- BGG rank
- BGG #12,863
- BGG rating
- 7.0
ORP Orzeł
- 2 players
- 20–30 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #21,601
- BGG rating
- 6.0
Sawanna
2015
Rules assistance for Sawanna
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 20 min
- 6+
- Complexity 1.5/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Sawanna
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Sawanna is a board game released in 2015 for 2–5 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Jan Madejski and Łukasz M. Pogoda and its main mechanics are Race, Push Your Luck, and Dice Rolling.
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About the game
Which animal is smarter? Giraffe, zebra, elephant, lion or gazelle? The animals decided to check it out and organized a race to the watering hole. Join the race and help your pack of animals! Sawanna is a family game that develops planning skills and logical thinking. Every player has a team of five animals, which move on the tight racetrack leading to the water source. The one who places at least two in the water first wins the game. In order to move the animals, players roll the dice. Every turn player roll all the dice, pick some of them and place on selected animal tile. Every animal is moved by two kinds of dice result only and player need to distribute his roll wisely. After that, the player may finish the placement and execute the moves or roll again excess dice and try to distribute them on additional animals. Of course, there is a catch: If you cannot place the dice correctly, your turn is lost. In advanced mode, every kind of animal have special ability: Giraffe has the longest neck, so may reach the water from neighboring space. Gazelle is the most agile and can jump over other animals. Elephant is the toughest one and other animals cannot stop him. Lion can scare other animals and force them to yield the way, while the zebra is able to change the track during its move.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Trefl
Questions and answers
Sawanna 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 Sawanna is 20 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 Sawanna for ages 6 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.
Sawanna has a complexity rating of 1.5 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.
Sawanna belongs to these categories: Animals, Dice, and Racing. Its main mechanics are Race, Push Your Luck, and Dice Rolling. 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 Sawanna are: Jan Madejski and Łukasz M. Pogoda. 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 Sawanna 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.