
- BGG rank
- BGG #988
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Saint Petersburg (Second Edition)
- 2–5 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2014

Rules assistance for Saint Petersburg: New Society & Banquet Expansion
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Saint Petersburg: New Society & Banquet Expansion is an expansion for Saint Petersburg released in 2008 for 2–5 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Thomas Lehmann, Karl-Heinz Schmiel, and Bernd Brunnhofer and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Open Drafting.
The Saint Petersburg expansion is actually two expansions in one. It contains "The Banquet," previously available in Spielbox magazine, and the "New Society", which adds new cards, plus extra tokens to allow play with up to 5 players. The "New Society," designed by Tom Lehmann, adds replacement cards for some found in the base game, changing their costs or rewards, and adds several new cards to each phase, including an entirely new line of worker: the "New Farmer," which is costly, but also provides VPs during the Worker phase. When playing with five players, the fifth player does not receive a start token for a new phase—instead, the holder of the fifth token receives two victory points (except on the first turn, when he or she instead receives two rubles) as compensation for not starting one of the four phases. This fifth token is only used in five-player games. Other than this—and advancing tokens two player positions each round—the game plays out exactly as before, with four phases per round: Worker, Building, Aristocrat, and Trading. "The Banquet," designed by Karl-Heinz Schmiel, adds cards with special powers that allow players different types of actions on their turns. The two expansions may be used separately or combined. Expands: Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg: New Society & Banquet Expansion supports 2–5 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 Saint Petersburg: New Society & Banquet Expansion is 45–60 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 Saint Petersburg: New Society & Banquet Expansion 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.
Saint Petersburg: New Society & Banquet Expansion has a complexity rating of 2.5 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.
Saint Petersburg: New Society & Banquet Expansion belongs to these categories: Card Game, Economic, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Open Drafting. 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 Saint Petersburg: New Society & Banquet Expansion are: Thomas Lehmann, Karl-Heinz Schmiel, and Bernd Brunnhofer. 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 Saint Petersburg: New Society & Banquet Expansion as an expansion for Saint Petersburg. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Saint Petersburg to use it. Check that your edition of Saint Petersburg is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.