
- BGG rank
- BGG #25,628
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Scrooge: The Board Game
- 2–6 players
- 15–90 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2017

Rules assistance for Il Cucco
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.
Il Cucco is a board game for 2–40 players, 2 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. Its main mechanics are Player Elimination and Trading.
A very simple, ancient Italian card game. It is popular to this day in Italy, Germany, and Scandinavia. It is played with a 40-card deck composed of number and picture cards. There are two of each card (i.e. 20 distinct cards). Each player is dealt a single card. The goal is to avoid holding the lowest valued card at the end of a turn around the table. Each player may exchange cards with the previous player without knowing what the other player holds.
Il Cucco supports 2–40 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 Il Cucco is 2 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 Il Cucco 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.
Il Cucco 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.
Il Cucco belongs to these categories: Card Game, Bluffing, and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Player Elimination and Trading. 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 catalogue lists Il Cucco 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.