- BGG rank
- BGG #2,434
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Coal Baron: The Great Card Game
- 2–4 players
- 50–80 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #912
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Coal Baron
2013
Rules assistance for Coal Baron
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 60–75 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.5/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Coal Baron
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Coal Baron is a board game released in 2013 for 2–4 players, 60–75 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Area Majority / Influence, and Tile Placement.
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About the game
Coal Baron – or Glück Auf in German, after a greeting German miners use when wishing one another luck – has players sending miners underground to dig tunnels and acquire coal, which comes in four levels of quality and is used to fulfill contracts. The game lasts three rounds, and in each round players take turns placing their workers on action spaces; you can place on a space occupied by another player, but you need to place additional workers in order to do so. Each player has an individual elevator shaft, and will need to use workers to extract coal and bring it to the surface, while also competing for contracts and scrounging for cash in order to do everything else that needs to be done!
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Pegasus Spiele
- Delta Vision Publishing
- Gigamic
- Lacerta
- eggertspiele
- R&R Games
- Ludonova
- C and C Publishing
- Passe Ton Tour Games
Questions and answers
Coal Baron 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 Coal Baron is 60–75 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 Coal Baron 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.
Coal Baron has a complexity rating of 2.5 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.
Coal Baron belongs to these categories: Trains, Industry / Manufacturing, and Transportation. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Area Majority / Influence, and Tile Placement. 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 Coal Baron are: Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling. 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 Coal Baron 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.