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Shards of Infinity
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
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Ostium
2021
Rules assistance for Ostium
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–3 players
- 40 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.0/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Ostium
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ostium is a board game released in 2021 for 1–3 players, 40 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Marek Buczyński and Wojciech Szewczuk and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Solo / Solitaire Game.
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About the game
The everlasting conflict between eternal enemies spread to yet another world! Huge planar gates are opening and hordes of powerful creatures are pouring into the land to fight the final battle for dominance. There can be only one winner! Ostium is a turn-based, deck building card game. Each player uses their planar gates to summon creatures that fight to destroy the gates controlled by other players. The creatures use their abilities and fight. Each creature has its own set of abilities, which grow more powerful, if the creature is supported by other creatures from its clan. The creatures can also fuse with energy channeled directly from a planar gate to deal crushing damage to the opponent’s gates or creatures. Each turn has two phases. In the first phase, the player can bring more forces to the battlefield and use special abilities of the summoned creatures. The second phase is combat, where all the extra powers, channeled energy, and clan synergies lay waste to the enemy forces. The player can summon creatures directly to the battlefield (and place them in attack or defense rows) or the discard pile. The order in which the cards are placed in the deck, drawn, and played can decide the outcome of the game, since neither the deck, nor the discard pile are shuffled. The way the creatures are placed on the battlefield also greatly affects their abilities and power. Ostium was initially designed as a duel game, but you will also find solo mode and 3 player match rules described in the official game rule book. A typical game usually takes 30 to 45 minutes. —description from the designer
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Lacerta
Questions and answers
Ostium supports 1–3 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 Ostium is 40 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 Ostium 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.
Ostium 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.
Ostium belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Fighting. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Solo / Solitaire Game. 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 Ostium are: Marek Buczyński and Wojciech Szewczuk. 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 Ostium 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.