- BGG rank
- BGG #5,764
- BGG rating
- 6.6
The Ares Project
- 2–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2011
- BGG rank
- BGG #29,321
- BGG rating
- 4.7
FATAL
2007
Rules assistance for FATAL
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 30–40 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.5/5
Rules assistant for FATAL
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
FATAL is a board game released in 2007 for 3–5 players, 30–40 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Gabriele Rabbini and Martina Mealli and its main mechanics are Hand Management and Rock-Paper-Scissors.
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About the game
Around 1300, a supernatural event opened a few breaches between two distant worlds: ours and the world of FATAL. Following this event, the Queen of Fatal disappeared, and a few enchanters left that world and arrived on Earth. The five breaches in Europe gave origin to as many magic birth-signs: Flambeaux (Paris), Aquaté (Brno), Terranova (Rome), Ångbåt (Tallinn), Lichtenborn (Nuremberg). Five families who over the centuries kept wavering between open war and armed peace, but who never lived in harmony. Since then, the enchanters have influenced humans politics, arts, and science: either directly or by inspiring and taking control over all humans who were useful for their cause, and FATAL is a piece of this tale. The game features a deck of 110 cards. Each player belongs to one of the birth-signs and tries to catch the greatest number of treasures by playing "trimagics" (combination of three cards) and/or beating other players. During his turn, the player: may play a special "enchantment" card, may steal a card in front of another player (with a rock-paper-scissors system printed on the cards), may play up to two cards in front of himself. Each player has two "virtual" columns where he can play cards: the first card of a column is played normally, the second card is played rotated by 180°, the third card completes the column (the "trimagic") and must be placed rotated by 90°. The three cards of a tri-spell have a different meaning: the first card decides the performed action, the second one fixes the number of targets or the power of the spell, the third one closes the trimagic. Each player has also a designed enemy (by secret role assignment at the start of the game): if he defeats this player, he is the winner. If nobody reaches this goal, the winner is the player with the most powerful treasures at the end of the game.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- DV Games
- ABACUSSPIELE
Questions and answers
FATAL supports 3–5 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 FATAL is 30–40 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 FATAL 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.
FATAL has a complexity rating of 1.5 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.
FATAL belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Hand Management and Rock-Paper-Scissors. 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 FATAL are: Gabriele Rabbini and Martina Mealli. 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 FATAL 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.