
- BGG rank
- BGG #22,131
- BGG rating
- 6.6
L'An Mil
- 4–7 players
- 480 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 1986

1989
Rules assistance for Krystal
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.
Krystal is a board game released in 1989 for 2–6 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Pierre Cléquin, Jean-Pierre Pecau, and Fabrice Cayla.
The aim to be the first player who leaves 4 different kinds of Sparkling Stones at his portal: a crystal, a ruby, an emerald and a diamond. You have 2 (if 5-6 player game) or 3 heroes with different specialties. They are the Warrior (fighting), the Magician (magic) and the Thief (bartering). Your heroes belong to a tribe and each tribe is positively or negatively affected by the elements (earth, water, fire, air, wood and metal) on each place on the board in different ways, depending on which God they are praying to. At each tribe’s turn every hero either moves to another place, spending energy points or searches the forest (card with magic items, fighting cards, sparkling stones, monsters or "Gods intervention") or just remains in place to regain energy points. Then number of cards drawn or energy points regained depends on which element the place belongs to. On some places the modification for your tribe makes the value to zero. All the element modifications are different for each tribe (player). They fight against monster and other players at the same place through 3 different kinds of fighting cards (physical battle, magic or bartering). Depending of the type of fight, you lose energy points (physical), cards (bartering) or mix (magic).
Krystal supports 2–6 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 Krystal is 120 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 Krystal 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.
Krystal has a complexity rating of 2.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Krystal belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Fighting, and Adventure. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Krystal and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Krystal are: Pierre Cléquin, Jean-Pierre Pecau, and Fabrice Cayla. 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 Krystal 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.