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Black Gold
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- 120 min
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Long Short
1982
Rules assistance for Long Short
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 12+
- Complexity 1.8/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Long Short
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Long Short is a board game released in 1982 for 2–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by L. Hensley and its main mechanics are Commodity Speculation.
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About the game
The game board shows price charts/tables for 6 commodities 2 each of 3 different price levels. Every player id dealt 10 commodity cards which change the price up or down of one or more of the commodities. Every player starts with $10,000 and the winner is the player who has the most money after everyone has played all ten of their cards. On a players turn they can: 1 - enter or close out a contract (going either long - betting the price will go up; or short - betting the price will go down; 2- play a price movement card; 3 - roll the dice (usually either resulting in a commodity price movement or an action card draw (random event)). The nature of the futures market is that you take positions based on whether you believe a commodity price will go up or down. If you think the price will rise, you buy or go 'long' of the commodity hoping that by the time the contract matures, you can sell them back at a profit. Conversely, if your hunch (or information) is that prices will fall, you sell or go 'short' thinking you can close out the deal at a lower price, again making money. So the logic is that whatever way the market moves, you can make profits - if you are right. The one thing that this game does is give each person at least one chance to sell a contract at any time - not just on your turn - so if you think it is the perfect time - you can interrupt another player's turn to sell to lock in your profits. The game is over after everyone plays their last card - and no new contracts can be started during the last round (1 card left). There is still quite a bit of luck in the game, with wild swings possible in some commodity prices, but you start with all the cards you will have and therefore have a good bit of information about some price swing possibilities - all you need is some help and a bit of help from the random events.
Questions and answers
Long Short 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 Long Short is 60 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 Long Short for ages 12 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.
Long Short has a complexity rating of 1.8 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.
Long Short belongs to these categories: Economic and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Commodity Speculation. 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 Long Short are: L. Hensley. 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 Long Short 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.