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Costa Ruana
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Benevolent
2022
Rules assistance for Benevolent
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 20–30 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Benevolent
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Benevolent is a board game released in 2022 for 2–4 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Yuri Zhuravljov and its main mechanics are Set Collection and Area Majority / Influence.
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About the game
Far away from the big cities lies a mysterious forest. Thousands of years ago, there lived tribes that worshiped the spirits of the woods. Even now, ruins of their sanctuaries, conquered by ivy and amarbel, can be found among the trees. Rumour has it that those spirits have always been benevolent and sometimes leave their guests precious gifts: a piece of amber here, a bluebird’s feather or an ancient figurine of some outwardly stone there… Now it’s your time to head out to the magical forest, earn respect of its guardians and collect all their gifts! Every player takes the Character card and all 5 Footsteps of their chosen color and places 1 Footstep on the first position of the Dream Path. Assemble the forest board according to the player count. Players take turns clockwise starting with the first player. When a players has all 5 different gift tokens (no matter how many of each kind), the game immediately ends and that player wins. During your turn you must move first, and then perform an action. Movement: Place one of your Footsteps onto a hex without your Footstep. You can’t place your Footstep onto a hex where you already have a Footstep. You can’t place your Footstep onto a hex if there are no adjacent hexes with your Footsteps. Action: After the movement phase you must perform an action on the hex where you’ve just placed the Footstep. You have two options: Perform that hex’s action — but first you must pay Leaves for all Footsteps there, except yours. Gather Leaves — take 2 Leaves from the supply. Players continue taking turns until one of them wins.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Hobby World
- Matagot
Questions and answers
Benevolent 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 Benevolent is 20–30 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 Benevolent 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.
Benevolent has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Benevolent belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Set Collection and Area Majority / Influence. 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 Benevolent are: Yuri Zhuravljov. 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 Benevolent 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.