
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,042
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Jambo
- 2 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2004

Rules assistance for Ex & Hopp
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.
Ex & Hopp is a board game released in 1996 for 2–6 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Rüdiger Dorn.
A quick and simple card game for 2-6 milk-drinking players. Each player places a color card down as their marker and the matching sets of cards numbered 1-12 in those colors make up the deck. The deck is shuffled and players get 4 cards, the remainder goes down as a draw deck. There is a set of small tiles in red and black for negative or positive points (red are 4,4,5,5,6,6, black are 2,3,3,4,4,4,5,5,5,6,6,6). These are shuffled face down and 4 turned up to start 4 rows. On your turn, you can place a card against a row or try to swap a card with another player. If you want to swap, you simply offer a color for another color, mentioning no numbers. Swap with the player of your choice, but if nobody wants to swap, you've wasted your turn. When you play a card to a row, you draw back so you have 4 cards. When the row is full, determined by the number on the tile, the player with the highest total in the cards has to take the tile, be it positive or negative. Usually your choices are obvious, but sometimes it is worth assisting another player to take a row, rather than waste a good card for you on a low or negative tile. If a row is tied between players, the cards are discarded and the tile stays for more cards. The discard deck is shuffled over, taken tiles refreshed by new ones. The game ends when the tiles are all taken, deduct the negative from the positive to get your score. This game was re-themed and expanded on with Relikt.
Ex & Hopp supports 2–6 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 Ex & Hopp 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 Ex & Hopp 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.
Ex & Hopp has a complexity rating of 1.1 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.
Ex & Hopp belongs to these categories: Card Game. 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 Ex & Hopp and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Ex & Hopp are: Rüdiger Dorn. 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 Ex & Hopp 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.