
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,965
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Imaginiff: 10th Anniversary Edition
- 3–8 players
- 35 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2008

1976
Rules assistance for Man-Eater!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Man-Eater! is a board game released in 1976 for 2–5 players and 30 minutes per game. It was designed by R. A. Nadeau, Nick Young, and Richard Macrory and its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Secret Unit Deployment.
Maneater is a fun beer and pretzels game with a Jaws theme. One player is the shark, while the others are swimmers trying to get from their air mattresses to the safety of the beach. The Shark player secretly plots his move, then the swimmers roll and move, and finally, the shark moves. If the shark lands next to a swimmer, legs are eaten; shark lands on a swimmer, and the swimmer is eaten. Special red herring dice adds random events. Swimmers feature detachable legs (you can also play this game with Jelly Babies). The game features art by comic book artist Brian Bolland.
Man-Eater! supports 2–5 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 Man-Eater! 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.
Man-Eater! has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Man-Eater! belongs to these categories: Humor and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Secret Unit Deployment. 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 Man-Eater! are: R. A. Nadeau, Nick Young, and Richard Macrory. 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 Man-Eater! 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.