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The Blue Lion
2011
Rules assistance for The Blue Lion
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 15 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for The Blue Lion
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Blue Lion is a board game released in 2011 for 2 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Bruno Cathala and Sylvain Duchêne and its main mechanics are Memory and Pattern Building.
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About the game
A valuable diamond – the Blue Lion – is on display at the Louvre and two thieves, Arsène Lupin and Lady X, both want to steal it. The Blue Lion is played using six tiles. Each tile shows an icon on both the front and back: Lupin, Lady X, the Blue Lion diamond, or a police inspector. Each combination of two icons occurs once. One player plays as Lupin, the other as Lady X. During set-up, these tiles are arranged in a row. In turn, the players take one tile and add it to the front or the back of the line, without looking at the back of the tile. After this set-up, the players try to score points by creating special combinations of tiles. Each turn, a player can perform one of three actions to change the line: Switch two adjacent tiles. Move a tile that is on one end of the line to the other end of the line. Flip a tile. If this action results in a scoring combination of three tiles, the player scores points. The combinations are: Sandwiching a tile showing the opponent by two tiles showing police inspectors: 1 point. Sandwiching a tile showing the Blue Lion by two tiles showing the player's character: 2 points. Creating a row of three tiles showing the Blue Lion: 3 points. After a combination has been formed, the middle tile of the combination is removed. The opposing player then adds it to one end of the line, although he cannot score points by doing so. The first player to score seven points wins.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Lifestyle Boardgames Ltd
- Morapiaf
- Jactalea
Questions and answers
The Blue Lion supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for The Blue Lion 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 The Blue Lion 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 Blue Lion has a complexity rating of 1.3 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.
The Blue Lion belongs to these categories: Novel-based. Its main mechanics are Memory and Pattern Building. 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 Blue Lion are: Bruno Cathala and Sylvain Duchêne. 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 Blue Lion 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.