
- BGG rank
- BGG #28,680
- BGG rating
- 4.8
Igor: The Life of the Party
- 3–8 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 1.4/5
- 2008

1968
Rules assistance for Top Trumps
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Top Trumps is a board game released in 1968 for 2–6 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. Its main mechanics are Memory, Rock-Paper-Scissors, and Trick-taking.
Top Trumps has been a popular card game in the United Kingdom since the seventies. There are many different card decks based on different subjects, e.g cars, planes, films, military jets, or TV shows. The decks are also available in the USA. Each pack of Top Trumps consists of a number of cards (usually 30 or 32), each of which features an item or character related to the subject of the deck; each card has a picture, some numerical statistics, and possibly some additional text. The pack is the size of an ordinary pack of cards so is readily portable. Deal out all the cards face down to the players. Each player holds their cards face up but may only look at their top card. The player to go first chooses the a statistic (usually a high one) from their top card, e.g. "Top Speed 252mph". All other players read out the same statistic. Whoever has the best or highest value wins and places all the top cards including their own to the bottom of their pile. They then choose the statistic for the next round. During a round, if 2 or more cards tie or no data is available for that particular statistic then all the cards are placed to one side and the same player chooses again from their next card. The winner of the hand also takes the cards that were placed to one side. The first player to win all the cards is the winner of the game. Familiarity with the deck is useful since the player will know which statistics are high (and, particularly, which cards have the absolute highest value for a given statistic). This game is sometimes paired in the same deck with The Game of Authors a.k.a. Quartets.
Top Trumps supports 2–6 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 Top Trumps is 20 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 Top Trumps for ages 6 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.
Top Trumps has a complexity rating of 1.1 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.
Top Trumps belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Humor. Its main mechanics are Memory, Rock-Paper-Scissors, and Trick-taking. 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 catalogue lists Top Trumps 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.