
- BGG rank
- BGG #26,007
- BGG rating
- 5.7
The American Goldrush 1849
- 2–10 players
- 20–120 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 1985

1997
Rules assistance for Halali
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Halali is a board game released in 1997 for 2–6 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Jean du Poël and its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move and Hexagon Grid.
Eighteen hunters seek the last hare in Bavaria. They never hit the hare, but do manage to shoot each other ... Comes in a cardboard tube with a vinyl board inside. The wooden hunters have colored hats to denote their hunting clubs. There is also a wooden hare and a wooden bush. The hare is placed in the center of the hexagonally shaped board, and the hunters around the edges. The board is eleven spaces across, from one point of the hexagon to its opposite, so none of the hunters start very close to the hare. Each player draws a club card, denoting which color hunters are his own. This is kept secret from the other players. The first player then rolls the dice and the game begins. The 6-side dice are labeled Blank, 1, 2, 2, 3, and 4. If a 2,3 are rolled, for example, the player whose turn it is decides whether that means he moves two hunters up to three spaces each, or three hunters up to two spaces each. For one movement point, a hunter can either move one space directly forward (they all have little rifles which should point to one space at all times - that's the only direction they can shoot or move) or it can rotate 60 degrees. A player can move a hunter of any color he chooses - no one knows which hunters are whose, and since the object is to shoot all the opponents' hunters and not your own, you don't necessarily want to move your own, anyway. Except maybe to throw the others off track about which color is yours ... When all movement is done, check to see if any hunter is aiming at the hare. If so, roll the dice again, this time adding the numbers together to see how far a shot goes. If you get blank, blank, a gun blows up (remove a hunter). If you shoot far enough to hit the hare exactly, it blithely moves out of the way instead of being hit. If you roll the exact distance between two hunters, they shoot each other (if both aiming at the hare -- otherwise, only the one not aiming at the hare is shot) - remove the hunters. If you roll a number greater than the distance between two hunters, one of them dies - take your pick.
Halali 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 Halali is 45 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 Halali for ages 14 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.
Halali has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Halali belongs to these categories: Fighting and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move and Hexagon Grid. 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 Halali are: Jean du Poël. 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 Halali 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.