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Wizard's Academy
- 1–6 players
- 90–180 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2016
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- BGG #25,248
- BGG rating
- 5.8
404: Law Not Found
2013
Rules assistance for 404: Law Not Found
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.3/5
Rules assistant for 404: Law Not Found
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
404: Law Not Found is a board game released in 2013 for 2–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Gregory Carslaw and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
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About the game
404: Law Not Found is a competitive action programming game with hidden objectives. Players take the role of robots that awaken after an upgrade to find their three laws replaced with nonsensical directives such as "Explore Breathing" or "Improvise Science". Players race to complete objectives based on these directives, the first player to complete all three directives wins the game. The game opens with players drafting directives, providing them with a partial knowledge of each others' objectives. Each turn the ship encounters an obstacle, such as a meteor or enemy ship. Once that's been revealed the (relatively helpless) human crew make a quick reaction. Then the bulk of the turn is spent by the players choosing actions for their robots to take in service to their directives, before finally the event is resolved if it has not been neutralized in some way. The game ends once a player completes all three directives or the ship has encountered ten events. The actions are general (move right, move left, turn on the machine in this room) and the directives might specify interactions with any part of the game (events, items, crew, machines, other robots). The wellbeing of the ship or its crew has no special place in the victory conditions, the state of the ship at the end of a game where a robot has to "Empower Technology" (repair at least two damaged machines) might differ from one in which a robot is trying to "Improvise War" (fire a living crewman and hit an enemy ship).
Designers
Publishers
- (Web published)
- 3DTotal Games
Questions and answers
404: Law Not Found supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for 404: Law Not Found is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists 404: Law Not Found for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
404: Law Not Found has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
404: Law Not Found belongs to these categories: Print & Play, Science Fiction, and Space Exploration. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Simultaneous Action Selection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of 404: Law Not Found are: Gregory Carslaw. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists 404: Law Not Found as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.