
- BGG rank
- BGG #724
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Archipelago
- 2–5 players
- 30–240 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 2012
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2014
Rules assistance for Illegal
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 5 players
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What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Illegal is a board game released in 2014 for 5–9 players, 25 minutes per game, and ages 18 and up. It was designed by Christophe Boelinger and its main mechanics are Trading, Acting, and Voting.
Description ILLEGAL is a crazy, offbeat party game for 5 to 9 players where participants each take on the role of an illegal dealer. The game is accessible to casual as well as expert gamers, and has a mature theme. The rules of ILLEGAL are simple, but the game will challenge your skills in negotiation, misdirection, discretion, charisma, and persuasion. The more you play, the more you will learn to expand and master these skills. Each game lasts about half an hour, and is packed with intense exchanges, interactions and a lot of humour. Launch into this risqué adventure! Dare to become one of these offbeat dealers and get a good laugh with your friends. How to Play ILLEGAL is played in two phases: During the first phase, each player receives a deck of cards prepared by the Game Master (GM). These decks assign each player his dealer role and gives him a good quantity of the corresponding resources. Each player's deck also specifies his buyer role, and he will make every effort during the game to get as many resources as possible of the type he is interested in. These roles are kept secret until the end of the game. Players leave the table and split up into continually changing pairs or groups to negotiate and exchange some of their resources, away from prying eyes. Every three minutes, they return to the table to collect new resources at the docks (from the GM). Then they go again for another three minutes of secret dealing. The second phase, called the Tribunal phase, starts once the players have returned to the table and the GM has run out of resources. At the tribunal, players play the roles of jury members, witnesses, suspects and judges! They openly discuss their suspicions concerning the secret roles assigned to every other player. The GM reveals the suspect cards in pairs representing the dealer and buyer roles assigned to the various players. For each card pair, players have one minute to debate. After one minute, a simultaneous vote is cast, and a suspect is formally accused. Scoring At the end of the game, each player reveals his role pair and acquired resources. He scores one victory point for each resource acquired corresponding to his buyer role, one point for each suspect card accusing him wrongly, thus rewarding him for his skills in misdirection and discretion, but he loses 5 points for each suspect card accurately accusing him, representing 5 years spent in prison. It is very easy to end the game with a 10-year jail sentence if you are insufficiently discreet or are too greedy!
Illegal supports 5–9 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 Illegal is 25 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 Illegal for ages 18 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.
Illegal has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Illegal belongs to these categories: Party Game. Its main mechanics are Trading, Acting, and Voting. 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 Illegal are: Christophe Boelinger. 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 Illegal 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.