- BGG rank
- BGG #21,701
- BGG rating
- 6.3
The Brotherhood
- 2–5 players
- 60–180 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 1972
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,369
- BGG rating
- 6.8
En Garde!
1975
Rules assistance for En Garde!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
Rules assistant for En Garde!
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
En Garde! is a board game released in 1975 for 2–20 players and 90 minutes per game. It was designed by Frank Chadwick and Darryl Hany and its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection, Paper-and-Pencil, and Role Playing.
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About the game
"En Garde! is a semi-historical game/simulation representing many of the situations of an Errol Flynn movie set in the Seventeenth or Eighteenth Centuries. The game was originally devised as a fencing system, with background added to provide scenarios for the duels. After a time, it became apparent that the background was more fun than the duels, and En Garde!, in its present form, was born." "In En Garde!, a player finds himself born into and educated in a world where social climbing is a way of life, and status is a goal to be pursued even over money. It is a world inhabited by Cyrano, Roxanne, Scaranouche, Errol Flynn, Porthos, Athos, Aramis, Rhonda Fleming, Francois Villon, Constance, and, of course, D'Artagnan. There are people to be used, friends in high places to be cultivated, enemies to be humiliated, the Cardinal's Guard to be trounced, lackies to be abused, the hand of a fair damsel to be won, and the ear of the King to be gained. Come with us now, to those vibrant, bawdy days of Yore." A pencil and paper game in the style of an RPG, and with much of the detail expected in an RPG of the time, but with the "adventure" structure built into charts and tables so that no referee was required. Playable by any number of players. GDW published a second edition in 1977, which incorporated the errata sheet into the rules along with some non-substantive changes. In 1988, SFC Press (UK) printed a third edition which was reformatted and illustrated, but is essentially the same as the second edition. Home Page: http://www.engarde.co.uk/index.html
Editions
- En Garde!enMargam Evans Limited2005
- En Garde!enSFC Press1988
- En Garde!enGame Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)1977
- En Garde!enGame Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)1975
Designers
Publishers
- Game Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)
- SFC Press
- Margam Evans Limited
Questions and answers
En Garde! supports 2–20 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 En Garde! is 90 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.
En Garde! has a complexity rating of 2.2 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.
En Garde! belongs to these categories: Fighting, Adventure, and Negotiation. Its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection, Paper-and-Pencil, and Role Playing. 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 En Garde! are: Frank Chadwick and Darryl Hany. 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 En Garde! 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.