Ransom
BGG rank
BGG #17,673
BGG rating
6.6

Ransom

1994

Rules assistance for Ransom

Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

  • 2–6 players
  • 45 min
  • 12+
  • Complexity 2.0/5

For 2 players

Rules assistant for Ransom

What would you like to know?

Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.

Ransom is a board game released in 1994 for 2–6 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Philip O'Neill and its main mechanics are Trading, Auction / Bidding, and Memory.

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About the game

This game comes inside what looks like a video tape case, which is definitely odd for a board game. Inside the package are cards for properties on Manhattan island, workers, building materials, and building contracts. Each turn, players turn over a card and either purchase it outright or auction it to the group. But when the contracts get bought, players will need to negotiate a deal, because it's very difficult to build a decent sized building on your own. The deal making is vicious and cutthroat, ergo the name. The 1995 edition features rules in English, Japanese, German, Spanish and French (see the Tidwell review).

Questions and answers

Ransom 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.