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- 6.9
Iquazú
- 2–4 players
- 50 min
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Karten Kniffel
2014
Rules assistance for Karten Kniffel
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 20 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Karten Kniffel
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Karten Kniffel is a board game released in 2014 for 2–5 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Michael Feldkötter and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Paper-and-Pencil.
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About the game
As might be obvious from the title, Karten Kniffel recreates Kniffel (a.k.a. Yahtzee) as a card game. The goal of the game remains the same: Create valuable combinations shown on the scoring sheet and collect more points than everyone else to win. The deck consists of 108 cards, with the numbers 1-6 each appearing 18 times. Each player starts with a hand of five cards. On a turn, a player has two choices: Discard 0-5 cards from your hand, then draw that many cards plus one from the deck. You can't have more than ten cards in hand. Play five cards from hand, record your points on the score sheet, then refill your hand to five cards. In more detail, to score, you lay down five cards and score for one of the combinations on the score sheet: number of 1s, 2s, etc.; three- or four-of-a-kind; full house; small or large straight; Kniffel; etc. Write the score in the left-hand box of the appropriate line. You also lose 2 points for each other card in your hand, so note these penalty points in the right-hand box. As soon as one player scores in all of the lines on his score sheet, players complete the round so that everyone has the same number of turns, then they tally their scores and subtract their penalties. Whoever has the highest score wins.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Schmidt Spiele
- G3
Questions and answers
Karten Kniffel supports 2–5 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 Karten Kniffel is 20 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 Karten Kniffel 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.
Karten Kniffel has a complexity rating of 1.0 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.
Karten Kniffel belongs to these categories: Card Game and Children's Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Paper-and-Pencil. 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 Karten Kniffel are: Michael Feldkötter. 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 Karten Kniffel 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.