- BGG rating
- 7.0
Columba: The Pond
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,045
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Columba
2012
Rules assistance for Columba
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Columba
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Columba is a board game released in 2012 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Laurent Escoffier and its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Tile Placement, and Layering.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Columba: Officia
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- 2013
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About the game
In Columba, you'll build dovecotes, breed pigeons, expand your territory, and – above all else – avoid your opponents' falcons. Players start with 2-4 dovecotes depending on the number of players, and they use them during the game to claim flocks as their own. (The larger dovecote doubles the score of the flock claimed.) At the start of the game, players need to catch one pigeon of each of the four breeds, after which that goal will be replaced by a new one. The starting player reveals the first tile, places it on the table, then draws another tile and tries to capture pigeons to fulfill his goal. To catch a pigeon, you must place a tile so that it covers the square or squares with the pigeon(s) you need. You may capture pigeons only if you need them; you cannot catch pigeons which belong to a flock already claimed by an opponent, but you can (re)catch pigeons from your or your team's flocks. You receive a tile for each pigeon captured and place those tiles on your goal card. When you fill a goal tile, you place the tiles on it on your mat, optionally take a new goal card, play the now-freed goal card, then place the tiles on your mat wherever you wish to make one of your (or your partner's) flocks bigger, provided either of you have already built a dovecote to claim a particular flock as your own. You can also use the tiles to breed falcons. You need to discard two of them to get a baby falcon and two more on a subsequent turn to have it grow into an adult falcon that you can then send to prey on your opponents' flock and make it smaller. The game ends when no more goal cards can be drawn; any player with an unfulfilled goal card loses four points. Each player counts the tiles or squares forming the flocks claimed by their dovecotes, and the player or team with the highest score wins.
Designers
Publishers
- Ludocom
Questions and answers
Columba 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 Columba is 30 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 Columba for ages 8 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.
Columba 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.
Columba belongs to these categories: Animals, Territory Building, and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Tile Placement, and Layering. 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 Columba are: Laurent Escoffier. 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 Columba 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.