Piña Coladice – Shake, Roll, Sip

🎼 I like piña coladas and rolling dice in a tray
Chasing combos on coasters and planning each play
I’m not here for your party games, give me something with bite
If you love a good game night, then pull up a chair, let’s play. 🎶

Lyrics inspired by Escape (The Pina Colada Song) Ruppert Holmes

Piña Coladice comes from designer Yann Dupont, features art by Crocotame, and IELLO publishes it. It’s for 2–4 players to play in about 10–20 minutes and suits ages 8+.

Setup

First, choose a start player. They take all five dice and the first player coaster, toucan side up. Each player takes 7 Drink tokens and a scoring coaster. They place one token on their score track based on turn order: 1st on 1, 2nd on 2, and so on.

Next, shuffle the 25 Combination coasters and deal a 4×4 grid in the center, returning extras to the box. Finally, flip some coasters to show either one scoring area or two, depending on the player count.

Gameplay

In Piña Coladice, you’ll play several rounds until someone reaches 20 points or makes a Piña Coladice. Starting with the first player and moving clockwise, each player takes a turn and completes three steps: roll dice, place a drink token, and check for end game.

Roll

Roll all five dice. You may re-roll up to two times, setting aside any dice you want each time. You can stop early, and you may also take back previously set-aside dice before re-rolling.

Place a Drink

Next, place a Drink token on any open space on a coaster that matches your final dice result. If that coaster is full, you cannot place a token there. If no combination matches, your turn ends.

After that, score the points shown on the coaster and move your marker on your score track. Then add 1 point for each of your tokens orthogonally or diagonally adjacent to the one you just placed.

End Game

Once you’ve scored, check if you’ve triggered any end-game conditions:

1. Reach 20 points.
2. Place your final Drink token.
3. Form a row, column, or diagonal of four tokens to make a Piña Coladice and win immediately.

If none of these occur, play passes to the player on the left. However, if a player reaches 20 points or places their final Drink token, finish the round so all players take the same number of turns.

The player with the highest score wins! 

Happy Hour Variant

To start, flip the first player card to the Happy Hour side during setup. Then play as normal. However, when you can’t place a Drink token after rolling, roll one die and apply the result:

1. Lose 3 points.
2. Return one of your tokens from a coaster to your reserve.
3. All other players gain 1 point.
4. Move another player’s token to a different open space (no points scored).
5. Flip a coaster to its other side; return any tokens on it to their owners.
6. Score 4 points.

If you can’t apply the result, skip it and continue play.

Impressions

Dice games are always on my menu. I love chucking dice and hoping they land just right, shaken not stirred. In Piña Coladice, luck is the main ingredient, and that fits the vibe just fine.

You still make choices each turn: which dice to keep, which to re-roll, and which coaster to claim. Placement is where the strategy comes in. You’re looking for high-value spaces while also building adjacency to boost your score. Ultimately, place your dice carefully and aim to line up a Piña Coladice for the win.

There’s no way to mitigate a bad set of rolls. Your turn simply ends, with no abilities for dice manipulation.

Happy Hour with a Twist

For gamers looking for a little more action, the Happy Hour variant definitely adds a risky swing that can be punishing. If you’re unable to place a Drink, you could still win big points, or you could lose big, depending on what you roll.

Mixing Up Family Fun

Piña Coladice works well for families. Even with a drink theme, there’s nothing here that feels out of place for kids. It’s a game that spans all ages, from kids to grandparents, and it’s easy to teach. If your family has played games like Roll For It, they’ll pick this up quickly.

Component-wise, the dice are chunky, and the coasters look great. They’re not just chipboard; they’re actual coasters. 

After you play through the standard coaster setups, try the drink-inspired layouts on IELLO’s site.

Piña Coladice is our new go-to for game nights. It plays quickly, making it perfect for back-to-back rounds or as a break between heavier games, and it won’t leave you feeling shaken.

Ready to shake up game night with Piña Coladice? Pick up a copy at your local game store, from distributor Hachette, or on Amazon.

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The Family Gamers received a copy of Piña Coladice from IELLO (via Hachette) for this review.

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