- BGG rank
- BGG #20,678
- BGG rating
- 5.8
Plunder
- 2–6 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,499
- BGG rating
- 6.0
A Fistful of Penguins
2011
Rules assistance for A Fistful of Penguins
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–6 players
- 15 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.4/5
Rules assistant for A Fistful of Penguins
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
A Fistful of Penguins is a board game released in 2011 for 1–6 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Jonathan Franklin and its main mechanics are Set Collection and Dice Rolling.
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About the game
A Fistful of Penguins is a quick, engaging family dice game of gathering animals to add to your zoo. After three rounds, the person who has made the most money displaying animals wins. To play, roll the special animal dice to get a selection of animals to add to your zoo. Each animal has a unique way to earn you money: Kangaroos score by the square of their number, so if you want to score them, you should try to get a large group; lions are worth big bucks, but if you score lions, then only the lions score; camels are a decent $5 each, but they score zero if any lions are present; squirrels steal money from the other players; and moose score the most, but each moose must be paired with a squirrel in order to score. Penguins don't earn you money, but they get you penguin tokens. A penguin token can be used to add another die to your group, or to reroll as many of your dice as you wish. This makes it very valuable to start your turn with a fistful of penguins... The basic version is intended for casual family play and to teach gamers the faces of the dice. If you are rating the game for a BGG audience, please play the advanced version before rating the game.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Arclight Games
- Wattsalpoag Games
Questions and answers
A Fistful of Penguins supports 1–6 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 A Fistful of Penguins is 15 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 A Fistful of Penguins for ages 8 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.
A Fistful of Penguins has a complexity rating of 1.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
A Fistful of Penguins belongs to these categories: Animals, Children's Game, and Dice. Its main mechanics are Set Collection and Dice Rolling. 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 A Fistful of Penguins are: Jonathan Franklin. 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 A Fistful of Penguins 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.