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Asgard's Chosen
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Recess!
2006
Rules assistance for Recess!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–5 players
- 30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.4/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Recess!
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Recess! is a board game released in 2006 for 3–5 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Morgan Dontanville and its main mechanics are Point to Point Movement and Action Points.
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About the game
French - German - Spanish Recess! A board game of pain and loss in a rough parochial school ... Growing up is never easy ... especially in a rough parochial school where scores are settled on the playground. Between bullies stealing your lunch money, fights breaking out left and right, and schoolmates tattling to the ever-present nuns, a kid just can't catch a break ... or a kiss, as the case may be. Because you're a lover as well as a fighter, and all you really want is to steal a kiss from your sweetheart across the blacktop before the school bell rings and recess is over. The fact that you've bet the last of your lunch money on being the first do it makes it all the more risky. Of course, might makes right here on the playground. If you can't win your money back from the other kids, you can always beat it out of them. Recess is a strategy board game for three to five players. Players each start with two boy figures and two girl figures on opposite sides of the grid-marked modular board, which is dotted with playground-themed obstacles. Children move like a rook in chess, while nuns move like a queen. A child that lands on a space occupied by another child starts a fight and takes a coin from him. Other children can break up a fight by landing on that same space, or tattle by landing on a nun's space. If a nun moves onto the fight space, the attacker is sent back to the entrance for detention. Finishing thirty of the minute-long turns marks the end of the game, or it ends immediately when one player's boy and girl figures meet on the same space while out of sight of the nuns. The resulting kiss earns two coins from each player, but to win you still have to end up with the most coins.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Atlas Games
Questions and answers
Recess! supports 3–5 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 Recess! is 30 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 Recess! for ages 8 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.
Recess! has a complexity rating of 1.4 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.
Recess! belongs to these categories: Fighting, Humor, and Religious. Its main mechanics are Point to Point Movement and Action Points. 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 Recess! are: Morgan Dontanville. 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 Recess! 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.