
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,372
- BGG rating
- 7.7
President
- 3–10 players
- 20–40 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2026

2025
Rules assistance for Mala Suerte
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Mala Suerte is a board game released in 2025 for 2–6 players, 5–25 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Nico Cardona and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Player Elimination, and Hot Potato.
Bad Luck is a family-friendly, short-game card game that tests your ability to handle luck. Your mission is clear: instead of seeking good luck, you must avoid four-leaf clovers and make your opponents accumulate them or run out of cards. Interaction is intense, as players can lie about their cards, adding an element of strategy and deception. With quick decisions and strategic card management, Bad Luck offers an experience full of surprises.Think you can get unlucky? Figure it out and prove that luck is not on your side! —description from the designer
Mala Suerte 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 Mala Suerte is 5–25 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 Mala Suerte 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.
Mala Suerte has a complexity rating of 1.7 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.
Mala Suerte belongs to these categories: Card Game and Party Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Player Elimination, and Hot Potato. 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 Mala Suerte are: Nico Cardona. 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 Mala Suerte 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.