- BGG rank
- BGG #7,038
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Pinched!
- 2–5 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #12,951
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Making Monsters
2026
Rules assistance for Making Monsters
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Making Monsters
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Making Monsters is a board game released in 2026 for 2–4 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Jonathan Gilmour-Long and David Gordon (I) and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Push Your Luck, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
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About the game
In Making Monsters, players take on the role of mad scientists competing at the Monster Maker Science Fair, where only the most brilliant and bizarre creations will earn prestige and fame. Each round, players secretly choose how many monster parts to order—hoping to outwit their rivals and gather the right materials. Then, using a push-your-luck bag-building mechanic, players simultaneously draw and assemble monster parts, trying to complete powerful creatures before their lab experiments collapse. Build too cautiously and fall behind, but push too far and your monster might fall apart in spectacular fashion. Completed monsters grant points and special upgrades when re-animated, and each one adds to a growing tableau of increasingly wild and strategic upgrade and prestige point options. Players can also earn bonuses from their helpful robotic assistant, Lester, and manipulate the science fair for an edge in future rounds. At the end of the game, the science fair concludes with a Grand Finale: a final simultaneous challenge where each player selects their five favorite monsters from their lab and attempts to build them from their remaining resources. Success earns prestige; failure can cost dearly. It’s a final test of strategy, memory, and risk management as players race to complete their ultimate monster squads before the fair closes.
Publishers
- Astoria Games
- Sky Lion Games LLC
Questions and answers
Making Monsters 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 Making Monsters is 45–60 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 Making Monsters 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.
Making Monsters has a complexity rating of 2.0 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.
Making Monsters belongs to these categories: Humor, Horror, and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Push Your Luck, and Simultaneous Action Selection. 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 Making Monsters are: Jonathan Gilmour-Long and David Gordon (I). 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 Making Monsters 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.