
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Solomon Kane: Against the Vampires
- 1–5 players
- 2021

2021
Rules assistance for Solomon Kane
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Solomon Kane is a board game released in 2021 for 1–5 players and 60–120 minutes per game. It was designed by Jake Thornton and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Dice Rolling.
Based upon the stories by Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan), Solomon Kane is a narrative adventure board game featuring exceptional 35mm miniatures. It is a highly innovative co-operative game of storytelling, resource management, and tactical miniatures play. Players take the part of the invisible powers of good and light who aid Solomon Kane in his quest to overcome the forces of Darkness. Each player is one of the four Cardinal Virtues: Courage, Prudence, Temperance, and Justice, each with special powers that reflect their unique role. Drawing upon Howard’s famous tales of the Puritan avenger, the core box allows players to tell their own versions of the Rattle of Bones, Skulls in the Stars, and Blue Flame of Vengeance. Expansions recreate Howard’s other Solomon Kane stories, as well as adding original adventures for the hero, created especially for the game. In Solomon Kane, each of Howard’s tales is told as one or more Acts, with each Act comprising a full game session. Shorter stories like Rattle of Bones can be completed in a single session, whilst longer tales will take multiple sessions to play through. An Act is broken down into 8-10 Chapters, and each Chapter has multiple possible outcomes depending upon the actions of the players. Some Chapters offer story choices, whereas others see the action play out on the game board as the players work together to aid Solomon Kane in his quest. Using custom card decks and dice, each Virtue can control Solomon Kane or his allies, moving them around the board, fighting enemies, exploring locations, and interrogating suspects for information. If the odds get too stacked against Solomon Kane, the Virtues can even manifest directly to intervene on the board. Opposing Solomon Kane and the players is the Darkness. This twisted reflection of the Virtues is controlled by an AI deck which determines the actions of enemy miniatures, thwarts the player’s best plans, and competes with them to drive the story in an evil and unholy direction. The world of Solomon Kane is brought to life through the stunning artistic vision of Guillem H. Pongiluppi and game designer Jake Thornton, whose ‘puppet master’ game mechanics break new ground in co-operative gameplay. With multiple versions of every single Chapter, Solomon Kane is able to combine immersive storytelling with abundant replayability for a truly unique gameplay experience. Who is Solomon Kane? Solomon Kane is a dour English Puritan and redresser of wrongs. He roams the world, fighting against the ungodly and evil works of men and foul magic alike. He follows no master save his conscience, though that alone drives him to the ends of the Earth to fulfil his quest. All his life he has travelled, aiding the weak and fighting oppression. From the bleak moors of England, through the damp forests of Germany, to the sweltering jungles and savannahs of Africa – even to the shores of the distant New World of America. He neither knows nor questions why is driven to do this. It simply must be done. To Solomon Kane he is the fulfiller of God’s judgment; a vessel of wrath to be emptied onto the souls of the unrighteous. To his enemies he is an implacable fury, armed with flintlock and rapier, and armoured in unshakeable faith. The knowledge of the rightness of his cause makes him unstoppable, and gives him the ability to overcome any fiend or demon.
Solomon Kane supports 1–5 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 Solomon Kane is 60–120 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.
Solomon Kane has a complexity rating of 3.1 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.
Solomon Kane belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Exploration, and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, 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 Solomon Kane are: Jake Thornton. 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 Solomon Kane 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.