- BGG rating
- 7.7
Burke's Gambit: Xenobiologist
- 4–8 players
- 20 min
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,329
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Burke's Gambit
2016
Rules assistance for Burke's Gambit
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 4–8 players
- 20 min
- 14+
- Complexity 1.5/5
For 4 players
Rules assistant for Burke's Gambit
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Burke's Gambit is a board game released in 2016 for 4–8 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Robert Yates and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Player Elimination, and Dice Rolling.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Burke's Gambit: Salvager
- 4–8 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2017
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,420
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Quest
- 4–10 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,874
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Werewolf
- 8–24 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 1.4/5
- 1986
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Ultimate Werewolf: Deluxe Edition
- 5–75 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #476
- BGG rating
- 7.2
The Resistance
- 5–10 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2009
- BGG rank
- BGG #127
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game
- 3–6 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2008
- BGG rank
- BGG #394
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Feed the Kraken
- 5–11 players
- 45–90 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,694
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Ultimate Werewolf: Ultimate Edition
- 5–68 players
- 30–90 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2008
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,737
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Room 25
- 1–6 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #241
- BGG rating
- 7.5
The Resistance: Avalon
- 5–10 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,297
- BGG rating
- 7.2
The Thing: Infection at Outpost 31
- 4–8 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,265
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Lupus in Tabula
- 8–24 players
- 20–40 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2001
- BGG rank
- BGG #267
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Secret Hitler
- 5–10 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2016
About the game
Speeding through space, Burke's Gambit is a rugged company freighter on an extremely important mission, with its seasoned crew being tasked with finding powerful alien technology. What the crew finds instead is something they never expected: a dangerous parasitic organism has somehow made its way into the ship and inside the body of one of the crew members! Just as the bio-organism contamination alarm goes off, one of the crew members seizes the chaotic moment and sabotages the freighter's engines. The ship, its crew, and the parasitic organism are all on a collision course with planet Earth, where further contamination of the world's population awaits. Which of the crew are dedicated company personnel wanting the alien organism to reach Earth? Which are just crew wanting to identify the infected crew member? Most importantly, which member of the crew is infected?! Join the crew of Burke's Gambit on a wild space adventure with hidden affiliations and a hidden infected player. In Burke's Gambit, players take on specific roles of Captain, Marine, Comms Officer and more as they take turns and roll a die. The possibilities of the die include damaging another player, healing themselves, looking at a crew affiliation card, or even scanning a player's diagnostic card. But if you roll an engine power up, you hasten the ship's arrival to Earth. When Burke's Gambit reaches Earth, a vote must be held to eject someone from the airlock (assuming anyone's left)!
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- WizKids (I)
Questions and answers
Burke's Gambit supports 4–8 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 Burke's Gambit is 20 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 Burke's Gambit for ages 14 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.
Burke's Gambit has a complexity rating of 1.5 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.
Burke's Gambit belongs to these categories: Party Game, Deduction, and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Player Elimination, and Dice Rolling. 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 Burke's Gambit are: Robert Yates. 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 Burke's Gambit 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.