
- BGG rank
- BGG #387
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Dungeon Petz
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2011

Rules assistance for Kalimambo
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Kalimambo is a board game released in 2011 for 3–7 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Antonio Scrittore and its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection.
In Kalimambo, players are amateur explorers in Africa, excited about the discovery of a new species, one of whose members – dubbed "Kali" by the explorers – playfully runs amongst the group as it crosses the savannah. Unbeknownst to the group, Kali's rhinoceros friend Mambo is eager to bump the group along to keep it moving, possibly pushing an explorer or two into the dung heaps that dot the land. Can you avoid getting a faceful of feces and being bumped by Mambo? To set up the game, one player places Mambo on a space on the track that circles the game board, then all of the explorer tokens placed in random order in front of it, then Kali placed at the head of the line. Place the dung heaps along the movement track with some space between them. Each player takes a set of movement cards that match the color of her explorer. Each player secretly chooses a movement card, then they reveal these cards simultaneously; someone also reveals the top movement card from Kali's deck. Whichever player has played the highest card moves her explorer token to the first unoccupied space in front of the group, then the player with the next highest card moves her token, and so on. If two or more players reveal the same number, only the one farthest back in the group moves; all other such explorers remain where they started the round. (Kali moves like an explorer. If you play a zero or are at the front of the group when you are supposed to move, you don't move.) If a player's token lands on a dung heap, she scores three penalty points. If Kali lands in the dung, the player(s) who played the lowest number that round take the penalty instead of Kali. Whenever Kali or an explorer token leave the space immediately in front of Mambo, the rhino charges, moving until it rams into the token in back of the line and giving that player as many penalty points as the number of spaces Mambo ran. If Mambo rams Kali, then as with the Kali/dung interaction, the player(s) who played the lowest number take the penalty points instead of Kali. Remove those played movement cards from the game. After twelve rounds – that is, after the final cards have been played and resolved, the game ends and the player with the fewest points wins.
Kalimambo supports 3–7 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 Kalimambo 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 Kalimambo 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.
Kalimambo has a complexity rating of 1.1 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.
Kalimambo belongs to these categories: Animals. Its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection. 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 Kalimambo are: Antonio Scrittore. 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 Kalimambo 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.