- BGG rating
- 7.4
Himalaya: The 5-6 Player Expansion
- 5–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2006
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,185
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Himalaya
2004
Rules assistance for Himalaya
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–4 players
- 60 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.6/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Himalaya
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Himalaya is a board game released in 2004 for 3–4 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Régis Bonnessée and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Area Majority / Influence, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
Expansions
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About the game
As the Chief of a Himalayan high plateau tribe; Dolpo-pa, Bhotia, Sherpa, or Tamang, you lead your yak's caravan from one village to another through snowy crests and risky paths in order to collect the goods necessary to the development of your tribe. Meanwhile, you will increase the political, religious and economical influence of your tribe. By collecting goods (salt, barley, tea, jade, and gold), you can make offers to monasteries, send out delegations to different regions or bargain to increase your livestock. All this to become the most prosperous caravaneer in all of the Himalaya! Players program their caravans around the paths on the Himalayan plateau to collect various goods, and then deliver them. Each turn players plan in advance six moves for their caravan, trying to second-guess what other players will do to their best advantage. Delivering goods allows the player to increase their influence in one of three separate categories - each delivery allows you to advance your position in two of the three categories. Religious influence is marked by the number and value of your stupas in buildings on the board, political influence is marked by the number of sherpas you have in the regions between the paths on the board, and economical influence is marked by the total number of yaks you have on your delivery disks. The scoring is unique to the game, in the 4 player game anyway (the player count the game is primarily designed to be played with). To determine the winner you first score up religious influence, and the player with the least religious influence is eliminated, and their remaining pieces are removed from the board. Next the player with the least political influence is eliminated. The remaining two players decide the winner by who has the greatest economic influence. This unusual scoring is what makes this game different from many other similar games.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Tilsit
- (Web published)
- Competo / Marektoy
Questions and answers
Himalaya supports 3–4 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 Himalaya 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 Himalaya 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.
Himalaya has a complexity rating of 2.6 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.
Himalaya belongs to these categories: Economic, Medieval, and Political. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Area Majority / Influence, and Simultaneous Action Selection. 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 Himalaya are: Régis Bonnessée. 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 Himalaya 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.