
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,412
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Déjà Vu
- 2–6 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2017

1999
Rules assistance for Pool Party
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Pool Party is a board game released in 1999 for 2–6 players, 10 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Heinz Meister and its main mechanics are Take That, Player Elimination, and Memory.
In Pool Party (Splash Party), players will need to knock all of their opponent’s pieces into the pool while attempting to keep theirs safe and dry! Players are secretly assigned a color at the beginning of the game that corresponds to three of the pieces around the board. On their turn, they will select a piece (it can be their own color or not), look at the number written on the bottom (1, 2, or 3), and move the piece by that many spaces to the right or the left around the board. If there is another piece in the space the piece ends up in, that piece is knocked into the pool and eliminated! Once all the pieces of a given color are eliminated, the corresponding player is out. There is another method for eliminating players in this game - correctly guessing another player’s assigned color! When a player moves a piece past the diving board space, they are allowed to guess another player’s color. If correct, all of that player’s pieces fall into the pool and they are eliminated. If incorrect, the guessing player’s pieces all fall into the pool instead! Guessing a player’s color is a big gamble, so there are times where it may not make sense to attempt it. Pool Party (Splash Party) is a quick and easy-to-learn game with a clever tin that allows for play on-the-go! - Description from the publisher
Pool Party supports 2–6 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 Pool Party is 10 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 Pool Party for ages 6 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.
Pool Party has a complexity rating of 1.0 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.
Pool Party belongs to these categories: Party Game. Its main mechanics are Take That, Player Elimination, and Memory. 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 Pool Party are: Heinz Meister. 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 Pool Party 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.