How to Play Game of the Goose

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Game of the Goose is a traditional race game for 2 to 6 players, played on a spiral track of 63 numbered squares. Roughly every nine squares sits a goose, and landing on one earns you a free extra move. Everything else on the board is a hazard: the well, the maze, the prison, the inn, and the skull. The mix of luck and anticipation makes rounds short, tense, and satisfying.

Its appeal is immediate. There are no hands to manage, no complex decisions to explain, and a full game can be done in under half an hour. Families play it at kitchen tables; it travels well in a bag; it works equally well with two players as with a full table of six. The board's spiral layout means everyone can see the whole race at a glance, which keeps the energy in the room high from the first roll to the last.

A little history

Game of the Goose is one of the oldest known European race games. A version was recorded in Florence in the late sixteenth century, and the game spread rapidly across Europe during the seventeenth century, with editions appearing in Spain, France, the Netherlands, and England. Its origins before that point are unclear, and claims linking it to ancient Greece or to a gift from Francesco de Medici, while traditionally repeated, rest on thin documentary evidence. By the eighteenth century it was widely printed and sold as a popular parlour game, and it has remained in continuous production across Europe ever since.

Setting up

1. Place the board flat in the centre of the table where all players can reach it.
2. Each player chooses a counter and places it off the board, ready to enter at square 1.
3. Decide the starting order. The traditional method is for every player to roll both dice once; highest total goes first, then play proceeds clockwise. Re-roll any ties.
4. No stake pool is used in the standard game. If playing with a forfeit pool, agree the stake and collect it before the first roll.

How to play

1. On your turn, roll both dice and add the two numbers together to get your move total.
2. On the very first turn of the game, two special opening rolls apply: if you roll 9 as a total of 6 and 3, move directly to square 26; if you roll 9 as a total of 5 and 4, move directly to square 53. These openings apply only on the very first move of the entire game, to whoever rolls them first.
3. Move your counter forward by exactly the number of squares shown on your dice.
4. If you land on a Goose square (squares 5, 9, 14, 18, 23, 27, 32, 36, 41, 45, 50, 54, 59), move forward again by the same number you just rolled. If you land on another Goose immediately, keep moving by the same amount again until you land on a non-Goose square.
5. Special hazard squares interrupt normal movement. The Bridge (square 6): move forward to square 12. The Inn (square 19): miss your next two turns. The Well (square 31): stay put until another player lands on the same square and takes your place, freeing you. The Maze (square 42): move back to square 39. The Prison (square 52): stay put until another player lands on the same square and takes your place, freeing you. The Death square (square 58): return your counter all the way back to square 1 and start again.
6. If two players ever occupy the same square for any reason other than the Well or Prison swap rule, the player who was already there is bumped back to the square the arriving player came from.
7. To win, you must land on square 63 by an exact count. If your dice total would carry you past square 63, count forward to 63 and then count the excess back down the track. For example, if you are on square 60 and roll a 5, you reach 63, then bounce back 2 squares to square 61.
8. Play continues clockwise until one player lands exactly on square 63.

Winning and scoring

The winner is the first player to land exactly on square 63. An overshoot does not eliminate you: count forward to 63 and bounce the surplus squares back down the board, then continue from wherever you land on subsequent turns. There is no second place; once the winner is declared, the game ends immediately.

The fine points

The Well and Prison squares cause the most disputes. The rule is a straight swap: the new arrival is stuck, and the previously trapped player moves to the square the newcomer rolled from, then continues normally on their next turn. They do not get a free roll on the turn they are freed. If no one ever lands on the Well or Prison, the trapped player simply waits indefinitely, which can substantially lengthen a game. Some households rule a maximum wait of three full rounds before the trapped player is released automatically; agree this before play begins.

The bounce-back rule on square 63 catches beginners off guard. The counter must land exactly on 63, not merely reach or pass it. When bouncing back, treat the return squares as normal board squares: if you bounce back onto a Goose, you do not take the Goose bonus on the return journey. The bounce is purely positional. Similarly, if a bounced counter lands on a hazard square such as the Death square at 58, the hazard applies in full.

How to win more often

• Count your distance to square 63 from about square 50 onwards and note which rolls win outright versus which cause a costly bounce. Knowing that you need a 7 to win, and that 7 is the most common two-dice total, tells you whether you are a favourite or an underdog on any given turn.
• Avoid sitting on squares where a common roll from a rival lands you both on the same spot. You will be bumped back; they will advance. Squares just behind clusters of Goose squares are particularly dangerous resting points.
• When you are close to the Death square at 58, roll with some dread: landing on 58 resets you to square 1. If you are on square 55 or 56, a roll of 3 or 2 respectively hits it. There is nothing you can do to avoid a bad roll, but being aware of it keeps you from celebrating too early.
• In a larger game of five or six players, the Well and Prison squares become weapons. A player trapped there can block the square for several rounds. If you are close behind a trapped player, try to land elsewhere; if you are well behind, landing on those squares at least gives you a chance to be freed by a rival landing there later.
• The Goose chain reaction is the fastest route across the board. Rolls of 9 in the mid-board zone can chain two or three Goose landings in a row. Track which Goose squares are clustered and which dice totals reach them from your current position.

Variations

Stake Pool

Before the game, each player places an agreed token or counter into a central pool. Every time a player hits a hazard square and is sent back or loses turns, they add one token to the pool. The winner takes the entire pool. This version adds a mild penalty element that keeps everyone invested in other players' bad luck.

Shortened Track

For younger children or when time is short, the track is reduced to 32 squares, retaining proportionally placed Goose squares and a single hazard in the middle third. The bounce-back rule on the final square still applies. Games typically finish in 10 to 15 minutes and the rules remain fully intact.

No Bounce Rule

Some editions remove the bounce-back on square 63 entirely and rule that any roll that reaches or passes 63 wins the game outright. This shortens endgame considerably and removes the frustrating back-and-forth near the finish. It is a reasonable house rule when playing with very young children but removes one of the game's notable tactical wrinkles.

Team Play

With six players, split into two teams of three. Each team shares a single counter, with players taking turns to roll on behalf of the team in a fixed rotation. The first team to get their counter to square 63 wins. Decisions about whether to risk a move near the Death square become shared, which generates lively table discussion and makes the game work well as a party format.

Game of the Goose: frequently asked questions