- BGG rank
- BGG #15,340
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Purim
2023
Rules assistance for Purim
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 45–60 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.6/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Purim
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Purim is a board game released in 2023 for 1–4 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Philip duBarry and its main mechanics are Area Movement, Area Majority / Influence, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
About the game
The Book of Esther describes the harrowing tale of a young girl and the fate of the Jewish people. The villainous Haman has been put to death, but his murderous plan lives on through his ten sons. You are loyal messengers of the King and Queen, tasked with putting a stop to the hatred infecting the empire and securing peace for the children of Israel. Purim is a cooperative card-management and area-control game. You and your fellow messengers must work together to spread the King’s proclamation, represented by gold cubes, to all the far-flung provinces of the empire. At the same time Haman’s ten sons are trying to orchestrate the destruction of the Jewish people by spreading their false messages, represented by black cubes. Every round each player will receive a set number of Action Cards that have a Loyal Action, an Evil Action, and an End Effect. Players simultaneously select one Action Card from their hand and then reveal it. The Action Cards are then processed based each card's number with the card's Loyal Action happening first before the Evil Action. Loyal Actions will generally add gold cubes to the board, move Messengers, or remove Sons of Haman while Evil Actions will generally add black cubes or move the Calendar tile forward. This process of selecting and playing Action Cards repeats until all but one card has been played in each player's hand. When this occurs the last cards are revealed and the cards processed in numerical order with only the End Effect happening. The round then ends and a new round begins. The game end triggers when either the Calendar tile reaches the end of the Calendar, or players run out of gold or black cubes. If each Province has gold cubes equal to or greater than the number of black cubes, the players win the game. If even one Province has more black cubes than gold cubes, the players have failed the King and lose the game. —description from the publisher
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Funhill Games
Questions and answers
Purim 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 Purim is 45–60 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 Purim 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.
Purim has a complexity rating of 2.6 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.
Purim belongs to these categories: Adventure, Ancient, and Religious. Its main mechanics are Area Movement, Area Majority / Influence, and Simultaneous Action Selection. 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 Purim are: Philip duBarry. 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 Purim 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.