
- BGG rank
- BGG #27,845
- BGG rating
- 5.4
Dead Money
- 3–6 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.4/5
- 2006

2000
Rules assistance for The Great Brain Robbery
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 3 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Great Brain Robbery is a board game released in 2000 for 3–7 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by James Ernest and its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move and Campaign / Battle Card Driven.
Welcome to the Old West, Zombie style. The undead line cooks at Friedey's Chuck Wagon are fed up with having only one Brain to pass around. So they've decided to take matters into their own hands and rob a speeding train full of Brains. They'll bring home the best Brain they can find, and then pass that around instead. Hey, no-one said it was a good plan. This is the fourth game in the Friedey's series, and the first Cheapass board game to come in a sturdy cardboard box. The "board" is composed of eight double-sided Train Cars, and the Train grows and shrinks throughout the game. New cars appear in the front as players move forward, and old cars fall off the back, well, sort of randomly. To win the game, you need to find the Brain with the highest IQ before the Train comes to a stop, and defend it from all the other Zombies who'd rather beat you up than find a better Brain on their own. A splendid and imaginative adventure for 3-7 players, illustrated as always by lovable Zombie artist Brian Snoddy.
The Great Brain Robbery supports 3–7 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 Great Brain Robbery is 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 Great Brain Robbery 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 Great Brain Robbery 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 Great Brain Robbery belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Fighting. Its main mechanics are Roll / Spin and Move and Campaign / Battle Card Driven. 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 Great Brain Robbery are: James Ernest. 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 Great Brain Robbery 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.