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Underwater Cities
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Mad Scientist
2000
Rules assistance for Mad Scientist
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with saved question history.
Rules assistant for Mad Scientist
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Mad Scientist is a board game released in 2000 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Shawn F. Carnes.
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About the game
From the box: Be the first Mad Scientist to control four of the seven continents and you win. This devilishly clever two player card game will challenge your strategic interests as you battle for world domination. The seven cards in your hand are numbered 1 to 9 and include special effect cards that may tweak the rules to your benefit. Place a card on the continent that brings its value to ten and you control that continent, but beware of giant robots guarding your opponents interests. Sounds simple but watch out for cards like the Radioactive Randomizer, the Dreaded Duplicator and the Sinister Shuffler. They might change everything.
Editions
- Mad ScientistENWizards of the Coast2000
Categories
Designers
Artists
- Daniel Golen
- Michael Stern
Publishers
- Wizards of the Coast
Questions and answers
Mad Scientist 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 Mad Scientist 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 Mad Scientist 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.
Mad Scientist has a complexity rating of 1.4 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.
Mad Scientist belongs to these categories: Card Game and Science Fiction. 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 Mad Scientist and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Mad Scientist are: Shawn F. Carnes. 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 Mad Scientist 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.