
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,385
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Compania
- 1–6 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2026

2018
Rules assistance for Glover
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 3 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Glover is a board game released in 2018 for 3–5 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Yog Akase (赤瀬 よぐ).
Glover is a German-style game. You play a role of a local merchant of Nagasaki in the era of 1868 Meiji Restoration (and overthrow of feudal Tokugawa Shogunate's military government), and start to deal with Thomas Glover. Various products are necessary to deal with Glover. You can produce them by yourself (maybe by using different facilities borrowed from Thomas Glover himself), or you can get them by negotiation with other player. Keep in mind, however, that other players are not always cordial. You will receive rifles, cannons, or steamships (they are winning points in this game) from him in return for your products -- only if you can show him that you are reliable enough. He thinks you are trustworthy if you deal with other players cordially. Or else...! "Thomas Blake Glover came to Japan in 1859 to manage the newly established Nagasaki office of a British trading house. (...)" "Glover was born the son of a coast guard officer in 1838 and grew up in the port city of Aberdeen, Scotland. He joined Jardine, Matheson & Co. on finishing school and worked briefly in the company's Shanghai office before taking up his assignment in Japan." "Nagasaki, Japan's only international port from 1639 to 1859 under the isolationist policies of the Tokugawa Shogunate, was a thriving entrepot. Glover soon built a bustling business there, largely in exporting tea. A larger business opportunity emerged with rising tensions between the Shogunate and rebellious clans in southern Japan. Glover made a fortune selling ships and arms to the rival factions." -- mitsubishi.com, Stories of Some Prominent Figures "Thomas Glover". https://www.mitsubishi.com/e/history/series/thomas/ Extract from the introduction of the English rules
Glover 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 Glover is 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 Glover 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.
Glover has a complexity rating of 2.5 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.
The credited designers of Glover are: Yog Akase (赤瀬 よぐ). 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 Glover 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.