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- BGG #23,972
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Animotion
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- BGG rating
- 6.1
Bongo!
2000
Rules assistance for Bongo!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–8 players
- 15 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.4/5
Rules assistant for Bongo!
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Bongo! is a board game released in 2000 for 2–8 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Bruno Faidutti and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Pattern Recognition.
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About the game
Roll the dice, and quickly be the first to identify the right animal! First, make sure you're looking for the right number from the two yellow dice. Second, look at the animal dice and find that number of animals among all of them. Are there more than one animal that match that number? Then call the third animal! If nothing matches the numbers, then call "Nothing"! Call the correct animal, and you win a token for that animal, but be careful not to call the wrong animal, because if you do, then you lose all tokens for that animal. Whoever is the first to collect two tokens for each animal wins the game! If the standard game isn't challenging enough for you, throw in the poacher dice to eliminate certain animals from the call. If that STILL isn't enough, then include the ranger die (included in the second, boxed edition of the game), which interacts with the poacher dice to further challenge your brain.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Heidelberger Spieleverlag
- Portal Games
- HeidelBÄR Games
- 2 Pionki
Questions and answers
Bongo! supports 2–8 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 Bongo! is 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 Bongo! 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.
Bongo! 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.
Bongo! belongs to these categories: Animals and Dice. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Pattern Recognition. 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 Bongo! are: Bruno Faidutti. 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 Bongo! 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.