- BGG rating
- 7.8
Ortus Regni: Expansion
- 3–6 players
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,813
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Ortus Regni
2014
Rules assistance for Ortus Regni
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 20–50 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Ortus Regni
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ortus Regni is a board game released in 2014 for 2 players, 20–50 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Jon Sudbury and its main mechanics are Player Elimination and Deck Construction.
Expansions
Ortus Regni: Armory
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- 2015
Ortus Regni: Danelaw
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- 2015
Ortus Regni: High Marshall
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- 2015
Ortus Regni: Inheritance
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- 2015
Ortus Regni: Knight-Errant
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- 2015
Ortus Regni: Shire
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- 2015
Ortus Regni: Welsh Marshes
- 2–6 players
- 30–60 min
- 2015
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Ortus Regni: Winchester
- 2–4 players
- 20–60 min
- 2015
About the game
Ortus Regni is a novel card game inspired by the late Anglo-Saxon period of English history. A time of warring Earls, claiming whatever lands they could... establishing fiefs, cultivating powerful vassals, fighting and engaging in endless political struggles — all while Vikings roamed not just the sea, but the land. It is truly a Dark Age. Or is it? Lasting for 600 years, until the Norman Conquest of 1066, this era decided the future of a great kingdom that would become England. Designing your Earl Deck before play begins is one of the key features of the game. Ortus Regni is a deck-design game, rather than a deck-building game — that is, you are entirely in control of the deck that you will begin play with in a game of Ortus Regni. Several canonical Ortus Regni deck design concepts exist — such as a Lord deck, an Army (Land) deck, a Politics deck, or an Emissary (Monk) deck, and more — but such concepts are only the start of your design options. The Earl Deck you put together can be a subtle hybrid of several concepts, or something entirely different and unusual. Your opponents in Ortus Regni will have access to exactly the same suite of cards that you do when they design their own Earl Decks for game play. So it all comes down to your choices and your strategies! There is also tactical space during a game to zig and zag, even if you find yourself against an Earl Deck design that you did not anticipate. You might pull out an unexpected win nonetheless if you play your deck well.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Jon Sudbury Games
Questions and answers
Ortus Regni supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Ortus Regni is 20–50 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 Ortus Regni for ages 14 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.
Ortus Regni has a complexity rating of 3.2 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.
Ortus Regni belongs to these categories: Card Game, Medieval, and Political. Its main mechanics are Player Elimination and Deck Construction. 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 Ortus Regni are: Jon Sudbury. 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 Ortus Regni 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.