
- BGG rank
- BGG #15
- BGG rating
- 8.6
Slay the Spire: The Board Game
- 1–4 players
- 30–150 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2024
- Ask about the rules

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

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Bacon Wars is a board game released in 2015 for 2–4 players, 10–30 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Ben Byrne and its main mechanics are Hand Management.
From the rulebook: Dark times have fallen over the kingdom of Baconia, the mythical kingdom where bacon grows on trees. Beloved and powerful Queen Angie O'Plasty has died and left no heir, leaving the barons competing for supremacy. In Bacon Wars, you are a baron(ess) vying for dominance over Baconia in the power vacuum the Queen left. Can you be the baron that seizes control over the delicious land? Each player control bacon orchards and uses bacon strips (yielded in part by those orchards) to play cards. Cards come in several different types and require different bacon costs be paid in order to be played. Players take turns drawing cards and spending bacon to play them until there is a winner. To win, a player must either: A) be the only player with any orchards left, or B) have two level 3 orchards at the beginning of his or her turn.
Bacon Wars supports 2–4 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 Bacon Wars is 10–30 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 Bacon Wars for ages 6 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.
Bacon Wars 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.
Bacon Wars belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management. 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 Bacon Wars are: Ben Byrne. 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 Bacon Wars 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.