Hasbro's Trouble Grab and Go (item F8254), the box our link goes toPhoto: Hasbro
The board, the Pop-O-Matic and 16 pegsPhoto: Hasbro
For 2 to 4 players aged 5 and upPhoto: Hasbro
The back of Hasbro's North American boxPhoto: Hasbro
Video

Family game

Trouble Grab and Go

Pop the dome, race four pegs home, then close the lid

2–4players · best with 4
20–40 minplaying time
5+recommended age
Learning curve
Very easy1 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Mostly luck
LuckSkill
Interaction
Medium
Set-up
Under a minute
Reading
None

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Children from 5 on train journeys, flights and holidays, since the die is sealed in its dome and can't roll away

Think twice if You want a game that adults will enjoy on their own: it is almost all luck

How we rate it

Learning curve. Pop, count and move. Children who know Ludo already know most of it, which puts it with UNO and Connect 4 at 1 on our scale.

Luck & skill. Almost all luck: the die decides nearly everything. The only choices are which peg to move and whether to chase a rival.

Interaction. There is no trading or talking, but landing on a rival sends their peg home, and a 1 helps everyone except the player who rolled it.

Set-up. The first time, an adult sticks the four labels on. After that, take the cover off, put four pegs of each colour in Home and start popping, all in under a minute.

Reading. No text during play; you read the number on the die and count spaces.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Is Trouble Grab and Go right for you?

Great if

  • Children from 5 on train journeys, flights and holidays, since the die is sealed in its dome and can't roll away
  • Families who play Ludo and want a quicker, poppier cousin that packs into a bag
  • Two to four cousins at a get-together, with a two-player option that gives each child two colours
  • A small gift for a young child who loves pressing buttons

Skip it if

  • You want a game that adults will enjoy on their own: it is almost all luck
  • You want the full-size board's Double Trouble and Warp spaces, which the travel rules leave out
  • There are toddlers at home: the pegs are small parts, not for children under 3

How Trouble Grab and Go plays

Set-up: the first time, an adult takes the cover off the gameboard and sticks on the four labels from the label sheet, lining up the colours. For each game, every player takes the four pegs of one colour and puts them in their matching Home spaces. The youngest player goes first, and play moves to the left.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Nothing to read during play: you press the dome, read the number on the die and count spaces. Once someone has explained the rules, children can play it in Hindi, Kannada or any mix of languages; only the small rules leaflet is in English.

How to play Trouble (2016 rules - warp space) · Triple S Games

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Pop

    Press the Pop-O-Matic dome. A 6 brings a peg out or moves one six spaces and gives you one more pop; a 1 lets everyone else bring a peg out.

  2. 2
    Move

    Move one peg clockwise by the number. Land on a rival and send it back Home; you can't land on your own peg.

  3. 3
    Finish

    After one lap, move into the nearest open Finish space, with no exact count needed. First to get all four pegs into Finish wins.

Read the official rulesTrouble Grab and Go instructions (Hasbro item F8254) · English
The full explanation: how a game of Trouble Grab and Go goes

A turn: press the Pop-O-Matic dome and move by the number on the die. A 6 lets you either move a peg from Home to your Start space or move a peg on the track six spaces, and then pop again, but you only get one extra move a turn. A 2, 3, 4 or 5 moves any one of your pegs already on the track. A 1 means you can't move at all, but every other player gets to bring a peg from Home to Start.

Bumping and blocking: land on a rival's peg and it goes back to its Home, so it needs another 6 or someone else's 1 to come out. You can't land on your own peg; if that is your only move, you miss the turn. And you can't bring a new peg out while one of yours is still sitting on your Start space.

Winning: each peg goes once round the track and then into your Finish zone. You don't need an exact count: move into the first open Finish space nearest the dome. The first player with all four pegs in Finish wins. With only two players, the rules let each of you play with two colours. To pack up, put the pegs in their Finish zones and put the cover back on.

How it differs from our full-size Trouble page: the box on that page (Hasbro's item A5064) has a bigger square board on four rubber feet, and its rules add optional Double Trouble and Warp spaces. The travel box has the same Pop-O-Matic, the same rules for 1s and 6s and the same 16 pegs, on a smaller all-in-one board with a cover that keeps the pegs in, and its leaflet has no Double Trouble or Warp spaces.

What's in the box

The board, the Pop-O-Matic and 16 pegs · Photo: Hasbro
  • 1Gameboard
    an all-in-one travel board with the Pop-O-Matic die roller built in; the pegs store in their Finish zones
  • 1Cover
    fits over the gameboard to keep the pegs in when you pack up
  • 16Pegs
    four in each of four colours
  • 1Label sheet
    four labels an adult sticks on the first time, lining up the colours
  • 1Instructions

Box: 25.2 × 15.7 × 4.7 cm, 0.15 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From the contents printed on Hasbro's photo of the F8254 box back, its 2023 leaflet and Hasbro's instructions page, for the box our link goes to. The full-size Trouble on our Trouble page (Hasbro's item A5064) has a separate plastic game unit on a bigger board, 16 pegs and 4 rubber feet, but no cover.

