
- BGG rank
- BGG #16,492
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Pepper & Carrot: The Potion Contest
- 1–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2018

Rules assistance for Hack Attack
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Hack Attack is a board game released in 2000 for 2 players, 10 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Modular Board, and Pattern Building.
Hack Attack is played with 12 plastic pieces in green, orange and purple. 6 of these pieces are cubes and 6 are pyramids. There are 12 board strips with green, orange and purple squares. The object of the game is to get one of each color (green, orange and purple) of your game pieces (one player is cubes and one player is pyramids) in a row (vertically or horizontally) on the matching colors of the board strips. The board strips are shuffled and dealt out 6 to each player. The first player lays one of their board strips and places one of their game pieces on one of the squares. Game pieces MUST be played on squares of the same color of the game piece. The next player may then either place one of their game pieces on the same board or lay down another board next to the first one long sides touching and places one of their game pieces on the board strip just played. After all 6 of a player's game pieces have been played, they may move any of their game pieces to a new position, either on a board that has already been placed or on a new board. After all of a player's board strips have been placed, they are limited to placing their game pieces on the boards already in play. So ... You may ONLY play your pieces on a square that is the same color as that piece. (e.g. a purple piece can only be played on a purple square.) You may only place your board strips LONG sides touching with all squares aligned. If you lay a board strip down you MUST play a game piece on that board. If you choose not to lay down a new board strip on your turn, you MUST play a game piece on an existing board strip. The winning row of 3 game pieces may be all on 1 board or lengthwise over 3 boards, but it may not be diagonal. Only one game piece may be played on each square. You can ONLY move the position of your game pieces on the board after ALL of your pieces have been placed. This is a 2-player game for ages 10 and over.
Hack Attack 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 Hack Attack 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 Hack Attack 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.
Hack Attack has a complexity rating of 1.4 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.
Hack Attack belongs to these categories: Deduction and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Modular Board, 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 catalogue lists Hack Attack 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.