- BGG rank
- BGG #1
- BGG rating
- 8.6
Brass: Birmingham
- 2–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.9/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,104
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Undermining
2011
Rules assistance for Undermining
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–5 players
- 45 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.8/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Undermining
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Undermining is a board game released in 2011 for 2–5 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Matt Tolman and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Grid Movement, and Pick-up and Deliver.
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About the game
In Undermining, players dig for resources on an alien world, making the best of the actions available to them to achieve short term goals (such as obtaining particular resources) while upgrading their Universal Mining Vehicles—UMVees—and fulfilling contracts in the long term. To win, you need to earn more "star bucks" than anyone else, and you earn those by completing contracts, upgrading vehicles, finding alien technologies and having resources on hand at the end of the game. Upgrading your UMVee also provides it with special abilities that can come in handy throughout the game. Undermining is a highly interactive game, with player actions sometimes benefiting and sometimes impacting the future actions of others. Competition for resources is important, of course, but using open tunnel spaces to get where you need to go—and blocking those spaces from opponents—is also key. Players can still move through other UMVees, but doing so costs battery power, and managing your batteries—which allow extra actions—is another important aspect of playing well. Undermining comes with a double-sided game board, with player interaction being significantly different from one side to the other. With a random layout of resources, UMVee upgrades, contract variability, and one-off special bonuses from the finding of alien technology, no two games of Undermining are ever the same.
Designers
Publishers
- Z-Man Games
Questions and answers
Undermining supports 2–5 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 Undermining is 45 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 Undermining for ages 8 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.
Undermining has a complexity rating of 1.8 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.
Undermining belongs to these categories: Science Fiction, Transportation, and Space Exploration. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Grid Movement, and Pick-up and Deliver. 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 Undermining are: Matt Tolman. 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 Undermining 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.