
- BGG rating
- 6.9
The Metagame: Film 101 Expansion
- 2–33 players
- 10 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2015

2011
Rules assistance for The Metagame
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Metagame is a board game released in 2011 for 2–50 players, 10–45 minutes per game, and ages 17 and up. It was designed by Eric Zimmerman, Colleen Macklin, and John Sharp and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Player Judge.
Everybody’s got an opinion. The Metagame gives you a chance to exercise your smartest and most ridiculous opinions on just about everything: music and movies, fine art and fashion, junk food and videogames. It’s a card game where you do what you already love to do with your friends: talk about culture. There’s not just one way to play - The Metagame comes with six unique games. Each one makes use of both types of cards in The Metagame deck: CULTURE CARDS feature a single cultural object or icon, from the Mona Lisa to Ms. Pac-Man. OPINION CARDS say things like “Which feels like first love?” or “Best reminder of our mortality.” Some of the games get you debating, and some are more strategic. Some are best for a handful of players and others are designed for dozens of them. The six games are: Matchmakers: match your culture cards to the right opinion cards History 101: put everything in the right chronological order Debate Club: argue to the critics for your hilarious opinion Head to Head: a fast-paced race to get your cards out first Massively Multiplayer Metagame: for big parties and events Metaquilt: a tricky combination of strategy and discussion You don’t usually find games where players have debates like: Which is more fundamentally misunderstood - Fox News or the rainbow flag? The Metagame covers every possible kind of design, media, and art and helps you see culture in new ways. We’ve played The Metagame at hardcore tabletop game conferences and in dimly lit hipster bars. The Metagame works in just about any social setting - just pick the game variation that suits your group and situation the best. Contents of the 7 game KickStarter: Includes: 200 culture cards featuring civilization's greatest achievements. Like the Mona Lisa. Or Ms. PacMan. 100 opinion cards that say things like “Which feels like first love?” or “Which is a sign of the apocalypse?” 7 unique games to play with 2—50 of your most opinionated family and friends.
The Metagame supports 2–50 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 Metagame is 10–45 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 Metagame for ages 17 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 Metagame has a complexity rating of 1.6 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 Metagame belongs to these categories: Card Game and Party Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Player Judge. 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 Metagame are: Eric Zimmerman, Colleen Macklin, and John Sharp. 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 Metagame 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.