- BGG rank
- BGG #6,515
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Volcano
- 1–6 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2000
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,494
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Caldera
2011
Rules assistance for Caldera
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–3 players
- Complexity 2.0/5
Rules assistant for Caldera
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Caldera is a board game released in 2011 for 2–3 players. It was designed by Kristin Looney and its main mechanics are Set Collection and Square Grid.
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Fit to Print
- 1–6 players
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2023
About the game
This is a game inspired by the spewing eruptions of volcanoes. The setup leaves an empty space in the center of the board, akin to the caldera of a volcano. Capture the winning pieces by causing eruptions! Using the same erupt-and-capture mechanism as Volcano, Caldera changes just about everything else. The following play summary requires no prior knowledge of Volcano, but does assume a basic knowledge of Looney Pyramids. Using 6 rainbow stashes, four of the colors in each stash are set up on a Volcano board in nests. Since there are only 24 nests, the center of the board is left empty. The 5th color of each stash is used for caps (generally black, the opaque color). The players move caps to cause eruptions to capture pieces, but also have the option each turn to execute a Power Play: return a previously captured piece to the board. The game ends when one player has captured 3 monochrome trios--that player wins. Although Caldera originated as a variant of Volcano, its "Fiesta Caldera" variant is now the canonical version of Volcano.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Looney Labs
Questions and answers
Caldera supports 2–3 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.
Caldera 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.
Caldera belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy and Puzzle. Its main mechanics are Set Collection and Square Grid. 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 Caldera are: Kristin Looney. 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 Caldera 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.