
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,452
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Khronos
- 2–5 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2006

2012
Rules assistance for Antartik
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Antartik is a board game released in 2012 for 2–5 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 5 and up. It was designed by Bruno Cathala and Arnaud Urbon and its main mechanics are Modular Board, Pattern Recognition, and Open Drafting.
Antartik is a game for two to five players aged 5 and up, who embody penguins facing each other in a diving contest. They jump from the ice shelf, in the middle of Antarctica. The penguins must perform the most impressive series of artistic figures while avoiding a disastrous belly flop, which never goes unnoticed by the well-skilled jury. The game is made of 55 cards, numbered from 1 to 10. There is only one card marked 1, whereas there are two cards marked 2, three cards marked 3, etc., and ten cards marked 10. Some cards marked 8, 9, and 10 also feature a bonus symbol in the top left corner, representing a judge or a parachute. Game flow Each player takes turn trying to make up a series of figures during his dive. He can perform three kinds of actions until his turn ends: Either drawing a card and place it in the center of the table so as to complete his series of figures. If the player draws a card which number already appears on one of the cards of the series, he keeps the last card he drew and his turn ends. The next player will choose either to keep the current series, or to return the series’ cards to the bottom of the deck. Or stopping the current series and taking all the cards it is made of before a pair is formed. The player’s turn ends. Or discarding a card with a "Judge" symbol to examine the top three cards in the deck and rearrange them in the order of his choice. Before performing any of these three actions, the active player must wait for each of his opponents to: Either raise his hand in agreement. Or place (once per player during a series of figures) one of his cards in front of the active player’s series so as to confront him, and dare him to perform another figure. If the active player refuses the challenge or accepts it and loses, his turn ends and the player who dared him takes his card back and turns it over; now the card is worth 3 stars. If the active player accepts the challenge and succeeds, he immediately takes the card that was bet, he puts it in his stock and his turn goes on. At any time, a player can turn over a card won during a successful challenge (i.e., a face down card) and draw the card at the bottom of the deck. End of game The game ends when the last card of the deck is drawn. The cards face up are worth one or two stars whereas the cards face down (from a successful bet) are worth three stars. The player with most stars wins the game and the title of "Antarctic Champion Diver".
Antartik 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 Antartik 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 Antartik for ages 5 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.
Antartik has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Antartik belongs to these categories: Card Game, Animals, and Children's Game. Its main mechanics are Modular Board, Pattern Recognition, and Open Drafting. 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 Antartik are: Bruno Cathala and Arnaud Urbon. 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 Antartik 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.