
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,087
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Tribune: Primus Inter Pares
- 2–5 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2007

2021
Rules assistance for Tribune
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Tribune is a board game released in 2021 for 2–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Karl-Heinz Schmiel and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Auction / Bidding.
In ancient Rome, tribunes were highly esteemed individuals elected by the people to represent them politically and militarily. In Tribune, players take on the role of a powerful and ambitious patrician family. By applying influence and manipulating controls over the various factions, they attempt to pave their way to victory in order to attain the high office of the tribune. In more detail, Tribune is a combination of worker placement and set collection. Each round, players take turns positioning their followers on the board to collect cards, achieve objectives, and attempt to take over factions. To gain control of a faction and use its benefits, you must play a set of at least two cards from that specific group. You remain in command of that faction until an opponent plays another set of this faction that either contains more cards or has a higher sum of values. As soon as a player meets the required number of objectives on the victory condition card selected at the start of the game (with that card being dependent on the number of players), that player wins the game. Alternatively, you can forgo the use of a condition card and play with a point-value option; in this variant, the game ends when a player has collected a certain number of faction markers, and whoever has the most points at this time — based on the completion of various achievements — wins. This edition of Tribune includes the Tribune: Primus Inter Pares base game and Tribune Expansion while featuring new mechanisms and elements from designer Karl-Heinz Schmiel.
Tribune 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 Tribune 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 Tribune 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.
Tribune has a complexity rating of 3.1 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.
Tribune belongs to these categories: Political and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Auction / Bidding. 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 Tribune are: Karl-Heinz Schmiel. 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 Tribune 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.