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Burn Rate
2002
Rules assistance for Burn Rate
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 45 min
- 13+
- Complexity 1.6/5
Rules assistant for Burn Rate
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Burn Rate is a board game released in 2002 for 2–4 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Rich Koehler and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Open Drafting.
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About the game
BURN RATE puts the players in the role of a dot-com CEO, trying to keep his startup afloat. The challenge of the game is to keep a startup in business and lose money as slowly as possible. Opponents try to force each other to flame out quickly with money-wasting dot-com projects, over hiring, and incompetent vice presidents. The mechanics of the game are based on real life. A player's employee [cards] each has a skill number, and that skill allows the play of cards that represent their actions. For example, a FUNDING card with a skill prerequisite of 2 requires an Finance employee with a minimum skill of 2 to play it. A player's bank account is debited each turn based on his current situation, or "burn rate". A player wins when all the others have run out of money.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- BoardM Factory
- Swan Panasia Co., Ltd.
- Mandoo Games
- Paper Iyagi
- Toy Vault, Inc.
- Cool Studio
Questions and answers
Burn Rate 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 Burn Rate is 45 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 Burn Rate for ages 13 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.
Burn Rate has a complexity rating of 1.6 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.
Burn Rate belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, 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 Burn Rate are: Rich Koehler. 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 Burn Rate 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.