- BGG rank
- BGG #4,101
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Seers Catalog
- 2–5 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,880
- BGG rating
- 6.6
The Great Dalmuti
1995
Rules assistance for The Great Dalmuti
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 4–8 players
- 60 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.3/5
For 4 players
Rules assistant for The Great Dalmuti
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Great Dalmuti is a board game released in 1995 for 4–8 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Richard Garfield and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Ladder Climbing.
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About the game
A light card game where players gain status by going out first. The 80-card commercial deck contains cards ranked from 12 to 1, along with two Jesters. Each card bears a number, which is not only its rank, but also tells you how many of that card exist in the deck. In other words, there are twelve 12s, eleven 11s, four 4s and a single card ranked 1. The lower the number, the better the rank. The deck is dealt out to all players and the object is to get rid of your cards as fast as possible. The hand begins with one person playing one or more card to the center of the table. The cards played must all be of the same rank (although Jesters are wild, and may be played with any other cards). Each player in turn must now either play the same number of cards of a better rank, or pass. Play continues around the table until everyone has passed; at that point, the cards are cleared and whoever played the last set of cards leads the next round. After everyone has gone out, the players are ranked. For example, the person who first got rid of all his cards becomes The Great Dalmuti. Players change seat position to represent the new hierarchy and begin another round. The Great Dalmuti is generally played for many rounds. It is a commercial version of the traditional playing card game President (based on the Chinese game Zheng Shangyou), which has also been reimagined as: Dilbert: Corporate Shuffle Pyramid Card Scum: The Food Chain Game Deathtrap Dungeon: Card Game
Designers
Publishers
- Devir
- PS-Games
- Enigma (Bergsala Enigma)
- Hasbro
- Korea Boardgames
- AMIGO
- Swan Panasia Co., Ltd.
- 999 Games
- Play Factory
- Lautapelit.fi
- Wizards of the Coast
Questions and answers
The Great Dalmuti supports 4–8 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 Dalmuti 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 Dalmuti 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 Great Dalmuti 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 Dalmuti belongs to these categories: Card Game and Medieval. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Ladder Climbing. 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 Dalmuti are: Richard Garfield. 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 Dalmuti 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.