- BGG rank
- BGG #23,381
- BGG rating
- 5.8
Summit
- 3–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 1961
- BGG rank
- BGG #17,827
- BGG rating
- 6.2
So Long Sucker
1964
Rules assistance for So Long Sucker
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 4 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
Rules assistant for So Long Sucker
For 4 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
So Long Sucker is a board game released in 1964 for 4 players and 20 minutes per game. It was designed by John Nash, Lloyd S. Shapley, Mel Hausner, and Martin Shubik and its main mechanics are Player Elimination and Team-Based Game.
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About the game
Hausner, M., Nash, J. F., Shapley, L. S. and Shubik, M., (1964), "'So Long Sucker,' A Four-Person Game". In M. Shubik (ed.) Game Theory and Related Approaches to Social Behavior, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. This game was devised in 1950 as a simple social game to model the behavior of people when forming coalitions. To make progress in the game you must form a coalition with at least one other player, but to actually win requires betraying your coalition. It is said that 'The four authors still occasionally talk to each other' and the initial tests of the game resulted in married couples going home from parties in separate cabs. The objective is to be the last player with a stockpile of chips. (Each player starts with seven of a unique color.) Each play reduces your stockpile by one chip, and it is replenished through captures or gifts from other players. Players have some measure of control over who plays next, but captures either benefit another player or require that another player chooses to let you make a capture. Players may form any non-binding agreements provided that all discussion is done at the table. Working together allows players to capture chips and force other players out of the game. In the end, one player must betray their coalitions to win. The authors are also responsible for inventing the dollar auction and a great deal of economic theory.
Categories
Mechanics
Publishers
- (Self-Published)
- John Wiley & Sons
Questions and answers
So Long Sucker supports 4 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 So Long Sucker 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.
So Long Sucker has a complexity rating of 1.8 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.
So Long Sucker belongs to these categories: Economic, Negotiation, and Book. Its main mechanics are Player Elimination and Team-Based Game. 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 So Long Sucker are: John Nash, Lloyd S. Shapley, Mel Hausner, and Martin Shubik. 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 So Long Sucker 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.