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The Academy
2023
Rules assistance for The Academy
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–4 players
- 30 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for The Academy
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Academy is a board game released in 2023 for 3–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Manny Dominguez and its main mechanics are Trick-taking.
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About the game
The Academy is no ordinary place. Here you have to prove yourself in mysterious disciplines, above all: in role reversal! In each round of The Academy, players take on a different role, and your goal is to win tricks, complete round goals, and thereby collect awards. In the end, whoever has three awards and "The Ace in the Sleeve" wins. Distribute role cards at random. The roles "Mastermind" and "Team Player" then determine a trump suit and a round rule for the current round. With eight cards in hand, players then start to play. Each role has a special task, the fulfillment of which earns an award at the end of the round. For example, "Captain" and "Team Player" must win more tricks together than "Mastermind", whereas "Mastermind" wants to win at least as many tricks as "Captain" and "Team Player" combined. ("Rebel" has nothing to do with any of that and pursues their own goals.) The Captain leads to the first trick, and other players must follow suit, if possible; otherwise they can play any card, including trump. The winner leads to the next trick, and once all tricks have been played, players receive an award if they have met their role's goal. If no one has won, pass the roles clockwise and start a new round.
Questions and answers
The Academy supports 3–4 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 The Academy 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 The Academy 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.
The Academy 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.
The Academy belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Trick-taking. 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 The Academy are: Manny Dominguez. 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 The Academy 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.