Mäxchen drinking game rules

What do you need for Mäxchen?

You need two dice, a cup, and a group sitting close enough to pass the dice around. Drinks are optional in the rules, but many party groups use a small penalty for losing a challenge.

How do scores work?

The higher die is usually read as the tens digit and the lower die as the ones digit, so a 6 and 4 becomes 64. Doubles often rank above normal numbers, and 21 is usually the special highest roll.

What is the Mäxchen ranking order?

House rules vary, but a common ranking is:

1. Normal numbers from 31 up to 65, with the higher die read first.
2. Doubles, from 11 up to 66, ranked above normal numbers.
3. 21, called Mäxchen, Mäxle, or Mia, as the highest roll.

Some groups rank 31 as the lowest possible valid number because the higher die is always read first. Agree on the order before the first bluff.

How do you play a turn?

The first player rolls secretly under the cup, looks at the dice, and announces a value. The next player can accept the claim, shake and roll a higher claim, or challenge the previous player by lifting the cup.

Each accepted claim must be higher than the previous claim. That pressure is what makes bluffing necessary.

How do challenges work?

After hearing a claim, the next player can accept it and roll, or call the bluff. If the claim was true, the challenger loses. If the claim was false, the player who lied loses.

What are good beginner house rules?

Start with one penalty for losing a challenge, reset the round after each challenge, and keep 21 as the highest possible claim. Once the group understands the ranking, add optional rules such as reversing direction after doubles or making 31 a special low roll.

How does Party Cards compare?

Mäxchen is about bluffing and reading faces. Party Cards creates a broader mix of prompts, votes, dares, and group challenges, then adapts based on what the table plays or skips.