- BGG rank
- BGG #15,358
- BGG rating
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Crosshairs
- 2–4 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2010
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- BGG rating
- 7.8
Sleepers
2012
Rules assistance for Sleepers
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 3.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Sleepers
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Sleepers is a board game released in 2012 for 2 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Stephen Tavener and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Memory, and Secret Unit Deployment.
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About the game
In Sleepers, you are the leader of a resistance network operating in occupied France during World War II. Your primary mission is recruit a network of operatives working throughout the country; failing that, eliminating the other networks which are interfering with your own would allow you to build your network without interference. When first recruited, agents are face-down and inactive (sleeper agents); later in the game, they may be activated to perform some task (active agents). The unqualified term agents applies to both active and sleeper agents. Tiles in hand or the bag are merely tiles, bribes and blackmail material which can be used to recruit agents. EQUIPMENT 1 hexagonal board (61 hexes) 30 Agents for each player (different types) OBJECTIVE There are several ways to lose Sleepers: Morale: a player is eliminated once ten of their agents are killed (the enemy spymaster flees the country). Capture: a player is eliminated if they are surrounded by active militia (the enemy spymaster is captured). Attrition: a player is eliminated if they cannot move (no more tiles AND no sleeper agents). There are also several ways to win: Success: make a line of active agents joining any two opposite sides of the board (your network covers the whole country). Liberation: create a doomsday device by making a line of 5 active Scientists (you destroy Germany and free France). Elimination: eliminate all other players.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- nestorgames
Questions and answers
Sleepers 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 Sleepers is 30 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 Sleepers for ages 8 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.
Sleepers has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Sleepers belongs to these categories: Deduction, Abstract Strategy, and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Memory, and Secret Unit Deployment. 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 Sleepers are: Stephen Tavener. 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 Sleepers 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.