
- BGG rank
- BGG #883
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Arkwright
- 1–4 players
- 120–240 min
- Complexity 4.6/5
- 2014

2015
Rules assistance for The Producer: 1940-1944
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Producer: 1940-1944 is a board game released in 2015 for 2–4 players, 90–180 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Manlio Zaninotti and its main mechanics are Simulation and Worker Placement.
Imagine living during America's Depression. You live dreaming the life of a film star — until a telegram announces an unexpected inheritance: two million dollars and the property of a shed on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Will you turn this barren land into the studio of a major film producer — or squander your fortune fading in the golden dust of the California desert like so many others before you? The Producer: 1940-1944 is a board game inspired by the great Hollywood movies. The aim of the game is to score more points by winning awards for actors and film directing, building the structures of their studio, or producing more films of different genres. The player must decide which strategy to follow early in the game based on the script and cast with which depart. The game consists of three or five rounds corresponding to three years. Every year, each player will fish and play in turns six cards event that will simulate the intervention of professionals to improve their own films or sabotage others', or the occurrence of historical facts, such as Pearl Harbor, the invention of the computer, the skirmishes between the Mafia and the FBI. For each card played you will place its own "Producer" (worker) to activate areas on your dashboard (the studios) or different locations on the main scoreboard that represent Hollywood. You can buy scripts, engage the biggest movie star of the time, young players with a great future and legendary directors. At the time of producing each film, it will extract from a pool of tokens representing the potential audience for that year and the choice of which films produce must be made according to specific strategies to meet the latent demand. If the production of the film will procure players the money to expand own activities, the award ceremony at the end of each year will give them the necessary points for the win, making the economic aspect important but not relevant to the final score. At the end of the third year in the base game (or in the case of the fifth game to experts), it will award bonuses and the Reckoning will be to determine the winner. Every aspect of the game: dynamic production, events, characters, scripts, have been played so historical in order to give movie fans a reproduction as faithful as possible of Hollywood of the 1940s. Every script and character shows in addition to game information, rumors, gossip and curiosity that will delight even the players less competitive.
The Producer: 1940-1944 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 Producer: 1940-1944 is 90–180 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 Producer: 1940-1944 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 Producer: 1940-1944 has a complexity rating of 3.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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 Producer: 1940-1944 belongs to these categories: Economic, Movies / TV / Radio theme, and Industry / Manufacturing. Its main mechanics are Simulation and Worker Placement. 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 Producer: 1940-1944 are: Manlio Zaninotti. 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 Producer: 1940-1944 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.