- BGG rank
- BGG #1,473
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Chimera Station
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,375
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Seas of Strife
2015
Rules assistance for Seas of Strife
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–6 players
- 45 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.3/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Seas of Strife
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Seas of Strife is a board game released in 2015 for 3–6 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Mark Major and its main mechanics are Hand Management and Trick-taking.
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About the game
In the trick-taking game Seas of Strife, formerly Texas Showdown, originally published as Strife, you want to avoid taking tricks as skillfully as you can, but playing off-suit might not keep you safe as the suit can change during the trick, possibly stinging you in the end. Before play, all the cards are distributed evenly among the players. Once a player leads a single card for the first trick, all other players must play a card of the same suit, if possible. If a player can't play on suit, they can play a card of any color — but after they do this, all subsequent players can play a card of either matching color (or possibly a third color if they have neither of the first two). Once all players have played to the trick, you see which color has been played most frequently in the trick. Whoever played the highest card of this color wins the trick. If two or more colors are tied, then the highest card counts as the winner. You play several rounds until someone reaches the target number of tricks taken. At that point, whoever has captured the fewest tricks wins!
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Hobby Japan
- AMIGO
- Rio Grande Games
- Lautapelit.fi
- Grok Games
- Strohmann Games
- House of Monks
- Whirling Derby Games
Questions and answers
Seas of Strife supports 3–6 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 Seas of Strife is 45 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 Seas of Strife 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.
Seas of Strife has a complexity rating of 1.3 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.
Seas of Strife belongs to these categories: Card Game, Nautical, and American West. Its main mechanics are Hand Management and 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 Seas of Strife are: Mark Major. 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 Seas of Strife 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.