- BGG rank
- BGG #22,849
- BGG rating
- 5.8
Atoll
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2008
- BGG rank
- BGG #30,171
- BGG rating
- 4.3
Rive
2010
Rules assistance for Rive
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- 5+
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Rive
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Rive is a board game released in 2010 for 2 players, 20–60 minutes per game, and ages 5 and up. It was designed by Mark Steere and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Hexagon Grid, and Pattern Building.
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About the game
Rive can be played on any odd-sized, hexagonally patterned board, which starts out empty. The two players, Black and White, take turns placing stones of their own color on unoccupied cells on the board. There will always be a placement available. Players cannot pass on their turn. The game ends when the board is full. The goal is to claim the majority of cells. Draws cannot occur in Rive. Stone placement A group here is comprised of interconnected stones of both colors. If you can place a stone in isolation, you must do so. Otherwise your stone must be placed adjacent to up to three groups, of which the largest must be as small as possible. Capturing placements When you place a stone that connects to two or three groups, you must remove stones from the newly formed group, of either or both colors, to bring the group size down to one stone larger than the largest of the groups that was so combined. Selecting stones for removal from the newly formed group must be done in a way that does not split the group into two or more smaller groups. There is no requirement to make a capturing placement if a non-capturing placement is available. When you make a capture, you must add another stone to the board while it's still your turn. And you must continue to add stones during your turn until you make a non-capturing placement.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Mark Steere Games
Questions and answers
Rive supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Rive 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 Rive for ages 5 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.
Rive belongs to these categories: Territory Building and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Hexagon Grid, and Pattern Building. 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 Rive are: Mark Steere. 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 Rive 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.