Sure, that’ll happen when pigs fly…
You may not be able to use that saying much longer because, contrary to popular belief, Winning Moves‘ latest adaptation of Pass the Pigs proves that pigs can fly. Well, sort of. Pass the Pigs Big Pigs is a game of pig-throwing fun, where players compete against each other to see whose throw will make the pigs fly through the air and land in strategic positions to earn points. Plays will be made, points will be scored, and pigs will most definitely fly.
Pass the Pigs is already a staple party game, but now things are twice as fun thanks to the Big Pigs dice. The same rules from the classic game still apply. Players roll the dice as many times as they dare and score for each position that they land in. Be warned, if the pigs land in the dreaded Pig Out position—both pigs on their side, one with the dot facing up and the other’s dot not visible—the points for that round get cancelled and the player is forced to forfeit his or her turn. The first player to reach 100 points wins.
There are also rules for a second game included in the box set. The same rules stick, however, when a player earns 20 points they can choose to Hog Call. Here they shout “sooee,” and test their luck as they predict which way another player’s roll will land. If the player guesses right, he or she earns double the points scored for that roll, while the player whose turn it is must deduct double the points from his or her total.
For the most part, Pass the Pigs Big Pigs is a game of luck. But, after taking a whack at it, I picked up a few tricks of the trade. Players who rolled the pigs as they would traditionally roll the dice often resulted in the pigs landing on their sides. There’s nothing wrong with that (unless they land in a Pig Out and all your hard work crumbles), but with a list of different positions worth varied points, it certainly makes the game more interesting when the pigs land in unconventional ways.
Since the Big Pigs are made from squishy foam, they are able to bounce more than a regular pair of Pass the Pigs dice. When I made some bold moves while playing and threw the pigs spiraling into the air from their tails, they landed in a wider variation of positions. For instance, the Double Leaning Jowler—the highest scoring position—earns a player 60 points when both the pigs land with their snouts on the game surface and their tails in the air. Not to pat myself on the back, but I was able to snag one of these along the way.
Pass the Pigs Big Pigs has the three important things to always keep in mind when preparing for a kid’s game night: it’s quick, easy, and fun. Best yet, the bigger pigs and their foam material means that the game can take place on tables, floors, or even outside. For rainy days, play dates, or outdoor picnics, Pass the Pigs Big Pigs is guaranteed fun.
