
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,741
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Barony
- 2–4 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2015

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

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Evo is a board game for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Giancarlo Rainelli and its main mechanics are Area Movement.
Summary and goal of the game Two or four players compete in a shared, cross-shaped board, formed by a central part 8x8 square and four 8x2 “arms”, attached on each side of the 8x8 square. The object for each player is to capture an adversary Castle, an immobile piece of its own color on one of the 4 arms of the board (facing for two players). To achieve this each player will make use of 8 pieces of his own color, initially placed in one of the arms of the cross, around his Castle. The Castle of each player sits in the nearest right corner of the board. The first player that captures an adversary Castle (or conquers the last piece of one colour) wins , thus ending game. Turn action: movement and capture On his turn, a player can move one of his square-shaped pieces. All the pieces (but the Castle, which as said before can not be moved) are equal to each other. Each of them can move in 4 diferent ways, according to the side of the piece facing “north”, north being defined as “forward” from the POV of the owner of the piece. So for example “north” for the player sitting on the east side of table will be westward, wile for the player sitting on the north side of the table it will be southward, and so on. On his turn the player can move one of his pieces in one of these 2 ways: - just rotate the piece in place (thus changing the piece movement type for the next time he will decide to move it); - move the piece and then (optionally) rotate it; A player can capture other players' pieces by moving one of his piece on a square occupied by an opponent's piece. Pieces can never “go through” or “jump over” other pieces, both of the same or different colours. Each piece can be oriented in four different ways (one per each side of the piece) enabling it to four different kind of movement. The active roles is the one facing “north”. These are the four roles a piece can assume: - Warrior: it moves 1 square and can't go backwards, in other words it can move to one of the 5 squares adjacent to it (W, NW, N, NE, E); - Blade: it moves 1 or 2 square “forward” (N); - Catapult: it can move up to 3 squares diagonally going only forward, as usual (NE, NW); - Shield: the only role that can go backwards, it can move up to 2 squares going South or just 1 square going diagonally (SW or SE). Begining of the game The first player to move will be the one opening the table. Then it will be the player on his left the one to move, and so on, going clockwise. We advise you not to distract from what the other players do: you can lose the game even if an enemy don't conquer your Castle (one wins, all others lose).
Evo 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 Evo 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 Evo 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.
Evo has a complexity rating of 1.6 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.
Evo belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy and Medieval. Its main mechanics are Area Movement. 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 Evo are: Giancarlo Rainelli. 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 Evo 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.