- BGG rank
- BGG #529
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Through the Desert
- 2–5 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 1998
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,936
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Meridians
2021
Rules assistance for Meridians
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 20–40 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Meridians
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Meridians is a board game released in 2021 for 2 players, 20–40 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Kanare Kato and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid, Enclosure, and Line of Sight.
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About the game
Meridians is an abstract strategy game for 2 players. It has a territorial nature, but the goal is to annihilate opponent's stones. "Meridians" is named after the meridians system. Meridians won BEST COMBINATORIAL 2-PLAYER GAME OF 2021 in BGG Abstract Games forum. COMPONENT A centerless hexagonal board tessellated with triangles (any size. The regular size board has 6 points to 2 sides and 7 points to 4 sides) Sufficient stones of 2 colors DEFINITIONS Group: like-colored stones adjacent to each other. Singletons are considered groups of size 1. Path: an empty point, or an uninterrupted straight line of empty points that have a pair of like-colored stones on both ends, which are not part of the same group. Such a pair is said to have a path. Dead group: a group in which all stones belonging to it have no path. If any stone belonging to a group has a path, the group is said to have a path. GAME PLAY (Overview) Decide which player plays as which color (Light or Dark) in any adequate way. Light goes first, then alternate turns. On each player's first turn, players place a stone of their own color on any empty point. On each player's second turn, players place another stone of their color so that their own two stones have a path. Then players take actions below on each turn, in this order. 1. Remove all opponent’s dead groups. 2. Place a stone of their own color on an empty point that is on at least one same straight line with an existing friendly stone, and no opponent's stone in between. Passing is not allowed. After the second turn, the player with no stones of their color on the board at the beginning of their turn loses. Optionally, pie rules can be used to reduce the first player's advantage. The first player places one stone of each color and the second player decides which color to play. Play then continues as usual. -description from designer
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- (Web published)
- Kanare_Abstract
Questions and answers
Meridians 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 Meridians is 20–40 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 Meridians 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.
Meridians 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.
Meridians belongs to these categories: Print & Play and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid, Enclosure, and Line of Sight. 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 Meridians are: Kanare Kato. 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 Meridians 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.