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Obelisk
2017
Rules assistance for Obelisk
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 20–30 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.2/5
Rules assistant for Obelisk
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Obelisk is a board game released in 2017 for 1–4 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Eliot Aretskin-Hariton and Asya Aretskin-Hariton and its main mechanics are Modular Board, Cooperative Game, and Network and Route Building.
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About the game
Description from the designer: Obelisk is a cooperative, tower defense, strategy game. The Queen is away on an adventure and she has left her advisers (the players) in charge until she returns. Everything was going well until Stone Demons started appearing from a nearby portal. Prove your worth to the Queen by capturing all the Demons before they escape! The game is played in Turns which consist of two phases: Day time and Night time. Each Turn starts in the Day, where players may simultaneously perform a number of actions from the four available options. After all players have acted, Night begins. Every Night, Stone Demons come out of the Portal and move from tile to tile following the arrows. Players use Towers to snare Demons and the sunlight turns them back into stone. Stones are resources the players can spend during the next Day to upgrade Towers. After all Demons move, Day begins. Continue cycling through Day and Night until: players have captured all the Stone Demons from the Cave, any Demon walks off the map, or steps on the same Tile twice during the game.
Categories
Mechanics
Publishers
- Tessellation Games LLC
Questions and answers
Obelisk 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 Obelisk is 20–30 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 Obelisk 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.
Obelisk has a complexity rating of 2.2 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.
Obelisk belongs to these categories: Print & Play, Abstract Strategy, and Maze. Its main mechanics are Modular Board, Cooperative Game, and Network and Route Building. 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 Obelisk are: Eliot Aretskin-Hariton and Asya Aretskin-Hariton. 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 Obelisk 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.