
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,680
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Manifest
- 2–5 players
- 45–90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2014

2014
Rules assistance for Hoard
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.
Hoard is a board game released in 2014 for 2–6 players, 10–45 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Julia Schiller and Tim Kings-Lynne and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Push Your Luck.
Can you gather and secure more treasure than your fellow-adventurers from the Hoard of the sleeping dragon? Can you defend yourself from their attacks and perhaps perpetrate a few of your own? And can you end the hunt at the most opportune time, perhaps by actually wakening the fearsome beast? Hoard is a dynamic game of hand management, set collection, and press-your-luck. Each turn players take one of four possible actions: 1) roll a custom die and move to take a new card, 2) secure a set of treasures or add to an existing set to score points, 3) affect the dragon, who wakes in stages from his tail to his head, by playing cards that soothe or rouse him, or 4) use a sword on an opponent or capture a used sword with a shield. The board is composed of 12 facedown cards surrounding the dragon. It changes as players remove and replace the cards. Dice rolls between 1-5 enable clockwise or counterclockwise movement and the special symbol allows access to all but one of the cards, so it is a game that rewards memory. Hoard is meant to be played in rounds, with scoring tokens obviating the need for pencil and paper scorekeeping.
Hoard 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 Hoard is 10–45 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 Hoard for ages 6 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.
Hoard has a complexity rating of 1.3 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.
Hoard belongs to these categories: Card Game and Fantasy. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Push Your Luck. 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 Hoard are: Julia Schiller and Tim Kings-Lynne. 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 Hoard 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.