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- BGG rating
- 6.5
That's Life!
- 2–6 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2005
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- BGG rating
- 6.3
Kniffel Master
2015
Rules assistance for Kniffel Master
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 25 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Kniffel Master
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Kniffel Master is a board game released in 2015 for 2–4 players, 25 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling.
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About the game
As with other Kniffel games, players in Kniffel Master roll dice to try to build specific combinations of numbers. One difference, though, is that Kniffel Master is a race game and not a points game; complete those combinations the fastest, and you'll be the one who wins. Each player receives a personal game board and four tokens. On your turn, you roll five dice up to three times, saving the results that you like after each roll. After you stop rolling the dice, you record the results on your board, choosing one of the options below: Roll a small or large straight, a total less than 11 or larger than 24, or a kniffel (five-of-a-kind), and you can immediately gain a star, placing it in the slot next to that combination on your board. Roll 1-2 pairs, a full house, three-of-a-kind or other combinations, and you can move a token up a "coin" track on your board, with the number of spaces moved depending on the value of your roll; reach the end of the coin track, and you gain a star, in addition to shortening the track for your next journey on it. Roll two or more dice of the same value, and you can move a token on that number track on your board; reach the end of a number track and you gain a star, but put that track out of play for the remainder of the game. You gain an additional star when you finish your fourth, fifth and sixth number rows. The first player to complete a particular task or a number row receives two coins and moves that marker on the coin track to record that gain; the second player to complete the same task or number row receives one coin. The game ends the round that someone collects her fifteenth star. After all players have completed the same number of turns, whoever has the most stars wins!
Questions and answers
Kniffel Master 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 Kniffel Master 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 Kniffel Master 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.
Kniffel Master 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.
Kniffel Master belongs to these categories: Dice. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling. 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 Kniffel Master are: Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling. 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 Kniffel Master 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.