- BGG rank
- BGG #2,880
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Code 777
- 2–5 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 1985
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,295
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Eleusis
1956
Rules assistance for Eleusis
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 4–8 players
- 20 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.9/5
For 4 players
Rules assistant for Eleusis
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Eleusis is a board game released in 1956 for 4–8 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Robert Abbott and its main mechanics are Pattern Recognition and Induction.
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About the game
Eleusis (and later New Eleusis, 1976) is a card game that simulates the scientific method in action. You need two packs of cards, a table and some paper and pencil to play. The 4-8 player range works best. One player ("God", "Nature" or the "Demiurge") thinks up a rule (a "law of nature") that governs the correct play of the cards. Usually, the rule only involves the most recently correctly-played card, but it can be more complex. The other players ("Scientists") take turns playing cards ("performing experiments") and race one another to see who can come up with a good hypothesis about the rule. The first player to correctly deduce the rule scores big; God also scores based on how long it took for the players to figure the rule out. God should not choose a rule that is so hard to find out that nobody does, because then he doesn't score. Additionally, a player with an hypothesis can declare himself to be a "prophet" who can predict the results of the other player's experiments. Other players can then try to bring about the overthrow of the prophet by trying to find experiments whose results cannot be predicted (falsification), thus gaining a chance to become prophet themselves. A very simple rule would be "Alternate between black and red cards". A simple but hard to discover rule would be "Alternate between cards which have closed loops in their number or letter designations (e.g. 4, Q), and cards which don't (e.g. 2, K)". The game was first published in Martin Gardner's Scientific American column in June 1959. A revised version appeared in Gardner's October 1977 Scientific American column.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- dtv (Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag)
- Funk & Wagnalls
- Stein and Day
- Langewiesche-Brandt
- Robert Abbott
Questions and answers
Eleusis supports 4–8 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 Eleusis is 20 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 Eleusis 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.
Eleusis has a complexity rating of 2.9 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.
Eleusis belongs to these categories: Card Game, Deduction, and Educational. Its main mechanics are Pattern Recognition and Induction. 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 Eleusis are: Robert Abbott. 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 Eleusis 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.