
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,860
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Snatch it!
- 3–6 players
- 20–30 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2024

2005
Rules assistance for Scum
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 4 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Scum is a board game released in 2005 for 4–8 players and 5 minutes per game. It was designed by Kevin Johnson and its main mechanics are Ladder Climbing.
Scum is a game of trying to rise in the social order. One player is the president. The others are in decreasing social position, with the lowest player being scum. The object of each round is to deplete your hand of cards. Whoever does so first will be the new president down the line until the last one out becoming the new scum. The game is weighted so that those who are higher up in the social order will have a playing advantage over those below them, so it will take skill to rise to a higher position. Players of Asshole (Scum: The Food Chain Game) or The Great Dalmuti will recognize the basic mechanics of Scum. Scum adds trump cards of the President and the Wild president to the standard numbered cards. Also, there are variants that cause the color of the cards to have impact on the game play.
Scum supports 4–8 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 Scum is 5 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.
Scum has a complexity rating of 1.1 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.
Scum belongs to these categories: Card Game and Party Game. Its main mechanics are Ladder Climbing. 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 Scum are: Kevin Johnson. 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 Scum 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.