
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Speculation Queenie 3: Action and Movement Dice
- 3–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2013

1992
Rules assistance for Speculation
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 3 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Speculation is a board game released in 1992 for 3–6 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Dirk Henn and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Memory.
In Speculation, players buy and sell shares of stock, trying to have the most money at the end of the game. Each player has a hand of nine cards; eight of them match the company shares that are available for purchase, while the ninth card is a "Bank Holiday" card. Each of the eight companies has 2-5 shares available, depending on the number of players, and each player starts with a randomly drawn share. At the start of the game, place six movement tiles (numbered 1-6) in one bag and six action tiles (trade x3, rank +1, rank -1, no action) in another bag. Each round, the starting player draws one tile from each bag. If he draws a rank +1 or rank -1, he moves one share price indicator (a.k.a. "brick") of his choice up or down one rank on the movement track that organizes the company bricks. If he draws a trade, each player buys and/or sells one share to the bank. Players then simultaneously choose one of the two cards in their hand and reveal them. If no one played a bank holiday card, then in turn order, the brick associated with each company card advances on the movement track a number of spaces equal to the movement tile drawn, ignoring occupied spaces. The value of a company's shares depends on the location of its brick on the movement track and its position relative to all of the other bricks. If one or more bank holiday cards were played, the bricks move only half the distance or don't move at all.) Players each draw a new card, and the bags pass to the next player in clockwise order, who becomes the starting player for the next round. If a trade tile was drawn, return all tiles to their respective bags first. The rounds continue until one or more company bricks reach the end of the movement track. At the end of that round, players cash out their holdings and whoever has the most money wins.
Speculation 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 Speculation 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 Speculation 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.
Speculation has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Speculation belongs to these categories: Economic. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Memory. 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 Speculation are: Dirk Henn. 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 Speculation 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.