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Il Principe
- 2–5 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
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- BGG #7,713
- BGG rating
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Charon Inc.
2010
Rules assistance for Charon Inc.
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 60 min
- 13+
- Complexity 2.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Charon Inc.
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Charon Inc. is a board game released in 2010 for 2–5 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Emanuele Ornella and Fred Binkitani and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Auction / Bidding, and Area Majority / Influence.
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About the game
In the year 2288, off-world mining is now controlled by a few mega-corporations. It is no longer just people or nations that are subject to exploitation, but entire planets and moons. As the CEO of one of these mega-corporations, in Charon, Inc. you will vie against CEOs of other corporations as you exploit the planet’s resources and colonize Charon, the largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto. You will stake claims to the various mining regions of Charon, acquire resources for building facilities, use special actions (fair and unfair) to gain advantages over other CEOs, and build your empire to achieve victory in this fast-paced game of planetary domination! Game Summary The board shows Charon divided into several regions. Each round, seed the regions with a mix of gems. Players start with a hand of building cards: at the start of each round, everyone puts one into a common pool. At the end of each round, you get additional cards.Players' bidding flags start out 1 in each of the special power areas. Go around bidding till each player has just one flag unspent. Bid by moving a flag from its space to a location on the board -- in a region, on a border btwn 2 regions, or on an intersection (corner) touching 2-4 regions. After all bids placed, use the special power where your last flag stands -- that is a pretty cool twist, where you have to decide which special power you want to try for (but you only get it if you're alone on that power; or if there's 2 of you in a 5er game!). Then resolve each region: the player with the most flags in/around it wins all the gems. Ties broken by seniority, where a flag is more "senior" if it affects fewer regions (center then edge then corner). After all gems collected, players (in turn order) use their gems to build cards from common pool and/or their hand (but may never build cards with same number). May trade gems (3:1?) to get the colors you need, and may only save a limited number of gems from turn to turn. Some special powers change trade ratio and holding limit. After 5 rounds, player who built the highest sum of buildings wins.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Pegasus Spiele
- Eagle-Gryphon Games
Questions and answers
Charon Inc. supports 2–5 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 Charon Inc. is 60 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 Charon Inc. 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.
Charon Inc. has a complexity rating of 2.3 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.
Charon Inc. belongs to these categories: Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Auction / Bidding, and Area Majority / Influence. 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 Charon Inc. are: Emanuele Ornella and Fred Binkitani. 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 Charon Inc. 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.