- BGG rank
- BGG #9,830
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Biotopia
- 2–5 players
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,693
- BGG rating
- 8.7
Ladybird
2026
Rules assistance for Ladybird
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 30–90 min
- 11+
- Complexity 2.5/5
Rules assistant for Ladybird
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ladybird is a board game released in 2026 for 1–4 players, 30–90 minutes per game, and ages 11 and up. It was designed by Michael Løhde Andersen and Morten Blaabjerg and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Open Drafting.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,532
- BGG rating
- 7.3
OCEAN: Great Barrier Reef
- 2–5 players
- 25–45 min
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #18,602
- BGG rating
- 7.7
A Way Back Home
- 2–4 players
- 15–20 min
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #220
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Meadow
- 1–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,077
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Rewild: South America
- 1–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,901
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Undergrove
- 1–4 players
- 60–75 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #24,942
- BGG rating
- 5.8
TOKYO COIN LAUNDRY
- 1–6 players
- 5–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #281
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Century: Golem Edition
- 2–5 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #396
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Century: Spice Road
- 2–5 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #585
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Aquatica
- 1–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,287
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Neolithic
- 1–2 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,434
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Aquatica: Duellum
- 1–2 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2025
About the game
Return to the garden of your childhood in this cozy yet fiercely competitive tableau-building card game. The roses are overgrown, the orchard is crawling with aphids, and only you and your old friends – the ladybirds – can help restore the garden to its former splendor. The game unfolds over five summer days. Day one is over after a single round, but each new day brings you an extra garden action and one more round than the day before, building to a grand finale on day five – fifteen rounds in all. Each round opens with everyone revealing a card at once; then, in turn order, each player places their card into one of five colored columns and performs one of the available garden actions. The life-cycle state on the card you play – egg, larva, pupa, or adult – determines which card you can draft next, so you're always weighing what you want on the table against what you want to draft next. Completing a full life cycle (collecting all 4 life cycle symbols) in a column or clearing aphids from the orchard boosts the value of your ladybirds. Every card you place changes the options available to everyone else at the table, and tension builds steadily as you compete for the exact ladybird type and color you need before an opponent snags it first. There's still time for a picnic along the way, as you lead your ladybirds onto the trail of their favorite dish: aphids (and in one special case, mildew). Score bonus points by completing sets of all five colors, feeding specific ladybird types, and unlocking forgotten childhood memories. And watch out for the Harlequin. She's invasive, and before you know it, you might lose your carefully tended life cycles...
Categories
Publishers
- Skjald Spil & Events
Questions and answers
Ladybird supports 1–4 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 Ladybird is 30–90 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 Ladybird for ages 11 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.
Ladybird has a complexity rating of 2.5 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.
Ladybird belongs to these categories: Card Game, Animals, and Puzzle. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Open Drafting. 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 Ladybird are: Michael Løhde Andersen and Morten Blaabjerg. 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 Ladybird 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.