
- BGG rank
- BGG #28,043
- BGG rating
- 5.6
UNO: Harry Potter
- 2–10 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2000

2004
Rules assistance for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Catastrophic Card Game
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.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Catastrophic Card Game is a board game released in 2004 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Brian Yu and its main mechanics are Set Collection.
The second game based on the popular children's books by Lemony Snicket. In this card game, players are looking to complete sets of characters. There are 4 different sets: The Baudelaire Orphans, Count Olaf in Disguise, Olaf's Henchmen and the Orphans Confidants. Players take turns drawing a card from either the draw pile or the top card from the discard pile in hopes of completing their sets. Aside from Character Cards, there are special cards that augment play: Olaf's Eye - lets you see another players hand. Burning House - Lets you destroy a set of another player Mr. Poe - Forces another player to make another set Lemony Snicket - Disables ALL other special cards Beatrice - acts as a wild card in completing your sets First player to complete their sets wins the hand and may retrieve a victory card from either the center or from an opponent. The game ends when there are no more victory cards left in the center. From the box: Rescue the Baudelaire orphans by building sets of characters that include Uncle Monty, the Hook-Handed Man and Count Olaf! From the rules: Sadly the Object of this game is not to have a pleasant experience, for any game involving the Baudelaire Orphans will surely end in disappointment. However should one choose to play anyway, his or her objective is to be the first player to collect a majority of seven victory cards. One victory card is awarded to the winner of each round.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Catastrophic Card Game 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 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Catastrophic Card Game 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 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Catastrophic Card Game 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.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Catastrophic Card Game has a complexity rating of 1.5 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.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Catastrophic Card Game belongs to these categories: Card Game, Movies / TV / Radio theme, and Novel-based. Its main mechanics are Set Collection. 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 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Catastrophic Card Game are: Brian Yu. 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 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Catastrophic Card Game 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.