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Mate
1915
Rules assistance for Mate
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 15 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.4/5
Rules assistant for Mate
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Mate is a board game released in 1915 for 2 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by G. Capellen and its main mechanics are Trick-taking.
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About the game
Mate was originally published in the pamphlet "Zwei neue Kriegspiele!" (that is, "Two New Wargames!") by the German chess player G. Capellen in 1915 as Matt. Mate is a game of perfect information played with a 20 card deck. It is played in matches of two rounds and rounds of two games. Players exchange hands between the two games of each round, which eliminates luck of the draw. A winning move or "mate" consists of playing a card that the other player cannot follow either in suit or rank. A point score for the game is calculated from the rank of the mate card and the total number of moves in the game (the more the better). The player with the most points wins the match.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- (Self-Published)
- Random House, Inc.
- Counter Clockwise
- Hugendubel Verlag
- Hutchinson
- Dover Publications
- dtv (Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag)
- RBA Libros S.A.
Questions and answers
Mate supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Mate is 15 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 Mate for ages 8 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.
Mate has a complexity rating of 2.4 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.
Mate belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Trick-taking. 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 Mate are: G. Capellen. 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 Mate 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.