Who goes first in Dice Hospital?
English Alley Cat Games press-pack rulebook
Whoever most recently visited a hospital starts. The rules also allow choosing randomly.
Rule details
This is the multiplayer starting rule. Give that player the First Player token; starting patients are drawn from that player clockwise.
During Patient Intake, the starter rolls the patient dice and chooses an ambulance first, followed clockwise. The starter cannot choose ambulance 1. The player on their right assigns equal-valued dice of different colours to ambulances.
Hospital Improvement follows ambulance-number order. Hospital Activation may be simultaneous; the rules recommend taking turns in ambulance order for your first game.
The player who takes the lowest-numbered ambulance receives the First Player token and starts the next round. Solo play has separate rules.
Source & edition
- Dice Hospital: Alley Cat Games rulesAlley Cat Games · Game Setup; Patient Intake; Hospital Improvement and Activation; Shift Change; Solo Game · Checked 2026-09-23Printed page references: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10Cited PDF pages: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10
Image: © Alley Cat Games · Alley Cat Games
If your rules call for a random choice, use the player picker.
If there’s a tie
The rulebook doesn’t say. If you need a tie-break, pick a player at random.
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