- BGG rank
- BGG #7,609
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Sternenhimmel
- 3–5 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 1995
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,681
- BGG rating
- 6.2
Bauernschlau
1991
Rules assistance for Bauernschlau
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.6/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Bauernschlau
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Bauernschlau is a board game released in 1991 for 2–6 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Tom Schoeps and its main mechanics are Secret Unit Deployment.
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About the game
The theme of this game is building sheep farms. Each farmer (player) owns a farm consisting of hexes radiating out from the center of the board, and whose boundaries (and therefore, sizes) are initially undefined. The placement of fences -- each of which is shared by the two surrounding farms -- defines the boundaries. Some hexes are clearly going to be in certain farms; others will be fought over (either to acquire or avoid!) fiercely. The goal is to complete one's own farm by having the fences on both its sides reach the outer edge of the board before the game ends (without which one cannot win), and to have the most enclosed points among all such completed farms (which wins). The sheep are on thick cardboard disks, printed on one side with values ranging from 5 (the best) down to -3. One sheep can fit onto each board hex. On a turn, a player gets to do one of several actions: 1) place a sheep from the supply face-down onto an empty board space after secretly looking at it; 2) turn up a face-down sheep tile in place (thereby freezing it for the rest of the game); 3) use the cool wooden sheepdog to blindly "herd" a face-down sheep from one hex to another, where it is then flipped up and frozen; or 4) lay a fence piece on either of the two fences surrounding their farm. Certain board hexes, symmetrically distributed, act as multipliers for the sheep that ends up in that space. There are a few special situation rules and a few rules governing fence placement. There are strong elements of bluff and memory in this game. The game ends when one player's completed farm is filled with pieces (either face-up or down sheep, or the dog). Whoever has the highest number of points on face-up sheep in his/her farm after applying multipliers is the winner. Distribution of Sheep tiles are 9 tiles each for 1, 2, 3 or 5 positive points, and 16 tiles with negative 3 points.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- F.X. Schmid
- Dal Negro
Questions and answers
Bauernschlau supports 2–6 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 Bauernschlau is 45 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 Bauernschlau 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.
Bauernschlau has a complexity rating of 1.6 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.
Bauernschlau belongs to these categories: Memory and Farming. Its main mechanics are Secret Unit Deployment. 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 Bauernschlau are: Tom Schoeps. 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 Bauernschlau 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.