
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,655
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Jekyll & Hyde vs Scotland Yard
- 2 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2023

2022
Rules assistance for Vaalbara
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.
Vaalbara is a board game released in 2022 for 2–5 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Olivier Cipière and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
Each player plays as a clan leader and has to secretly and wisely play a card from their hand, representing a member of their tribe, to try to take over some territories. Strategy and timing will be crucial for scoring! The player that scores the most points after 9 rounds wins the game. Subcontinent of Vaalbara, Neolithic era. Your tribe sets out to explore uncharted lands in order to establish sedentary villages. Use the various talents of your tribe to optimize your development, expand your territory and enforce your hegemony! All players have the same deck of 12 cards representing the members of their tribe. Each turn, players choose secretly one card. In the order of initiative of the revealed Characters, players will be able to activate their powers and take over one of the available Territories. Each type of Territory has its own way of scoring points (collection, pair, diversity, risk…). Deciding between playing the best powers and high initiatives at the most opportune moment will be difficult. After 9 rounds, the player with the most points wins the game and unites the tribes of the continent under their banner! —description from the publisher
Vaalbara 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 Vaalbara 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 Vaalbara for ages 10 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.
Vaalbara has a complexity rating of 1.7 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.
Vaalbara belongs to these categories: Card Game, Political, and Prehistoric. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Simultaneous Action Selection. 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 Vaalbara are: Olivier Cipière. 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 Vaalbara 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.