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The Picrocholine Wars
2011
Rules assistance for The Picrocholine Wars
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 90 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.1/5
Rules assistant for The Picrocholine Wars
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Picrocholine Wars is a board game released in 2011 for 2 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Nicolas Rident and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid.
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About the game
The story of the Picrocholine Wars is one of the most well-known passages of the novel Gargantua, written by François Rabelais in 1534. Using a brawl between shepherds and millers as a pretext, Picrochole, King of Lerne, declared war on Gargantua's father, Grandgousier. A model of the enlightened monarch of the Renaissance, Grandgousier attempted to avert war by all means. But Picrochole, taking this as a sign of Grandgousier's weakness, invaded his neighbor's kingdom. Grandgousier calls upon his son, and Gargantua, at the head of an army of his loyal companions, inflicts a humiliating defeat on Picrochole, who flees on the back of a donkey. The Picrocholine Wars simulates this celebrated episode of French literature through a fun and simple wargame. Players will find and discover in this game all of the events that gave the novel parodying the chivalric tomes of the era its charms: the giant Gargantua, of course, and his friends Gymnast and Frère Jean, but also the cheating Picrochole and his lieutenants. Though it has its "rabelaisien" side, The Picrocholine Wars is a balanced game in which each camp has its own distinct strengths and during which players will have to adopt the role of both the attacker and the defender. The Picrocholine Wars combines gaming pleasure with culture and history, and is ideal for initiating new players into wargaming.
Designers
Publishers
- Nuts! Publishing
Questions and answers
The Picrocholine Wars supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for The Picrocholine Wars is 90 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 Picrocholine Wars for ages 12 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 Picrocholine Wars has a complexity rating of 2.1 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 Picrocholine Wars belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Wargame, and Print & Play. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid. 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 Picrocholine Wars are: Nicolas Rident. 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 Picrocholine Wars 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.