
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,795
- BGG rating
- 5.9
Spank the Monkey
- 2–6 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.4/5
- 2003

2013
Rules assistance for Primate Fear
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.
Primate Fear is a board game released in 2013 for 2–6 players and 45 minutes per game. It was designed by Peter Hansson and its main mechanics are Take That, Player Elimination, and Dice Rolling.
Primate Fear is set in the same world as Gigantoskop's Spank the Monkey and is compatible with that game and its expansions, but this time when you start monkeying around in a junkyard, you'll find it a much darker experience as this junkyard was built on an old haunted cemetery. As in Spank the Monkey, players scrounge around trying to find junk to build towers and locate parts for reinforcements to make the towers stronger, but they're not trying to reach the monkey and spank it this time. Oh, no. On the contrary, they are trying to get as far away from it as possible because this monkey is not a mischievous nuisance but rather a reanimated zombie monstrosity of an ape. Once the players have stumbled over all the monkey parts and the monkey awakes, it will climb after the players, eating the brains of the ones it catches until only one player remains – the winner. In game terms, each player starts with a hand of five cards. On a turn, a player draws 1-2 cards, then plays at most one Junk card to start or continue building his tower and at most one Reinforcement card to strengthen his highest Junk card. He can also play one or more Attack cards on opponents to try to demolish their towers, lowering them within reach of Frankenmonkey. Players can use Defense cards to try to ward off attacks, with the active player rolling a die to see whether an attack succeeds. If it does, that player's tower might further crumble as the junk collapses on top of other junk. Each time a player uses a card with a monkey claw on it, a new part is added to Frankenmonkey on the assembly board; if the monkey is complete, then the claw raises the monkey up one level on the height board. At the end of each player's turn, the monkey (if still complete) rises one level, eliminating players at that same height. Players can use Primate Fear cards with Spank the Monkey rules and vice versa, or they can combine the games, with the goal being to spank the monkey before anyone else while still having your brain intact. Integrates with: Spank the Monkey
Primate Fear 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 Primate Fear is 45 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.
Primate Fear has a complexity rating of 1.5 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.
Primate Fear belongs to these categories: Card Game, Humor, and Zombies. Its main mechanics are Take That, Player Elimination, and Dice Rolling. 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 Primate Fear are: Peter Hansson. 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 Primate Fear 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.