
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,784
- BGG rating
- 6.1
The Secret Door
- 1–8 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 1991

2011
Rules assistance for Stone Soup
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Stone Soup is a board game released in 2011 for 2–6 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 5 and up. It was designed by Jim Deacove and its main mechanics are Memory, Cooperative Game, and Once-Per-Game Abilities.
From the classic tale of cooperation comes this simple game where players work together to "cook" a soup by making matches of ingredients. Match all of the ingredients before the fire under the kettle goes out and everyone wins! Turn all cards face down on the board. Players take turns turning 2 cards face up. If they match, place the 2 cards in the kettle area of the board. If they do not match, turn them face down. If a player turns a Fire Out card face up, the Fire Out card is placed on the fire area. If 10 Fire Out cards are placed in the fire area before all 12 matches are made, players lose. But wait, there is 1 magic stone card that can turn any Fire Out card face down again on the board. Players decide together when to use the magic stone card to help keep the soup cooking! Components: 1 game board 24 soup ingredient cards 1 magic stone card 10 fire out cards A Tale of Stone Soup story
Stone Soup 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 Stone Soup is 15 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 Stone Soup for ages 5 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.
Stone Soup has a complexity rating of 1.0 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.
Stone Soup belongs to these categories: Children's Game and Memory. Its main mechanics are Memory, Cooperative Game, and Once-Per-Game Abilities. 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 Stone Soup are: Jim Deacove. 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 Stone Soup 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.