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The Big Score
- 1–6 players
- 30–60 min
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- 2018
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The Perfect Wave
2023
Rules assistance for The Perfect Wave
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30–60 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for The Perfect Wave
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Perfect Wave is a board game released in 2023 for 2–4 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Chase Williams and Jason Mowery and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and End Game Bonuses.
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About the game
Grab your board, paddle out, and try to put together the most impressive sequence of tricks on some of the most iconic waves in the world. Show your skills better than your rivals, and you’ll ride the perfect wave to victory! The Perfect Wave presents a very fun and unique challenge. You’ll need to successfully create a wave by drafting Wave cards to construct a sequence, earning points for runs and sets of numbers. Play Trick cards to show off and score bonuses. But you’ll also need to simultaneously focus on paddling far enough out in the water to actually catch, surf, and score the very wave you're creating! And here’s the twist...the more time spent creating your wave, the less you’ll be able to paddle out...and the more you paddle out, the trickier it becomes to create your wave! You’ll need careful planning and expert timing to balance these goals and win the game! The Perfect Wave was the winner of the 2021 Cardboard Edison Award.
Questions and answers
The Perfect Wave 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 Perfect Wave is 30–60 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 Perfect Wave 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 Perfect Wave has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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 Perfect Wave belongs to these categories: Card Game and Sports. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and End Game Bonuses. 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 Perfect Wave are: Chase Williams and Jason Mowery. 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 Perfect Wave 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.