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- BGG #6,067
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Jolly & Roger
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- BGG rank
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- BGG rating
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Big Dig
2019
Rules assistance for Big Dig
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 5–15 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.4/5
Rules assistant for Big Dig
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Big Dig is a board game released in 2019 for 2–4 players, 5–15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Scott Huntington and Shaun Graham and its main mechanics are Paper-and-Pencil and Open Drafting.
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About the game
You are an adventurous archaeologist, digging into the earth for artifacts, treasure, and other goodies. Every day requires a new plan to be efficient, so you and the other archaeologists on the site will be competing to see whose is the most efficient! Each turn in Big Dig, you draft a card from the center that shows you the shape in which you must dig (by crossing out squares on your personal dry-erase board). You must touch either the top of the digging area or a previously dug area, and you can't go through certain areas (though you may forgo regular digs to blow up stones that are in your way). When the cards in the center run out, everyone returns their cards to the center and flips them over so that different digging shapes are now available. Every game, three random goals are dealt out, and the first person to accomplish all of them wins! There are a variety of goals that can be in play, the player boards are double-sided (everyone plays with the same side in any given game), and which side of the digging cards is face-up to start is different, so every play is different! —description from the publisher
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Tasty Minstrel Games
Questions and answers
Big Dig 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 Big Dig is 5–15 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 Big Dig 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.
Big Dig has a complexity rating of 1.4 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.
Big Dig belongs to these categories: Adventure. Its main mechanics are Paper-and-Pencil 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 Big Dig are: Scott Huntington and Shaun Graham. 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 Big Dig 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.