
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,931
- BGG rating
- 7.0
RED
- 3 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2011

Rules assistance for Hippos & Crocodiles: Marabou
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.
Hippos & Crocodiles: Marabou is an expansion for Hippos & Crocodiles released in 2020 for 2–4 players, 5–15 minutes per game, and ages 5 and up. It was designed by Néstor Romeral Andrés and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Tile Placement.
Marabou Stork is an expansion of Hippos & Crocodiles that contains 12 bird pieces. You can use this animal to play games from 2 to 4 players. For 4 players I recommend playing in pairs with the members of each pair facing each other, so the turns alternate between pairs: Team A: Anna Team B: Bob Team A: Carl Team B; Diana … and so on. The couple that places the last animal wins. The Marabou Stork has an exception to placement: Once per game, the player can place one and only one of her tiles with the beak or feet outside the board.
Hippos & Crocodiles: Marabou supports 2–4 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 Hippos & Crocodiles: Marabou is 5–15 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 Hippos & Crocodiles: Marabou for ages 5 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.
Hippos & Crocodiles: Marabou belongs to these categories: Animals, Abstract Strategy, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers 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 Hippos & Crocodiles: Marabou are: Néstor Romeral Andrés. 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 Hippos & Crocodiles: Marabou as an expansion for Hippos & Crocodiles. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Hippos & Crocodiles to use it. Check that your edition of Hippos & Crocodiles is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.