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Rules assistance for The Things
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 5–6 players
- 60 min
- 18+
- Complexity 2.5/5
Rules assistant for The Things
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Things is an expansion for The Thing released in 2010 for 5–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 18 and up. It was designed by Mark Chaplin and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Cooperative Game.
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About the game
This first expansion for The Thing adds cards, a 5th & 6th player, new Encounters, specific Blood Testing of other players, and other ways to expand your adventures in Antarctica circa 1982; cards like: "I ain't going with Windows. I ain't going with him," "And everybody watch whoever you're with - real close," The Thing on the Ceiling, "If you are all these Things then you just attack me right now. So some of you are still human," and " This Thing doesn't want to show itself, it wants to hide inside an imitation." Also, a new mechanism has been added whereby up to 2 Outpost players that have been assimilated, may reveal their alien nature and actively work alongside the original Thing, against the remaining humans. The 5 and 6-player game plays slightly differently, in that the Thing player does not draw 5 or 6 cards per turn - she draws 3 cards, but has 3 new elements with which to thwart and upset the Outpost players: Bad Blood: Each turn, during the Blair-saucer phase, one player (chosen by the El Capitan) must put a card from their hand under the Bad Blood card. Failing to do so makes unpleasant things happen.... Thousand Miles to the Coast Like the Blair-saucer, this is a play-area objective, giving the Thing another path to victory. If the players ignore for too long the lone dog's run for the coast, they may very well find that humanity is in deadly peril of being assimilated. Somebody blew a fuse in the lab: This can be a particularly harrowing encounter for the Outpost players, if they're not ready for it. During this stage of the game, infected-player-Things may have the opportunity to infect another Outpost player, unbeknownst to the others, while the lights are out... Due to the cost of printing the number of cards required for the base 2-4 player game, it was decided to release the additional player cards as a separate card expansion. Most of the cards can be added straight into the decks for 2-4 player games - with only a handful of cards designed specifically for 5-6 player games. Please note: This game is strictly for adults - with profanity and horrific imagery on many of the cards.
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Publishers
- (Self-Published)
Questions and answers
The Things supports 5–6 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 Things is 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 Things for ages 18 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 Things has a complexity rating of 2.5 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 Things belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fighting, and Movies / TV / Radio theme. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Cooperative Game. 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 Things are: Mark Chaplin. 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 Things as an expansion for The Thing. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need The Thing to use it. Check that your edition of The Thing is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.