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- BGG #30,965
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Shokoba
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Spoons
1972
Rules assistance for Spoons
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 4–13 players
- 30 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.1/5
Rules assistant for Spoons
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Spoons is a board game released in 1972 for 4–13 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Michael Ferch and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Player Elimination, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
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About the game
You pull from a regular deck of cards 4 of a kind for each person playing. Shuffle those all together and deal them out so each person has 4 cards. They can't look at them until the game starts though. Place spoons on the table (enough for all except one player). Position them fairly, so each person pretty much has the same chance to grab one. You have one person (this job rotates hand to hand) start calling out 'pass'. How you pass is to select one card from your hand, put it on the table face down next to the person on your right, then you pick up the card the person on your left put down. You keep doing this until 1) you get 4 of a kind or 2) someone else gets four of a kind. At this point you grab a spoon, and the person who doesn't get a spoon gets a 'pig' point. Once you get 3 pig points you are a hog. If you are a hog you have lost, but you can still be part of the game. Hogs can talk to game players, but if a game player talks to a hog they get a pig point. Of course the winner is the person left when everyone else is a hog.
Designers
Publishers
- asmodee
- Spear's Games
- Swan Panasia Co., Ltd.
- Patch Products
- Crown & Andrews Ltd.
- PlayMonster
- (Public Domain)
- Hallmark Games
- Great American Puzzle Factory
- Djeco
- Ohio Art
- Regal Games
- Ivory Tower Publishing
- MJ Games
Questions and answers
Spoons supports 4–13 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 Spoons 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 Spoons 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.
Spoons has a complexity rating of 1.1 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.
Spoons belongs to these categories: Card Game, Animals, and Children's Game. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Player Elimination, and Simultaneous Action Selection. 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 Spoons are: Michael Ferch. 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 Spoons 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.