- BGG rating
- 6.5
For The Win: 3-4 Player Expansion
- 3–4 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,268
- BGG rating
- 5.7
For The Win
2012
Rules assistance for For The Win
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 10 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.8/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for For The Win
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
For The Win is a board game released in 2012 for 2 players, 10 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Michael Eskue and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Pieces as Map, and Pattern Building.
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About the game
Overview For The Win is an abstract strategy game in which each player gets ten tiles, two of each character representing Monkeys, Zombies, Pirates, Aliens, and Ninjas. The objective is to connect five (or more) of one's tiles, including at least one of each type, together (sides and corners count). Additionally, all five (or more) tiles must be face-up, or unactivated. The game ends immediately when a player achieves this goal. Each character type has a specific ability to help you toward the objective. Gameplay Players take turns using either 1 or 2 actions within 5 action rounds. Once one player's actions are consumed for a round, the other player(s) get to use any of their remaining 5 actions at once. Judicious action management is key; if one budgets one's actions wisely, one can play several actions in a row for game-winning combinations. The available actions are as follows: Add a tile to the Grid Move one of one's tiles Refresh or flip a tile face up Shove a tile or column/row of tiles Activate an ability (the chosen tile turns face down; see below) Characters & abilities Alien — The Alien uses her tractor beam to pull any tile in the Grid to a space that is adjacent to her. Monkey — The mischievous Monkey uses a banana peel to flip over all of the tiles it is touching. Ninja — The sneaky Ninja can move from his current spot to any other unoccupied space in the Grid. Pirate — The Pirate uses his trusty cannon to blast an adjacent tile to any unoccupied space in the Grid. Zombie — The Zombie can infect any adjacent tile. The infected tile is removed from the Grid and replaced with a Zombie tile that has not yet been added to the Grid. If all of the Zombie tiles have already been added to the Grid, the Zombie may choose one adjacent tile and deactivate it (that is, flip it face down).
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Tasty Minstrel Games
Questions and answers
For The Win supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for For The Win is 10 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 For The Win 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.
For The Win has a complexity rating of 1.8 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.
For The Win belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Pieces as Map, and Pattern Building. 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 For The Win are: Michael Eskue. 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 For The Win 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.