- BGG rating
- 6.3
Gear & Piston: Engineer Assistants
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,860
- BGG rating
- 5.7
Gear & Piston
2013
Rules assistance for Gear & Piston
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.1/5
Rules assistant for Gear & Piston
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Gear & Piston is a board game released in 2013 for 2–6 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Jukka Höysniemi and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Tile Placement.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 6.2
Gear & Piston: Overheated
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2013
- BGG rating
- 6.2
Gear & Piston: The Americans
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2014
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About the game
It is 1888, and everywhere you turn, people are talking about the horseless carriage. They are also talking about Jenatzy and Cugnot, Benz and Diesel, Atkinson and Butler – visionaries now remembered for their passion to create, to progress, and to succeed. But this game is not about them, these giants of engineering. No, in Gear & Piston, you play one of the unsung heroes of history, an engineer of meagre means but great ambition, trying to build a prototype for picky investors seeking to profit from the future of transport. Will you make a name for yourself as an automotive pioneer, change the history of motorized transportation, and win the race that is Gear and Piston? With a lot of skill and a little luck, maybe. If nothing else, try not to blow yourself up in the process. In the game, each player builds an automobile prototype by taking actions in different locations. You may patent brand-new parts in the Patent Office, look for rejected, volatile pieces of machinery in the chaos of the Junk Yard, try to gain an edge through the Back Alley, and finally build your prototype in the Workshop. All this just to please the two investors who are doing the rounds of the different engineering outfits, and who will be evaluating your rickety mess of an automobile. Good timing, keeping an eye on your competitors, and even a dash of luck are all you need to succeed in this business. So grab a wrench, some elbow grease, and your wits, and put some gears and pistons together!
Designers
Publishers
- LudiCreations
Questions and answers
Gear & Piston 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 Gear & Piston is 30–60 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 Gear & Piston 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.
Gear & Piston has a complexity rating of 2.1 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.
Gear & Piston belongs to these categories: Industry / Manufacturing, Transportation, and Post-Napoleonic. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Tile Placement. 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 Gear & Piston are: Jukka Höysniemi. 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 Gear & Piston 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.