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Ada's Library
2003
Rules assistance for Ada's Library
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 20 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.7/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Ada's Library
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ada's Library is a board game released in 2003 for 2 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Zach Greenvoss and Amanda Greenvoss and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Pattern Building, and Pattern Recognition.
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About the game
Your goal in Ada's Library — first published as Phoenix — is to arrange all of the books in your personal display in an order that matches the books in the "master display". The game includes larger "master" book cards in a six colors, as well as smaller books in these six colors. To set up, each player draws ten books from the bag, then places them in a row in front of themselves in the order drawn. Shuffle the six master cards, then lay them out in a row, e.g., red, light blue, gray, brown, yellow, dark blue. Shuffle the deck of action cards, with each player getting a hand of five cards. On a turn, either discard a card from your hand (ignoring its effect) or play a card from your hand. Cards will: Swap the position of two books in your display, with the number of spaces between these books being specified. Move a book in your display a specified number of spaces either left or right, but never past the end of your display. Move a book to either end of your display. Swap the books on the ends of your display. Swap a book of your choice with the book in the opponent's display directly opposite. Move a book in the master display 1 or 2 spaces to the left or right. Draw a replacement card to end your turn. As soon as the ten books in your display match the order of the books in the master display — regardless of whether all the colors are present — you win. Ada's Library differs from Phoenix in two ways. First, it includes only four books of each color whereas Phoenix had five pawns of each color. Second, in Phoenix, a complete game lasted three rounds, and players scored points at the end of each round based on whether they went out, had a pawn of each color, and had 3-5 pawns of a color in a row on their display. Whoever had the most points after three rounds won.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Descartes Editeur
- Eurogames
- Playte
Questions and answers
Ada's Library supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Ada's Library is 20 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 Ada's Library 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.
Ada's Library has a complexity rating of 1.7 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.
Ada's Library belongs to these categories: Card Game and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Pattern Building, and Pattern Recognition. 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 Ada's Library are: Zach Greenvoss and Amanda Greenvoss. 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 Ada's Library 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.