
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,861
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Breaking Away
- 2–9 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 1991

2000
Rules assistance for Bladder
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Bladder is a board game released in 2000 for 2 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Danny Brittain and Tim Purkess.
BLADDER combines elements of the 2 most popular pastimes ever, Chess and Football (i.e. REAL football, what Americans call soccer!), recreating the total mayhem of village games during the time of King James ...14 playing pieces per side. Bladder is very much a game of two halves. Positional maneuvering in the first half preceding the picking up of the bladder followed by the more fluid passing and elimination action of the second half.
Bladder supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Bladder is 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 Bladder 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.
Bladder 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.
Bladder belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy and Sports. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Bladder and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Bladder are: Danny Brittain and Tim Purkess. 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 Bladder 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.