- BGG rating
- 8.0
Pest: Event Cards Pack
- 1–5 players
- 60–150 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,891
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Pest
2024
Rules assistance for Pest
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–5 players
- 60–150 min
- 13+
- Complexity 3.3/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Pest
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Pest is a board game released in 2024 for 1–5 players, 60–150 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Kai Starck and Thomas Nielsen and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Area Majority / Influence.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 8.7
Pest: Guilds of Thokaia
- 2–5 players
- 45–150 min
- 2025
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About the game
Our once great Empire was struck by a devastating plague… will you answer the call to save it? Once standing tall and great, we now need to rediscover and rebuild our fallen cities. There are still survivors among the ruins – we must take them in our care and cure them. In order to stay ahead of the plague, we must implement new inventions and technologies. Our influence will expand as we rebuild, but the plague will still lurk in the shadows, ready to strike when we least expect it. Once it does, it will be difficult to adapt, but we will survive. In addition to the procurement of important resources, our imperative will be to get the plague under control. In Pest, players slip into the roles of leaders of the ruling houses of a once great empire that was struck by a cataclysmic plague. The plague has left much of the empire in ruins, so now it is up to the players to restore it to its former glory. Pest is played in 6 rounds. Each round before players take their turn, a plague card will be revealed which shows how the plague will spread in that round. On their turn, players will be able to select among many actions on their player board using a unique action selection system. Thus, players will be able to move their containment team on the board, quarantine and cure infected people, rebuild, assign workers, harvest for resources, and more. As their house influence grows, players will be able to play more actions, generate more resources, and house more people. This will bring forth new technological advancements which are much needed to get the plague under control. The game ends after the 6 round is over and players count their final amount of Renown (victory points). The player with the most Renown is the winner and declared the savior of the empire! —description from the publisher
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Matagot
- Ediciones MasQueOca
- Cranio Creations
- Across the Board
- CrowD Games
- Archona Games
Questions and answers
Pest supports 1–5 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 Pest is 60–150 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 Pest for ages 13 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.
Pest has a complexity rating of 3.3 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.
Pest belongs to these categories: Medieval, Medical, and Civilization. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Area Majority / Influence. 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 Pest are: Kai Starck and Thomas Nielsen. 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 Pest 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.