
- BGG rank
- BGG #23,052
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Mankind Madness
- 2–8 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2025

2023
Rules assistance for Reinforcements
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Reinforcements is a board game released in 2023 for 2–4 players, 20–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Brennan Kahl, Nick Brown, and Jack Collins and its main mechanics are Take That, Set Collection, and Communication Limits.
REINFORCEMENTS is a strategic battle card game where players build up powerful armies and compete to be the last one standing. It’s a simple card game that’s easy to learn but packs a board game punch! Each player takes turns drawing from a shared deck containing cards from 3 distinct kingdoms, each with unique art and special abilities. Using these cards players build up their army to unlock additional actions and attack their foes using powerful combos. In Reinforcements, you can blast your foes with magic, hire deadly mercenaries, incite a peasant mob, and summon mythical totems. When two cards of the same power collide, it's time to call in REINFORCEMENTS! Both player’s shout exuberantly and draw two cards from the deck to decide the battle. Do you have what it takes be the last player standing? Each player starts with a handful of five cards and three face-down Foundations (selected during setup). On your turn, you can do one of three things: use a card in your hand to Attack the lead card in one of your opponents "stacks", Defend your foundations by adding a card that matches the suit of that foundation from your hand to the "stack", or Discard as many cards from your hand as you want (you will fill back up to begin your next turn.) Once you add a third card to a stack, that stack is turned face up and you draw a card from the top of the draw pile to start a new foundation. Having a faceup stack will give you a bonus depending on the suit. A faceup stack of Blue cards allows you to Fortify which lets you take an additional Defend action on your turn if you have a blue card in hand that you can place. A faceup stack of Red cards allows you to Barrage your opponent by allowing you and additional attack on your opponent each turn if you have a red card in hand. Finally, a faceup Green stack gives you the ability to Adapt by either swapping a green card from your hand with a green card from the stack or swapping the position of two of the green cards in your faceup stack. Each color of stack that is face up grants you these abilities, so they can add up quickly and each color that's face up also gives you a passive ability: blue - your blue stacks may now have 4 cards instead of just 3, red - red cards that attack or Barrage automatically win all ties, green - your hand size increases by 1 for every faceup green stack in your army. Cards range in value from 1-7 and it's a basic war mechanic that higher card beats lower card, however if you win a battle (i.e. your six beats your opponents' two) any extra points carry on to the next card in the line (in the example you would have four points left to face whatever card was next in line.) If there is a tie both players yell REINFORCEMENTS!!! Each player MUST yell this when a tie occurs. This rule is non negotiable. Players draw the top card off of the draw pile and flip them until the battle is resolved. There are also some special cards that truly mess things up (Assassins, Mages, and mobs of Peasants) and if you flip two stacks of one color or one stack of each color (three stacks in total) one of the Totems will visit you and provide a special power. But you have to use it before an opponent completes their requirement and steals the Totem from you.
Reinforcements 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 Reinforcements is 20–60 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 Reinforcements 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.
Reinforcements has a complexity rating of 2.0 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.
Reinforcements belongs to these categories: Card Game and Fighting. Its main mechanics are Take That, Set Collection, and Communication Limits. 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 Reinforcements are: Brennan Kahl, Nick Brown, and Jack Collins. 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 Reinforcements 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.