Beetle Dice Game Rules

Beetle is a simple but creative dice game of rolling and drawing.

Alternate Names

Bug, Cootie

Object of the Game

In turn, players roll a die to determine which body part of a beetle (or bug or cootie) they are allowed to draw. The first player to finish drawing their beetle wins.

Equipment

One  6-sided die
Pencil and paper for each player

Number of Players

2 or more

How to Play Beetle

Randomly choose a player to begin. That player picks up the die and rolls it. They then draw a body part of a bug on their paper depending on the number rolled.

1 - Body
2 - Head
3 - A leg
4 - An eye
5 - An antenna
6 - The tail

There are some restrictions on when each body part can be drawn: You must draw a body first, then a head, so the legs, tail and head cannot be drawn until the player has rolled a 1 and drawn the body, and the eyes and antennae cannot be drawn until the player has rolled a 2 and drawn the head.

If a number is rolled that matches a body part that cannot be drawn or that the player has already drawn (e.g., the player rolls a 1 but they have already drawn the body) then the player’s turn ends.

Once a player has rolled the die and has drawn any beetle parts, they pass the die clockwise to the next player who then takes a turn.

Play continues in this manner until somebody wins the game.

Winning

A completed beetle will have a body, a head, two antennae, two eyes, six legs, and a tail. The first player to draw all parts of their beetle is the winner.

A completed beetle would look something like this:

Rules and Scoring Variations

Beetle Bits

Each time a player rolls the number of a beetle part they can actually draw, they draw that part and then roll again. A player may continue rolling as long as they successfully roll body parts that they are allowed to draw.

Speedy Beetle

Each player rolls two 6-sided dice on their turn instead of one and uses the result on each die.

The Colony

Each player scores 1 point for every body part that they draw. Track scores over a series of games, and the first player to reach a predetermined score (e.g., 30 points) is the winner.

Evolved Beetle

Before the game begins, decide on a more complex beetle to draw. For example, a beetle could have three body segments with four legs on each segment. Or it could have two heads, or six eyes, or four antennae, or any other combination and quantity of body parts.

Also, you can change the body part that corresponds with each number. For example, 5 could be for wings instead of antennae.