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- BGG rating
- 7.0
Elder Sign
- 1–8 players
- 90 min
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- 2011
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- BGG #24,844
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Nightlight
2014
Rules assistance for Nightlight
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 30 min
- 12+
- Complexity 1.1/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Nightlight
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Nightlight is a board game released in 2014 for 1–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Brandon Higley and Nick Tapia and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Cooperative Game.
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About the game
Each night, a secret war is waged. The battlefield is always the same, but the enemy changes; some nights, taking the form of spiders and creepy-crawlies, other nights, taking the form of unknown shapes that shift on the edge of your vision. Your duty is to defend the serenity of dreams from the corruption of the Nightmare by ensuring that the Nightlight stays lit. Take control of a stuffed animal animated by the Child’s imagination and given strength by the magic of dreams themselves! Rounds are divided into phases, with the players and the Nightmare deck each taking turns to act. First, the stuffed animals raid the Toy Chest for Weapon and Skill cards that they can use to defend against the enemies of the Nightmare. Then, each player is dealt two Nightmare cards, which could either be enemies or Crises, that their stuffed animal must deal with during the next phase. Finally, the dreamscape shifts, and a new Dream card is flipped, adding a new weakness for the Nightmare to exploit. After each side has prepared, the enemies and stuffed animals take turns attacking. Once every enemy has attacked, each side is granted a short reprieve before starting a new round. Every round is more dire than the last, but if at least one stuffed animal survives until the end of the third round, the Nightlight has survived until dawn and the players have won the game! Fight hard, but don’t let the changing nature of dreams distract your stuffed animal and give the Nightmare an opportunity to strike!
Designers
Publishers
- BNKB Games
Questions and answers
Nightlight supports 1–4 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 Nightlight 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.
The catalogue lists Nightlight for ages 12 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.
Nightlight has a complexity rating of 1.1 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.
Nightlight belongs to these categories: Card Game and Horror. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Cooperative Game. 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 Nightlight are: Brandon Higley and Nick Tapia. 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 Nightlight 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.