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Reiner Knizia's Decathlon
1990
Rules assistance for Reiner Knizia's Decathlon
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 45 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.2/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Reiner Knizia's Decathlon
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Reiner Knizia's Decathlon is a board game released in 1990 for 1–4 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Reiner Knizia and its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Re-rolling and Locking.
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About the game
Reiner Knizia’s Decathlon is a series of 10 short dice games with the loose theme of the events of an Olympic Decathlon: 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1500-meter run. The rules are available for free on Knizia's web site. The game is played with eight dice, pen, and paper. In each event, each player rolls a pool of dice, rerolling a limited number of times, and freezing desired rolls. The goal is to obtain the highest score across all the events. The first edition of the game (in German) and the second printed English edition (a translation of the first edition) give two variants: Energy: each player starts the game with a fixed amount of energy and must use one unit of it for each roll. Some minor adjustments are made to the rules for two of the events. Remaining energy can optionally be added to each player's score. With two or more players you can play a championship game where the best scorer in an event gets as many points as there are players, the next-best gets one less, etc. The web-published version includes a different version of the second variant (3/2/1 for 1st/2nd/3rd place, ties are friendly).
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- (Web published)
- Hugendubel Verlag
- Games & Puzzles Publications
- Blue Terrier Press
Questions and answers
Reiner Knizia's Decathlon 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 Reiner Knizia's Decathlon is 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 Reiner Knizia's Decathlon for ages 10 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.
Reiner Knizia's Decathlon has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Reiner Knizia's Decathlon belongs to these categories: Print & Play, Dice, and Sports. Its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Re-rolling and Locking. 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 Reiner Knizia's Decathlon are: Reiner Knizia. 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 Reiner Knizia's Decathlon 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.