- BGG rank
- BGG #17,071
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Swedish Parliament 2014
- 1–8 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #23,920
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Longships
2009
Rules assistance for Longships
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 3.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Longships
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Longships is a board game released in 2009 for 2–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Harald Enoksson and its main mechanics are Trading, Commodity Speculation, and Open Drafting.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,334
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Shipwrights of the North Sea
- 2–5 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #540
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Millennium Blades
- 2–5 players
- 80–120 min
- Complexity 3.7/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,441
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Goodwill
- 2–6 players
- 45–90 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #28,364
- BGG rating
- 5.3
Saqqara
- 3–5 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,426
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Heropath: Dragon Roar
- 1–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #22,127
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Allegiance: War of Factions
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2004
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,693
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Merchant of Venus
- 1–6 players
- 180 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 1988
- BGG rank
- BGG #27,435
- BGG rating
- 5.4
Jet World
- 2–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 1975
- BGG rank
- BGG #29,001
- BGG rating
- 5.0
Wangaratta
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 1956
- BGG rank
- BGG #16,987
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Fugger, Welser, Medici
- 2–6 players
- 360 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 1994
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,333
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Phraya
- 2–4 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2022
About the game
Longships is a Viking-themed plunder/trading game. Players start in the North Sea with an empty Longship each, surrounded by four countries: Denmark, Norway, Scotland and England. Players have to start with plundering at least one country each in order to get some initial resources to trade with. Trading is driven by differences in the countries' resources; each country produces 2 out of the 4 resources Cloth, Furs, Thralls and Mushrooms. Nearby countries differ on one resource only, while countries on opposite sides of the North Sea have a totally different set of resources. Long-distance trading is thus more profitable, but also more dangerous as changing weather conditions can make open sea-traveling fatal. The countries themselves are weak in defense and easy to plunder. However, plundering a country weakens its trading potential, so that Vikings need to defend countries they build their trade on from Vikings plundering. Plundering a country also makes its population hostile to you, so that you can't build or repair Longships there, making you more vulnerable on expeditions to those countries. The key to success is thus to keep your hostilities at an optimal level. Resources gained from trading or plundering can be sacrificed to the gods in order to gain additional actions. Sacrificing Thralls to Odin gets you new fresh men to throw into the fights, sacrificing to Thor lets you change the weather conditions, get yourself a beneficial trade wind or sink your foes with mighty storms. Mushrooms make you go berserk and fight and plunder more efficiently, while Freya helps cities grow and prosper and give more trading opportunities. Resources can also be used to build new Longships, increasing the Viking's trading and military power. Just like in real life, the winner at the end of the game is the player with the most Longships.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Mondainai
Questions and answers
Longships 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 Longships 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 Longships for ages 10 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.
Longships has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Longships belongs to these categories: Fighting, Medieval, and Transportation. Its main mechanics are Trading, Commodity Speculation, 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 Longships are: Harald Enoksson. 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 Longships 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.