
- BGG rating
- 6.6
6 nimmt! Plus
- 2–7 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2005

1994
Rules assistance for Take 5
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Take 5 is a board game released in 1994 for 2–10 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Wolfgang Kramer and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Push Your Luck, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
In Take 5, a.k.a. 6 nimmt!, Category 5 and many other names, you want to score as few points as possible. To play the game, you shuffle the 104 number cards, lay out four cards face-up to start the four rows, then deal ten cards to each player. Each turn, players simultaneously choose and reveal a card from their hand, then add the cards to the rows, with cards being placed in ascending order based on their number; specifically, each card is placed in the row that ends with the highest number that's below the card's number. When the sixth card is placed in a row, the owner of that card claims the other five cards and the sixth card becomes the first card in its row. In addition to a number from 1 to 104, each card has a point value. After finishing ten rounds, players tally their score and see whether the game ends. (Category 5 ends when a player has a score greater than 74, for example, while 6 nimmt! ends when someone tops 66.) When this happens, the player with the fewest points wins! 6 nimmt! works with 2-10 players, and the dynamics of gameplay change the more players that you have. One variant for the game has you use only the lowest 34 cards, 44 cards, 54 cards, etc. (instead of all 104 cards) when you have three, four, five, etc. players. This change allows you to know exactly which cards are in play, thereby allowing you to track which cards have been played and know what to expect so that you can (theoretically) make better choices as to which card to play when.
Take 5 supports 2–10 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 Take 5 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 Take 5 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.
Take 5 has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Take 5 belongs to these categories: Card Game, Number, and Party Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Push Your Luck, 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 Take 5 are: Wolfgang Kramer. 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 Take 5 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.