Where to buy

Check price on Amazon.in
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Hasbro sells this 2023 travel box (item F8254) in India through its own store on Amazon.in, and our Amazon.in link goes to it. The listing names Hasbro India Toys but gives no country of origin, and Hasbro's own photo of the North American box back says it was made in Vietnam, so it is probably an import rather than an Indian-made box. If you want Trouble mainly for home, see our full-size Trouble page, or our Ludo page for the Indian game it grew from.

Before you choose

  • The box should carry the Hasbro Gaming and Trouble logos, the Pop-O-Matic name and the Grab & Go name. Hasbro's item number for the 2023 travel box is F8254; the older box is B1003.
  • Check the contents against Hasbro's list: a gameboard, a cover, 16 pegs, a label sheet and instructions.
  • The die is sealed under a clear dome built into the board, and the cover closes over the pegs when they sit in their Finish zones.
  • Hasbro's barcode for F8254 is 195166231013. Toys sold in India should also carry the ISI mark.
  • Pop-up dice race games from other brands play much the same but are not Hasbro's Trouble. A listing that uses the Trouble name but names another brand, or none, is not this game.

What reviewers and players say

We found no written reviews or forum threads about the 2023 travel box, so this summary leans on Hasbro's own description and rules, and on the classic game it shrinks. Hasbro pitches it as the same Pop-O-Matic Trouble in a smaller size, for road trips, train and plane journeys and holidays, with the pegs stored in their Finish zones under a cover. Hasbro launched its Grab and Go range in India in 2019 with a TV advert of a family on a train, and Trouble was part of it. For Indian families it is a pocket cousin of Ludo with a die that can't get lost; the trade-offs are tiny pegs, no Warp or Double Trouble spaces and a game that is almost all luck.

What people love

  • The sealed Pop-O-Matic dome: no dice rolling off a train table or under a seat
  • The cover closes over the pegs in their Finish zones, so the game packs away in seconds
  • Very quick to learn for anyone who already knows Ludo
  • A two-player option that gives each child two colours

Common complaints

  • Almost entirely luck, so adults soon lose interest
  • Small pegs are easy to lose if the cover isn't put back on
  • The popping is loud in a quiet train compartment or waiting room
Based on 4 reviews and discussions

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Why consider itThis game

Pop the dome, race four pegs home, then close the lid

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The full-size game: a bigger board with optional Double Trouble and Warp spaces

A different fit

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Best with4442-4
Play time20–40 min30–60 min30–60 min15–30 min
Age5+5+5+4+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
Indian editionAvailableImportedAvailableAvailable
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Questions people ask about Trouble Grab and Go

What is the difference between Trouble and Trouble Grab and Go?

Grab and Go is Hasbro's travel version, with the same Pop-O-Matic dome, 16 pegs and rules for 1s and 6s on a smaller all-in-one board. A cover closes over the pegs for travel, and its rules leave out the full-size game's optional Double Trouble and Warp spaces.

Can two people play Trouble Grab and Go?

Yes. It is for 2 to 4 players, and Hasbro's travel leaflet suggests that in a two-player game each of you can play with two sets of coloured pegs, which makes the race longer and gives more chances to bump each other.

What happens when you roll a 1 in Trouble Grab and Go?

You can't move, but every other player may move a peg from Home to Start. A 6 is the other way to bring a peg out, and it also gives you another pop.

Do you need an exact roll to finish in Trouble Grab and Go?

No. Once a peg has gone round the track, you move it into the first open Finish space closest to the dome. The first player with all four pegs in Finish wins.

Is Trouble Grab and Go like Ludo?

Very like it. Both race four pieces from home round the board, need a six to start and send a rival back when you land on it; Trouble comes from Ludo, which itself comes from India's Pachisi. Trouble differs in its popping dice dome, its rule for a 1 and having no safe squares on the track.

Game facts

Designed by
Frank Kohner, Paul Kohner, Fred Kroll
Publisher
Hasbro (Hasbro Gaming)
In India
Hasbro India Toys, Mumbai (named as importer and manufacturer on the Amazon.in listing)
First published
2023
Players
2–4
Barcode
195166231013
Language
No reading – Nothing to read during play: you press the dome, read the number on the die and count spaces. Once someone has explained the rules, children can play it in Hindi, Kannada or any mix of languages; only the small rules leaflet is in English.
Box size and weight
25.2 × 15.7 × 4.7 cm, 0.15 kg
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.