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Wars of the Roses: Lancaster vs. York
- 2–4 players
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The Primary
2018
Rules assistance for The Primary
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–5 players
- 30–60 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.0/5
Rules assistant for The Primary
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Primary is a board game released in 2018 for 1–5 players, 30–60 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Matt Quock and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Area Majority / Influence.
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About the game
Congratulations on your candidacy in The Primary! Outwit your opponents during a presidential primary election by traveling the country, hosting rallies and fundraisers, advertising, and gaining the favor of powerful Super PACs. Regions across the country will vote during the eleven rounds of the game and you will have to predict your opponents’ strategies in order to earn the most delegates and win the game! Good luck, candidates! How To Play The Primary is played over 11 rounds, each with 4 phases: News, Action, Vote, and Organize. In the News phase, 1 News card is drawn and its effect is applied to the current round. You may be forced to move, get an extra action, or gain influence, etc - be prepared to adjust your strategy! In the Action phase, players select 4 Action cards from their hand and commit them face down in a queue. Will your opponents try to swoop in and steal an election? Will they go all-out in an attempt to win over the Super PAC? Choose wisely! Once all players have committed their 4 Action cards, they take turns executing their actions one card at a time. Bus and Plane cards provide some flexibility and the Positive Ad / Negative Ad cards can be used anywhere! During the Vote phase, 1 or more regions may vote (or none at all - a nice break from the stress of campaigning.) The player with the most influence in the regions voting wins delegates, getting one step closer to victory! The player with the most delegates at the end of the game wins! Description from the publisher
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Mountaintop Games
Questions and answers
The Primary supports 1–5 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 Primary 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 Primary for ages 14 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 Primary 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 Primary belongs to these categories: Political. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Area Majority / Influence. 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 Primary are: Matt Quock. 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 Primary 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.