- BGG rank
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Circle of Life
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- 2015
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- BGG rating
- 7.5
Catchup
2010
Rules assistance for Catchup
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 13 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.1/5
Rules assistant for Catchup
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Catchup is a board game released in 2010 for 2 players, 13 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Nick Bentley and its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Tile Placement, and Hexagon Grid.
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About the game
Catchup is a simple abstract game with a devilish dynamic. The goal is to have the largest group of stones on the board when the board is full of stones, but as you get closer to winning, your opponent gets more powerful. Whereas most stone-placement games are about position, Catchup is about timing, position, and the interplay between them. Definitions: 1. Group – a set of connected, like-colored stones on the board. A single stone is also considered a group. 2. Score - your score is the number of stones contained in your largest group. At the beginning of the game, both players' scores are set to 1 Rules: 1. One player owns the white stones and the other owns the black. White begins by placing 1 stone on any empty space. 2. From then on, starting with black, players take turns. On your turn, you may place 1 or 2 stones, or up to 3 if your opponent's score increased on their last turn and is, at the beginning of your turn, greater than or equal to your score. 3. After taking your turn, if your score has changed, move your pawn to the corresponding spot on the scoring track. 4. The game ends when the board is full. The player with the largest group wins. If the players’ largest groups are the same size, compare their second-largest groups, and so on, until you come to a pair which aren’t the same size. Whoever owns the larger of the two wins.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- (Web published)
Questions and answers
Catchup 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 Catchup is 13 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 Catchup for ages 10 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.
Catchup has a complexity rating of 2.1 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.
Catchup belongs to these categories: Print & Play and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Tile Placement, and Hexagon 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 Catchup are: Nick Bentley. 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 Catchup 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.