
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,824
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Dice Pool Party
- 2–8 players
- 10–20 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2025

2007
Rules assistance for Cobra
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Cobra is a board game released in 2007 for 2–5 players and 10 minutes per game. It was designed by Christoph Cantzler and Torsten Marold.
COBRA is a dexterity game with bluffing and tactical elements. There are three baskets, each marked differently. Out of these grow snakes, consisting of alternating neutral and coloured wooden segments. In the beginning of the game, each player draws randomly one of five colours. On his turn, each player takes one neutral and one coloured segment of his choice and puts them on one of the three snakes. Aim of the game is to have the highest score in the end - having the most elements of your colour in the "best counting" snake, depending on the basket and the snake`s head. This can pe put on the top of any snake by any player before his regular move, but before this, the others have the chance to make a guess about his colour. If they are right, he MUST discover his colour, thus giving the others an advantage, and is not allowed to move the head. If the guess is wrong, he may put the head on the top of a snake or move it on top of another one. The game ends, when all players pass or if one of the snakes topples down - the score for the player causing this is zero. Best to be played in several rounds, adding the scores.
Cobra 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 Cobra is 10 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.
Cobra has a complexity rating of 1.3 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.
Cobra belongs to these categories: Bluffing and Action / Dexterity. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Cobra and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Cobra are: Christoph Cantzler and Torsten Marold. 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 Cobra 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.