- BGG rating
- 7.4
Homesteaders: New Beginnings
- 2–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,209
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Homesteaders
2009
Rules assistance for Homesteaders
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Homesteaders
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Homesteaders is a board game released in 2009 for 2–4 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Alex Rockwell and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Income, and Loans.
Expansions
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About the game
Homesteaders is an auction and resource management game in which players bid on the opportunity to build certain types of buildings, then spend resource cubes to build one of several buildings of that type. The buildings confer abilities, income, and points; some automatically and some requiring a worker. The game lasts ten rounds, with each round consisting of an auction phase followed by a building phase. After the last round, players take one final income phase and have one last chance to buy and sell goods and use their building abilities before scores are tallied. Players score for their buildings, bonuses conferred by buildings, and points earned throughout the game from selling resource cubes. The player who builds the best combination of buildings and best manages the nine different resources in the game will score the most points and win – as long as they don't take on too much debt!
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Tasty Minstrel Games
- Quined Games
Questions and answers
Homesteaders 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 Homesteaders is 60–90 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 Homesteaders 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.
Homesteaders has a complexity rating of 3.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Homesteaders belongs to these categories: Economic, American West, and City Building. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding, Income, and Loans. 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 Homesteaders are: Alex Rockwell. 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 Homesteaders 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.