
- BGG rank
- BGG #279
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Century: Golem Edition
- 2–5 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2017

Rules assistance for Reef: Kings of the Coral
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Reef: Kings of the Coral is an expansion for Reef released in 2018 for 2–4 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Emerson Matsuuchi.
The mesmerizing beauty of the reef has attracted some royal visitors – the kings of coral! The Reef: Kings of the Coral mini-expansion provides each player two fish that start on the side of their game board. After taking either action on a turn — whether drawing a card or playing a card — the player can move one of the fish to an orthogonally adjacent space on their game board. (If the fish isn't on the board yet, it enters a space on the outside rings of the player's board.) The two fish cannot be on top of one another. When a player places coral pieces on their board, they can't cover a fish with coral. When scoring for a formation, they score 1 additional point for each fish on a formation, which means a player can score at most 2 extra points since each formation can be scored only once.
Reef: Kings of the Coral supports 2–4 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 Reef: Kings of the Coral is 30–45 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.
The catalogue lists Reef: Kings of the Coral 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.
Reef: Kings of the Coral has a complexity rating of 1.0 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.
Reef: Kings of the Coral belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy and Expansion for Base-game. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Reef: Kings of the Coral and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Reef: Kings of the Coral are: Emerson Matsuuchi. 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 Reef: Kings of the Coral as an expansion for Reef. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Reef to use it. Check that your edition of Reef is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.