How to Play Pen the Pig

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

Pen the Pig is a simple pen-and-paper drawing game for two players, though it scales easily to larger groups. One die and a blank sheet of paper are all that is needed. Each roll of the die determines which part of a pig you may add to your drawing, and the race is on to complete the animal before your opponent does.

Its appeal is obvious: the rules take under a minute to explain, there is no reading required, and the random element of the die keeps every game genuinely unpredictable. It is a firm favourite at kitchen tables, on long journeys, and anywhere a pencil and a scrap of paper can be found.

A little history

The origins of Pen the Pig are unclear. Drawing dice games of this type, where players assemble a creature part by part according to die rolls, have been recorded in British and American family games collections since at least the mid-twentieth century. The format shares clear ancestry with the commercial beetle-drive games that were popular at church socials and fundraising events in the UK from the 1930s onward, but no single inventor or definitive first publication has been firmly documented for the pig-specific version played with pencil and paper.

Setting up

1. Give each player a blank sheet of paper and a pencil or pen.
2. Agree on and write down (or simply memorise) the die-to-body-part key: 1 = body, 2 = head, 3 = one leg (rolled up to four times), 4 = one ear (rolled up to two times), 5 = one eye (rolled up to two times), 6 = tail.
3. Decide who rolls first, for example by each rolling the die once and giving the first turn to the higher result.
4. Place the die within easy reach of both players.

How to play

1. Players take turns. On your turn, roll the die once.
2. Consult the die-to-body-part key and add the corresponding part to your drawing, but only if the conditions below are met.
3. You must draw the body (roll of 1) before you may add any other part. If you roll anything other than a 1 before your body is drawn, your turn ends with nothing added.
4. You must draw the head (roll of 2) before you may add ears or eyes. If you roll a 4 or 5 before the head is in place, your turn ends with nothing added.
5. Legs (roll of 3): a pig requires four legs. Each roll of 3 adds one leg. You may draw legs as soon as the body exists.
6. Ears (roll of 4): a pig requires two ears. Each roll of 4 adds one ear. The head must already be drawn.
7. Eyes (roll of 5): a pig requires two eyes. Each roll of 5 adds one eye. The head must already be drawn.
8. Tail (roll of 6): one tail is required. It may be added as soon as the body exists.
9. If you roll a number for a part you have already completed in full (for example, a 6 when your tail is already drawn), your turn ends and you add nothing.
10. After you add a part (or fail to qualify to add one), pass the die to the other player.
11. The first player to have all fourteen parts drawn (1 body, 1 head, 4 legs, 2 ears, 2 eyes, 1 tail, and optionally 1 snout if using the extended version) calls out and shows their completed pig to win.

Winning and scoring

The first player to complete all required parts of the pig wins the round. In the standard game the required parts are: one body, one head, four legs, two ears, two eyes, and one tail, totalling eleven parts. No points are needed for a single round; for a longer session, play a set number of rounds (three or five is common) and award one point per round win. The player with the most points at the end of the set wins the match.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the dependency rules: can you add a tail or legs before the body is drawn? The standard ruling is no, nothing may be added until the body exists, since the body is the logical anchor for every other part. Similarly, ears and eyes cannot be drawn until the head is in place, even if the body is already there. If a player inadvertently draws a part out of sequence, the correct remedy is to cross it out and treat that turn as a wasted roll rather than replaying it.

A second dispute arises when a player rolls for a part they have already completed. For example, rolling a 3 (leg) when all four legs are drawn. The standard ruling is that the turn is simply lost; there is no re-roll. Some households allow a free re-roll in this situation, which is a legitimate house rule but should be agreed before play begins. Also agree in advance whether a snout is a required part: some versions include it (requiring a roll of, say, 1 on a second die, or treating a sixth roll of 1 as the snout), and others do not.

How to win more often

• Prioritise celebrating early body rolls: without a 1, every subsequent roll is wasted, so when you are still waiting for the body, the tension is real and there is nothing you can do to hurry it along. Manage that frustration rather than letting it distract you.
• Track your opponent's progress closely. Knowing they need only one more leg while you still lack a head tells you the urgency of your situation and helps you avoid unnecessary hesitation on your own turns.
• In a multi-round match, adjust your target score based on momentum. If your opponent wins the first round quickly, press for speed in round two rather than caution.
• Keep your drawing clear and tidy. In the excitement it is easy to lose count of how many legs or eyes you have drawn. A muddled drawing leads to disputes; neat, deliberate strokes prevent them.
• If you are playing with younger children, consider removing the dependency rules so that any rolled part can be added immediately regardless of order. This keeps the game moving and reduces frustration for players who repeatedly miss the body roll.

Variations

Extended Pig

Add a snout as a required thirteenth part, allocated to a specific die outcome (commonly a second roll of 1 after the head is drawn, or by prior agreement assigned to a number that would otherwise be wasted). This lengthens the game slightly and adds one extra dependency rule: the snout requires the head to be in place before it can be drawn.

Beetle-Style Group Play

Pen the Pig adapts naturally to three or more players seated around a table with a single shared die that passes clockwise. Rules remain identical. With four or more players the game becomes a lively group activity rather than a direct head-to-head contest, and the first person to complete their pig simply calls out to end the round. This format is particularly popular with children at parties.

Speed Rounds

Set a timer for two minutes. When the timer sounds, players compare their drawings and the player with the most parts drawn wins the round. In the event of a tie on parts, count the number of successful rolls made: fewer wasted turns is the tiebreaker. This variant suits older children and adults who want a faster, more pressured experience.

Draw Your Own Animal

Players agree on a different animal before the game begins, for example a cat or a spider, and assign die numbers to that animal's body parts accordingly. A spider requires eight legs, which increases the total number of required rolls dramatically and makes for a longer game. This variation encourages creativity and works well as a quiet drawing activity as much as a competitive game.

Pen the Pig: frequently asked questions