- BGG rank
- BGG #252
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Sea Salt & Paper
- 2–4 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,576
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Oh My Brain
2021
Rules assistance for Oh My Brain
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 10–15 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Oh My Brain
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Oh My Brain is a board game released in 2021 for 2–5 players, 10–15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Bruno Cathala and Théo Rivière and its main mechanics are Hand Management and Ladder Climbing.
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About the game
Summer nights, the woods, and the campfires where it is good to roast marshmallows — it doesn't get better than this! Well - that is about to change! Suddenly, out of the bushes, hordes of zombie animals are rushing towards you. Do they want to steal your marshmallows? Not at all! It's your brains they want to cube and roast over the campfire. Your goal in Oh My Brain is to rid yourself of these assailants — that is, the cards in your hand — as quickly as possible to avoid gradually losing your mind because losing your brain entirely means being transformed into a zombie...and losing the game! The card deck consists of cards numbered 0-19, and to start a round of play each player takes three cards from the deck and places one in their "cemetery" (a card holder) and the other two in their hand. They then do this twice more to have a hand of six cards and a cemetery of three cards. Each player starts with a number of brain tokens. On a turn, you must play to the central pile (campfire), playing a number higher than the current highest number. You can play multiple copies of the same number, and if you do, you place all copies of that number after the first one into the cemetery of one or more opponents. You can always play a 0, which restarts the pile. If you play an 8, the next player must play lower than an 8, then the pile ascends again. If you play an 11, you take another turn. If you play certain high or low cards, you must roll the special die, which may have you play again, steal a brain from another player, swap campfires with an opponent, or take some other action. If you cannot play, you lose a brain token, clear the pile, draw two cards, place one of those cards in your cemetery, then start the pile again by playing from your hand. If you have fewer than three cards in hand at the end of a turn, refill your hand to three from the cards in your campfire. If you have played all of your cards, success! You have fended off the zombie animals, and all opponents lose a brain token for each card in their hand and cemetery. If any player has no brains remaining, the player with the most brain tokens wins; otherwise, shuffle the cards and play another round, starting with the player who has the fewest brains.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Muduko
- Reflexshop
- 2Tomatoes Games
- 25th Century Games
- Across the Board
- Blackrock Games
- Lumberjacks Studio
Questions and answers
Oh My Brain 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 Oh My Brain is 10–15 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 Oh My Brain 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.
Oh My Brain 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.
Oh My Brain belongs to these categories: Card Game, Number, and Zombies. Its main mechanics are Hand Management and Ladder Climbing. 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 Oh My Brain are: Bruno Cathala and Théo Rivière. 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 Oh My Brain 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.