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- BGG rank
- BGG #18,509
- BGG rating
- 6.8
The Big Five
2023
Rules assistance for The Big Five
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 45–60 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for The Big Five
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Big Five is a board game released in 2023 for 2–5 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Robert Brouwer and Arjan van Houwelingen and its main mechanics are Area Movement, Dice Rolling, and Cooperative Game.
About the game
Have you always dreamed of going on safari? Now you can be the guide yourself! You drive tourists around the park in search of beautiful landscapes and beautiful views, but especially to spot the Big Five! It is your job, together with the other guides, to find all the animals. But watch out! Setbacks are coming your way: forest fires that drive away the animals, severe thunderstorms, extreme heat, a flat tire, a herd of hippos in the middle of the road and too little fuel or food are all factors that make it difficult to find the animals. Each guide has their own qualities. Help each other to find all the animals. Can you manage to spot all five animals? Then you have won this game! The Big Five is a cooperative Eurogame. Players ride around the board with a number of actions to spot all 5 animals. In the meantime, forest fires and other problems trouble the players and they need to solve them before all animals leave the area and all players lose the game. When all players have spotted all 5 animals, they win the game. —description from the publisher
Designers
Publishers
- MNKY Entertainment
Questions and answers
The Big Five supports 2–5 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 Big Five is 45–60 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 Big Five 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.
The Big Five 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 Big Five belongs to these categories: Animals, Dice, and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Area Movement, Dice Rolling, and Cooperative Game. 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 Big Five are: Robert Brouwer and Arjan van Houwelingen. 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 Big Five 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.