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Shark Attacks!
- 2–6 players
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- 2012
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The Rats in the Walls
2013
Rules assistance for The Rats in the Walls
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–6 players
- 30 min
- 12+
- Complexity 1.0/5
Rules assistant for The Rats in the Walls
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Rats in the Walls is a board game released in 2013 for 3–6 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Henning Poehl and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling.
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About the game
The Rats in the Walls puts players in the same position as the narrator of the H.P. Lovecraft story of the same name – that is, they don't know whether or not rats truly scamper behind the walls of their residence. In the game, one player is the Giver and starts the round with the dice cup and a single die, which shows one rat on one face, two rats on another face, and no rats on the remaining four faces. The Giver places the die in the cup, shakes the cup, places it face down, then peeks inside. He then claims to hear no rats behind the walls or some number of rats. If he says no rats and the next player – the Receiver – believes him, the Receiver becomes the new Giver, adds a die to the cup, and the game continues; if the Receiver doesn't believe him, then he lifts the cup. If no rats are present, the Receiver loses one "brain" scoring token to the Giver; clearly he's touched in the head if he's hearing rats where none exist. If rats are present, however, then the Giver loses two brains, giving one of them to the Receiver. The Caller's an even worse case! If the Giver claims that rats are present, he must pay one brain, then the Receiver taking the cup can call him (with penalties going one way or the other) or he can believe the Giver, handing over one brain to the Giver as the sanity cost of accepting such nonsense. The Receiver can then either pass the cup along to the next person or he can add a die to the cup, shake all the dice, and make another claim about the number of mice in the walls, with this number being at least one larger than the previous number. In this case, the Receiver becomes the Giver, and the round continues as before. Once one player has lost all of his brains, the game ends, and the player with the most brains wins.
Questions and answers
The Rats in the Walls supports 3–6 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 Rats in the Walls is 30 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 Rats in the Walls 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 Rats in the Walls has a complexity rating of 1.0 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 Rats in the Walls belongs to these categories: Dice and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling. 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 Rats in the Walls are: Henning Poehl. 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 Rats in the Walls 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.