
- BGG rank
- BGG #9,836
- BGG rating
- 8.3
The Penguin Book of Card Games
- 2 players
- 5 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 1979

2001
Rules assistance for The Gnumies
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Gnumies is a board game released in 2001 for 2–5 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by David Parlett and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Auction / Bidding.
OVERVIEW: The Gnumies & their friends from the planet Gnum love big Parties! They like to see Borsis, Dancemites, Boggelors or Divalettis as guests at their parties. But no one wants the dreaded Wullawakis at his party. The Gnummies & their friends are shown on the Gnumies card, & the guests on the party cards. There are 4 of each party card valued from 1 to 10, & one of each party card valued from 11 to 15. The players try to win the most party cards, worth the most points, by playing their Gnumie cards. If a player has 2 or more party cards of the same value, their value multiplies, (2 of kind gets you 20 points, 3 of a kind 50 points and 4 of a kind 100 points). These of course can only be done with the cards that are valued from 1 to 10. A player who wins a Wullawaki, loses points. Having 1 Wullawaki will force you to lose the lowest valued party card that you have. Having 2 Wullawakis will force you to lose the highest valued party card in his party room. With 3 or more Wullawakis, the player will discard as many party cards as he has Wullawakis, (players choice in this case). Of course, the player with the most points at the end of the game is the WINNER!!! GAME PLAY: 1) Any player turns over the top-most card in the party supply stack. 2) Now each player selects a Gnumie card from his hand (Cards have a value from 10 to 100), and places it face-down in front of him (in his Party Room!). When all players have placed their bids face-down on the table, all players then reveal their bids. 3) The player who played the highest valued bid in his party room wins the face-up party card. 4) If 2 or more players tie with the highest bid, the player who has the the most Luckynits (small figures at the bottom of each Gnumie card), wins the party card. 5) The player who wins the party card must discard the Gnumie card that he won with that bid. 6) The other players take back their losing bid party cards. The round is now over and we repeat with Step 1 again. 7) There is a little twist in the bidding when the Wullawaki card (bad card) comes out. The player with the highest Gnumie card still wins the Wullawaki card, but gets to take back his Gnumie card into his hand and the other players lose their Gnumie cards! 8) The is also a "WILD CARD" in this game. It is called the "COPICASTOR". It is a card used to make at least a pair of party cards. The Copicastor takes on the form of the lowest valued party card that the player has in his party room. This insures that a player will have at least a pair of cards and also make the low valued cards somewhat valuable to have, since some people may avoid making a high bid on a low value card. But, if you get this Copicastor it makes that low valued card at least worth 20 points (for a pair). 9) The game ends when 1 player is left with his Gnumie cards. Since, he can't bid against anybody else, he takes the top most party cards as he has Gnumie cards in his hand. 10) Scoring is based on attaining pairs, three-of-a-kind & 4-of-a-kind of the numbered party cards that the players bid on (check the Overview paragraph above). If no pairs are attained, the value of that card is scored. So, if you have two 5-point cards, you score 20 Points for having a pair. But, if you have only one 5-point card you score 5 points! 10) The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!!! Ages 8 and up Re-implements: Asterix: Das Kartenspiel
The Gnumies 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 Gnumies is 20 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 Gnumies 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 Gnumies 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.
The Gnumies belongs to these categories: Card Game and Fantasy. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Auction / Bidding. 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 Gnumies are: David Parlett. 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 Gnumies 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.