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Lost Cities
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Africa
2001
Rules assistance for Africa
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.8/5
Rules assistant for Africa
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Africa is a board game released in 2001 for 2–5 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Reiner Knizia and its main mechanics are Set Collection.
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About the game
In Africa, players take on the role of explorers in uncharted Africa. The circular playing counters are placed upside down in random locations upon the various circles of the board. Each turn the player may elect to move his explorer to a revealed location anywhere on the board, or move twice, each turn moving 0, 1, or 2 adjacent revealed spaces. The explorer may then take an action (such as reveal an unrevealed tile, or move various revealed tiles to other locations). The tiles represent trade goods (of various sets), nomads, herds of animals, gold, diamonds, and monuments. When the 11th monument is revealed, the game ends. Players tally up their points and the player with the most points wins. This being a Knizia game, there are various methods of scoring the revealed tiles, including immediate points, delayed points, opportunity points, and end points. Awarded "Best Family Game" title by Games Magazine in 2002.
Editions
- AfricaenGoldsieber Spiele, Rio Grande Games2001
- Afrika999 Games2008
- AfricadeGoldsieber Spiele2001
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- 999 Games
- Rio Grande Games
- Goldsieber Spiele
Questions and answers
Africa supports 2–5 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 Africa 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 Africa for ages 10 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.
Africa has a complexity rating of 1.8 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.
Africa belongs to these categories: Exploration. Its main mechanics are Set Collection. 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 Africa are: Reiner Knizia. 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 Africa 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.