How many people can play Oil Rock?

Oil Rock supports 2–4 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.

How long does a game of Oil Rock take?

The listed playing time for Oil Rock is 90 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.

What is the minimum age for Oil Rock?

The catalogue lists Oil Rock for ages 13 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.

How complex is Oil Rock?

Oil Rock has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.

What kind of game is Oil Rock?

Oil Rock belongs to these categories: Industry / Manufacturing. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Variable Set-up, and Hexagon Grid. 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.

Who designed Oil Rock?

The credited designers of Oil Rock are: Marco Piola Caselli. 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.

Is Oil Rock a base game or an expansion?

The catalogue lists Oil Rock 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.

BGG rank: BGG #14,890
BGG rating: 7.8

Oil Rock

2026

Rules assistance for Oil Rock

Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

2–4 players
90 min
13+
Complexity 3.0/5

Rules assistant for Oil Rock

What would you like to know?

Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.

How to win:

After Round 4 and final bonuses, the player with the most VP wins.

Setup

Use five Wheel spaces per ring for 2–3 players; six for 4 players.
Reveal four random Goals.
Reveal 6/7/8 Improvement cards for 2/3/4 players, respectively.
Each player starts with 1 Tool, 1 Coal, and 1 Coin; later turn positions gain specified bonuses.
In reverse turn order, each player chooses a different yellow Region and takes its Railway Bonus before Round 1.

Round sequence

Resolve Income, Actions, Oil Extraction, Oil Refining, Goals, then End of Round.
Each player takes Income shown in the blue band of their currently visible Character sheet.
In turn order, each player deploys one Worker at a time for three turns.
Each player takes Oil Barrels equal to each well’s depth.
Activate any or all built Refineries, each at most once; pay their specific Barrel requirements.
Award VP according to the topmost visible Goal, then flip it face down.

End of round

Discard the two available Improvements with the lowest identification numbers, or all if two or fewer remain; refill by player count.
Return Wheel and Copy-space Workers; rotate the outer Wheel ring clockwise one click.
After Round 4, score wells, qualifying Refineries, Offices, Progress, blue Improvements, Patents, and leftover resources.
Leftover Tools, Coins, and Coal score together, divided by 3 and rounded down.

Easy to miss

Assistants require free Action tiles; Managers are used only after no Assistants remain.
A Manager on a circular space resolves both connected tiles, fully resolving one before the other.
Copying costs 1 Progress; a player at Progress 0 cannot Copy.
Keep at most one Oil Barrel of each color after Refining; return excess without compensation.
Ties go to the player with more Progress; if still tied, the lower marker on the Progress Track wins.

About 8 min · 9 steps

Win

You are competing for the most Victory Points.
We play four rounds, then score endgame bonuses.
The player with the most points wins.

Newcomer questions

Oil Rock is a board game released in 2026 for 2–4 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Marco Piola Caselli and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Variable Set-up, and Hexagon Grid. MeepleRules offers a rules assistant for Oil Rock that explains turns, card effects and disputed situations in plain language.

Similar games

About the game

Take control of an expanding oil company; step into the shoes of a determined leader set on dominating the market, optimizing every phase of the refining chain, and building your reputation to enhance your abilities. Carefully consider every action you take: position yourself strategically on the action wheel to activate the most effective moves at the right time. Expand your influence on the map, positioning yourself in key areas to gain exclusive advantages and new development opportunities. Meanwhile, build new drilling rigs, develop increasingly efficient turbines, and enhance your refineries to increase production efficiency. Every action you take contributes to your company's growth, transforming your choices into concrete advantages turn after turn. —description from the publisher Oil Rock is a worker-placement game in which you’ll play as a Character, represented by your Notebook, which you can flip through as you advance along the Progress Track, thereby unlocking increasingly powerful versions of it. A game of Oil Rock lasts 4 Rounds. Each round is divided into 6 Phases, to be carried out in this order: Income: Each player receives the amount shown on the blue band of their Character Sheet, which is currently visible in their Notebook. Actions Following the turn order, each player places one of their Workers (Secretaries or Executives) on a space on the Wheel and immediately performs the indicated Action. Oil Extraction In this phase, each player receives Barrels equal to the depth reached by their corresponding well. Each player's personal board shows three production wells: one for each type of oil in the game. Oil Refining Each player can use their available Barrels to activate all or some of the Refineries they have built. This process can earn the player resources, Patents, Progress, and Victory Points. Goals Each player receives Victory Points as indicated by the Milestone shown at the top of the central board. End of Round Workers are removed from the Wheel, which then moves forward one space; the Improvement card display is reset; and the Turn Order is updated in reverse order based on the current positions on the Progress Track.

Editions

Oil RockenCranio Creations
Oil RockfrCranio Creations, Intrafin Games2026
Oil RockWhite Goblin Games
Oil RockitCranio Creations

Mechanics

Designers

Marco Piola Caselli

Publishers

Intrafin Games
White Goblin Games
Cranio Creations

Questions and answers

Use the rules assistant for Oil Rock to describe a turn, card effect or disputed situation. Get a plain-language explanation with official source references, then return to the question in your saved history. Select your edition when available so the sources match your game.

Ask about the rules

Updated October 24, 2026

Oil Rock

Rules assistant for Oil Rock