
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,037
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Not That Movie!
- 2–7 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2022

2004
Rules assistance for Ostrakon
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ostrakon is a board game released in 2004 for 5–12 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Silvano Sorrentino and its main mechanics are Voting.
Is there life in outer space or not? Baseball or basketball? To be or to have? Chicken or beef? The real speaker knows how to charm the audience with the greatest dilemma, predicting the opinions thanks to a supernatural intuition... or a more practical cheating technique! In Ostrakon, you take the role of a Greek philosopher, posing questions on assigned topics with only 2 answers. The other players decide which of the two answers suits them, and the philosopher secretly votes with the side he thinks will outnumber the other. If he is correct, he scores points equal to the number of players who voted against his choice. If he is incorrect, he scores nothing. So its best to pick questions with roughly equally viable answers.
Ostrakon supports 5–12 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 Ostrakon is 60 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 Ostrakon for ages 10 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.
Ostrakon 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.
Ostrakon belongs to these categories: Card Game and Party Game. Its main mechanics are Voting. 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 Ostrakon are: Silvano Sorrentino. 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 Ostrakon 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.