
- BGG rank
- BGG #26,580
- BGG rating
- 5.7
Treasures and Trapdoors
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 1990

1983
Rules assistance for The Dickens Game
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Dickens Game is a board game released in 1983 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Mary Danby and its main mechanics are Set Collection.
Players move from inn to inn, collecting characters to complete the 6 chapters of a Dickens novel. The first player that has a "complete novel" wins the game. The rules state that the designer Mary Danby is a great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Past Times is a chain store of cod repro English history, with games usually produced for them by Oxford Games, but this is a game they've published themselves and the rules are in English, French and Japanese!
The Dickens Game supports 2–4 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 Dickens Game 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 Dickens Game 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 Dickens Game has a complexity rating of 1.7 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 Dickens Game belongs to these categories: Novel-based. Its main mechanics are Set Collection. 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 Dickens Game are: Mary Danby. 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 Dickens Game 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.