- BGG rank
- BGG #16,449
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Colour Chess + Lure
- 2 players
- 20–60 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,888
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Stak Bots
2013
Rules assistance for Stak Bots
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 10 min
- 7+
- Complexity 1.6/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Stak Bots
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Stak Bots is a board game released in 2013 for 2–6 players, 10 minutes per game, and ages 7 and up. It was designed by Tom Norfolk and its main mechanics are Hand Management.
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About the game
Simple but fun game based on playing from a hand of cards representing robots. Each has special powers and affects the stack (stak) in different ways, making it more tactical than a simple rock-paper-scissors exercise. The game functions by giving each player a stack of cards as well as a hand. Each turn, players take a new card from the shared draw pile and may add a face-up card to the stack, trash a card from the stack or from their hand. When a card is played, it will have "entry effect" that may operate on the stack ordering of the player or opponent. Once all playing/trashing is finished for a turn, the player may attack the card on top of an opponent's stack with the top card of their own. The battle itself is quite simple and just a matter of comparing power, although assuming your bot survives its first battle, it can go on to attack the newly revealed card underneath. The real tactical consideration goes into the pre-attack stack manipulation phase. There is an open turn structure which allows players to carry out actions in any order and any number of times. This means they can react to the often unpredictable results of long entry effect chains, or to cards that their opponents play defensively during your turn. The game is also customisable: you can adjust the complexity or game length by adding more Staks for each player or by changing basic game mechanics.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- 2D6.EE (Side Quest Games)
- DogEared Games
Questions and answers
Stak Bots supports 2–6 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 Stak Bots is 10 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 Stak Bots for ages 7 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.
Stak Bots has a complexity rating of 1.6 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.
Stak Bots belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management. 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 Stak Bots are: Tom Norfolk. 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 Stak Bots 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.