
Principes: Exploratio
- 1–4 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2026

2026
Rules assistance for Principes
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Principes is a board game released in 2026 for 1–4 players, 40–160 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Leo Soloviey and its main mechanics are Player Elimination, Dice Rolling, and Die Icon Resolution.
Year 1202, the Kingdom of Poland has been divided for 64 years. The last, respected Senior-Prince, Mesco the Old, dies in peace, but with his death the fragile order collapses. In Principes, Poland is broken into 4 Principalities, led by 4 branches of the Piast dynasty. The players' task is to take control of their part of the Kingdom and lead to the coronation of one of their Princes. To do this, players will develop and expand their lands, wage wars and form alliances with neighboring factions. Only the most persistent and clever will succeed! Players will compete with each other for a maximum of 6 Rounds, which are divided into 3 Periods. Each Round begins with the revealing of the History Card (through them, the Teutonic Knights and the Mongols can appear on the board, among others). The core mechanism of the game consist of secretly programming 3 of 6 available Actions, which are: Progress, Taxes, Assembly, Movement, Building and Politics. The goal of the participants is to climb up the 3 Tracks (the Track of Power, Support of the People and the Clergy) to the highest position - then they can crown their prince, and thus immediately end the game with their glorious victory! The game is being created thanks to a scholarship from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland and tells the story of a key, extremely interesting period of confusion, chaos and growth in Polish history - it is called the time of great disruption, after which (with the help of players) the rebirth will come. —description from the designer
Principes supports 1–4 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 Principes is 40–160 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 Principes for ages 14 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.
Principes has a complexity rating of 3.1 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.
Principes belongs to these categories: Wargame, Medieval, and Political. Its main mechanics are Player Elimination, Dice Rolling, and Die Icon Resolution. 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 Principes are: Leo Soloviey. 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 Principes 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.