weddings, feasts, and fairs, often with small coins, nuts, or beans.

• Room Symbolism: Some spaces were given traditional meanings:

  • 2 – The Pig (a lucky windfall),

  • 7 – The Wedding Room,

  • 12 – The King (the best roll),

  • 4 – The Forbidden Room, sometimes omitted.

Traditional Rules of Glückshaus (Pig–King Variant)

Equipment

• A Glückshaus board with numbered spaces: 2, 3, 5–12 (the number 4 is omitted).

• Two six-sided dice (2d6).

• A pile of coins, tokens, or beans.

• 2 or more players (best with 3–6).

Setup

• Players each start with an equal number of tokens (e.g. 10).

• Optionally, place one token in room 7.

Gameplay

Players take turns rolling both dice and adding the total:

• No action is taken for rolls outside 2–12 (though these don’t occur with standard 2d6).

• Play continues clockwise.

Victory Conditions

• Players continue until a set number of rounds are played, or one player runs out of coins.

• The winner is the player with the most coins at the end.

Optional and House Rules

Customise your Glückshaus experience with these variants:

1. Token Buy-in

• All players contribute 1 token to each space (excluding 7 and 12) before play begins.

2. Fixed Rounds

• Set a timer or play a fixed number of turns (e.g. 3 rounds per player).

3. Pig Bonus Variant

• When rolling 2, the Pig not only gives you all coins, but lets you take another turn.

4. King Reroll

• After rolling 12 and claiming the King’s bounty, roll again and continue your turn.

4. Pay the house

• On rolling a 4 pay one coin to the owner of the game, this may have been done where the game was owned by a tavern.

6. Custom Room Names

Give each space a thematic title for fun:

Summary Table

• Game
• Period

• Boardgame
• Dice