
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,707
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Seven Merry Monsters
- 3–6 players
- 20–40 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2024

2006
Rules assistance for John Silver
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.
John Silver is a board game released in 2006 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Martin Schlegel and its main mechanics are Trick-taking.
Description of the game from Spielbox: John Silver', a card game by Martin Schlegel. John Silver is an "ah, I see" game - you play out a card and wonder who's going to take the trick. And when the trick is taken, it's usually accompanied by "ah, I see". When a row of 4 cards is complete the two tricks will be distributed amongst the winners: The highest card "grabs" the second-highest card, and the lowest card "grabs" the second-lowest card. The value of this tricks does not depend on their number but on the coins (good points) or broken treasure maps (negative points) printed onto the playing cards. Additionally there are apples on some cards that offer points to the player sitting to the left from you.
John Silver 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 John Silver is 30 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 John Silver for ages 10 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.
John Silver has a complexity rating of 1.7 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.
John Silver belongs to these categories: Card Game, Pirates, and Novel-based. Its main mechanics are Trick-taking. 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 John Silver are: Martin Schlegel. 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 John Silver 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.