- BGG rank
- BGG #20,617
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Game Election
- 3–6 players
- 10–15 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #26,248
- BGG rating
- 5.8
Release!
2014
Rules assistance for Release!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–10 players
- 30 min
- 12+
- Complexity 1.6/5
Rules assistant for Release!
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Release! is a board game released in 2014 for 2–10 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Patrick Roach and Alex Papadimoulis and its main mechanics are Trick-taking.
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About the game
Release! is a light card game about software and the people who make it. The game is simple: manage cooperation and competition with other players across five releases to score the most points. Each round of Release! is played the same way, but the scoring rules change as you reveal new tools and methods. Your team needs to continuously respond to these strategic shifts in order to produce the best release possible. Release's core mechanics are modeled after classic trick trump games. Rounds, or releases, are played by each player contributing a card to a trick, generally the highest card thrown takes the trick. This continues until the players are out of cards, at which point in time they score the release. Scoring rules are where it gets tricky. Every release the players will reveal a new scoring methodology. These scoring rules award or subtract points for taking; various combinations of cards, lump sums of suits, or a specific number of tricks. This means that some rounds you want may want to lose as many tricks as possible, win as many as possible, or fish for specific cards. The face cards lend further complexity, these cards all have special bonus powers that do things like: affect their rank, steal previously won cards, award instant points, and much more. The game itself is themed to evoke certain trends of software development. Themeing elements include naming conventions, fun copy, and the face cards are all modeled after famous 'faces' of the development community.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Inedo
- Naturalist Games
Questions and answers
Release! supports 2–10 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 Release! 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 Release! for ages 12 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.
Release! has a complexity rating of 1.6 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.
Release! belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Trick-taking. 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 Release! are: Patrick Roach and Alex Papadimoulis. 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 Release! 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.