- BGG rank
- BGG #22,849
- BGG rating
- 5.8
Atoll
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2008
- BGG rank
- BGG #27,487
- BGG rating
- 5.5
Oust
2007
Rules assistance for Oust
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- 5+
- Complexity 2.8/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Oust
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Oust is a board game released in 2007 for 2 players, 20–60 minutes per game, and ages 5 and up. It was designed by Mark Steere and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Square Grid, and Hexagon Grid.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #26,217
- BGG rating
- 5.4
Tanbo
- 2–4 players
- 30–90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 1993
- BGG rank
- BGG #28,243
- BGG rating
- 5.4
Cephalopod
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2006
- BGG rank
- BGG #28,458
- BGG rating
- 4.8
Copolymer
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2006
- BGG rank
- BGG #27,891
- BGG rating
- 5.2
Blast Radius
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #24,495
- BGG rating
- 5.9
Dipole
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2007
- BGG rank
- BGG #27,156
- BGG rating
- 5.6
Lifeline
- 2 players
- 30–90 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #239
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Go
- 2 players
- 30–180 min
- Complexity 3.9/5
- BGG rank
- BGG #22,314
- BGG rating
- 7.7
PWNED!
- 2 players
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #22,636
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Clustered
- 1–4 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #809
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Taluva
- 2–4 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2006
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,078
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Fjords
- 1–2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2005
About the game
Oust is a very unusual two-player game, played on a hexagonally patterned board, usually around seven cells on a side. The board starts out empty. The two players, Red and Blue, take turns placing stones of their own color on unoccupied cells on the board. Passing is not allowed, but, if you have no legal moves available, your turn is skipped. The goal is to completely clear the board of enemy stones, to “oust” your opponent - a paradox since the board is empty to begin with. Your opponent has to add at least one stone before you can capture all of his stones. Draws cannot occur in Oust. Non-capturing placements A non-capturing placement either forms no connections (adjacencies) with any stones, or forms one or more connections only with enemy stones. A non-capturing placement does not form any connections with stones of its own color. Making a noncapturing placement concludes your turn. Capturing placements A “group” is a set of interconnected, like-colored stones. A group can be a “singleton” - a single stone which is not connected to any other stones of its color. A group includes all the stones of its own color connected to it. When you place a stone which forms one or more connections with your own groups, you create a new, larger group of your own stones. You can only make such a placement if said new group will have one or more connections with enemy groups upon its creation and if all said enemy groups are smaller than said new group. Upon making such a placement, all said enemy groups are removed from the board. After capturing one or more enemy groups and while it is still your turn, you must continue to add stones until you make a non-capturing placement, at which time your turn is concluded.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Mark Steere Games
Questions and answers
Oust 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 Oust is 20–60 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 Oust for ages 5 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.
Oust has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Oust belongs to these categories: Print & Play and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Square Grid, 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.
The credited designers of Oust are: Mark Steere. 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 Oust 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.