Piña Coladice
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The FroGames review
You roll the dice, lock the right one, but you still need a 5. You re-roll. It comes up. You place the cocktail on the perfect coaster. Three of your tokens in a row. Only the last one is missing. The table holds its breath.
WHAT IT IS
Roll, lock, place: dice and cocktails for a quick victory
Yann Dupont (French designer of party games and family titles for IELLO) created a very fast-paced little game that combines rolling dice, claiming combinations, and strategic placement. The illustrations by Crocotame turn coasters and tokens into a tropical explosion of colors. Published by IELLO in 2024, distributed in Italy by ManCalamaro.
Each turn you roll up to three times five dice, lock the ones you need, and try to get one of the combinations marked on the coasters arranged in the center of the table. When you succeed, you place one of your cocktail tokens on that coaster. The first player to line up four of their tokens (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) wins, or, if no one succeeds, the player who scores the most points from the claimed combinations wins.
What they say abroad
A party game that ends when you least expect it. The race for four in a row keeps everyone awake until the last die.
— FroGames
"Piña Coladice is designed for families and groups who want to have fun without complications, with a touch of strategy in placement."
— IELLO
Piña Coladice
FrogScore · FroGames editorial review · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsComponents and basic rules
What's in the box and how it works
Five colored dice
Each turn you roll them up to three times, locking the ones you need. You look for matching numbers, straights, colors, or special combinations required by the coasters.
Combination coasters
Arranged in a modular grid in the center, each shows a dice combination and the corresponding score. When you get that combination, you place one of your tokens on it.
Cocktail tokens
Colored tokens (one per player). You use them to mark the claimed coasters. Four of your tokens in a straight line = instant victory, end of the game.
Two victory conditions
You win immediately if you line up four of your tokens (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). Or, when all the coasters are occupied, the player who scores the most points from their tokens wins.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each turn
Piña Coladice is played in super-fast turns: roll, block, place. Done.
Roll all five colored dice. Look at the result and decide which ones to block to build a combination required by the available coasters.
Keep the dice you need. Re-roll the others. You can do this for up to three total rolls per turn. After the third roll, the result is final.
If you have obtained a combination shown on an available coaster, place one of your cocktail tokens on it. If no combination matches, your turn ends without placing anything.
Check if you have four of your tokens lined up: if so, you win. Otherwise, pass the dice to the next player. If all the coasters are occupied, the points are counted and the player with the most wins.
⏱️Your first gameThe play-by-play, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Setup: the grid and the first rolls
Arrange the coasters in the center in a 4×4 grid (or 3×3 for 2 players). Everyone chooses a color of cocktail tokens. The first player rolls the five dice, blocks the useful ones, re-rolls the others. Everyone looks at the grid to figure out which combinations are easy and which are worth a lot.
First placements: the hunt for a coaster
Someone immediately gets a pair or a three-of-a-kind, places the first token. The others realize that the center row is appealing: it's worth points and can become the basis for four in a row. The race begins: you need speed to claim the right coasters before someone else takes them.
Mid-game: the grid fills up
Half the coasters are covered. You have two tokens diagonally. You re-roll three dice hoping for a full house, the only combination that would give you the third token on the diagonal. Someone else already has three in a horizontal row: if they get another combination on that side, they end the game. The pressure builds.
The critical moment: someone close to victory
A player has three tokens lined up. Everyone looks at the grid: the fourth available coaster on their line requires a five-card run. The player rolls. It happens. They block the first die, re-roll. The second one happens. Third roll. One number is missing. Collective sigh of relief. But now it's your turn, and you're also one step away from victory.
End of game: lightning victory or point counting
Someone completes the four in a row and wins instantly, raising their arms. Or the grid fills up without any alignments and the points are counted: whoever claimed the hardest combinations (full house, poker, long runs) wins on points. Game over in 15 minutes, ready for a rematch.
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three things to keep in mind
Even with three rolls and the blocking system, sometimes the combination you need doesn't come up. If you play with someone who hates luck in games, this is not the right title: the variance is high and it's part of the fun.
Piña Coladice is explained in three minutes and lasts 10-20 minutes. Don't expect complex choices or strategic arcs: it's an aperitif filler. Perfect for warming up or ending the evening, not for dedicated sessions.
The game scales with different grids (3×3 for two, 4×4 for three-four), but the interaction and tension grow with the number of players. For two, it's pure race, for four it becomes a game of reflexes to block each other.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How you win and how you lose
Two ways to victory: speed or points.
Victory
- You lined up four of your cocktail tokens horizontally, vertically, or diagonally → instant victory
- All the coasters are occupied and you have totaled the highest score from your tokens → victory by points
- Tie in points: whoever claimed the hardest combination wins (poker beats full house, full house beats run, etc.)
Defeat
- An opponent completes the four in a row before you
- End of grid and you have fewer points than the others (you only claimed easy combinations or you didn't manage to place enough tokens)
- You wasted turns without claiming anything because you aimed for combinations that were too difficult and the dice didn't cooperate
Piña Coladice is a bar board party game: travel components (real coasters), immediate rules, fast games. It works.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before the cart▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ on Piña Coladice
How long does a game really last?
From 10 to 20 minutes, it depends on how quickly someone completes the four in a row. If no one manages the alignment, the game lasts until the grid is full, so maximum 16 total turns in four players (4×4 grid). Explanation included, you are operational in 15 minutes.
Can I actively block opponents?
Yes, but only by occupying coasters before them. There are no direct attack or sabotage mechanics: interaction is positional. If you see that someone has three tokens in a row, you can run to claim the fourth coaster on their line to prevent them.
What mechanics does Piña Coladice use?
Mainly dice rolling with re-rolling and locking (selective re-roll). The placement of tokens on coasters is a very light form of worker placement. The modular grid varies the setup. Multiple victory conditions (alignment or points).
Is it suitable for children?
The recommended age is 8+ years and it's realistic. Children immediately understand the mechanism (roll, block, place) and have fun with the colors and the race for four in a row. But you need to know how to quickly read dice combinations and make fast choices: children under 7 years might struggle to keep up.
Is this edition in Italian?
Yes, the ManCalamaro edition is completely in Italian: rules, coasters, and all texts. The game has very little text on the components (only combination symbols on the coasters), so it's language-independent in gameplay.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they did.
Piña Coladice is a dice party game for 2-4 players, 10-20 minutes per game, recommended age 8+. Designed by Yann Dupont and illustrated by Crocotame, published by IELLO and distributed in Italy by ManCalamaro. The game uses dice rolling, re-rolling and locking, and light worker placement mechanics: each turn you roll five dice up to three times, block the useful ones, and claim combinations on coasters to place your cocktail tokens. Whoever first lines up four tokens in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) or whoever totals the most points from claimed combinations wins. Perfect as a filler or gaming aperitif for families and groups. Available on frogames.business.
Piña Coladice
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
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📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
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