- BGG rank
- BGG #8,978
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Ominoes
2016
Rules assistance for Ominoes
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 15 min
- 6+
- Complexity 1.4/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Ominoes
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ominoes is a board game released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Andrew Harman and its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Square Grid.
About the game
Winner of the UK GAMES EXPO Award for BEST ABSTRACT GAME 2017 1864, Ominus Valley, Egypt — a hoard of 6,000-year-old game cubes is found. No one knows how to play this mysterious game — until now when this ancient game is reborn as Ominoes. In this abstract strategy/tactical game, 2-4 players want to collect their favored gods — Horus, Ra, Apep, and Khepri — in groups to earn points. They do this by rolling custom dice that both determine actions and are placed on the game board to count as a piece of the player's color. On a turn, the active player does the following: Roll: Take a die and roll it. Move: Move a die on the board that matches the rolled color exactly three spaces. Place: Placing the die just rolled on the board, possibly scoring a group. The dice have four faces matching the players colors, with unused colors in a two- or three-player game being scorable by anyone. The other two faces — "Yay-Ra" and "Ominotep" — allow the player to move or reroll any die, respectively, and they count as wild once on the board. Groups of four (or more) dice of a color are scored immediately and give their player points equal to their number. The first player to 13 points (or 21 points in a two-player game)wins! Quick to learn, easy to play but with layers of light tactics. Ominoes is 15 minutes of play.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Albi
- YAY Games
Questions and answers
Ominoes 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.
The listed playing time for Ominoes is 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 Ominoes for ages 6 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.
Ominoes has a complexity rating of 1.4 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.
Ominoes belongs to these categories: Dice and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Square 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.
The credited designers of Ominoes are: Andrew Harman. 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 Ominoes 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.