
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,575
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Waste Knights: Second Edition
- 1–4 players
- 90–180 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2021

2015
Rules assistance for Waste Knights
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.
Waste Knights is a board game released in 2015 for 2–4 players, 90–240 minutes per game, and ages 16 and up. It was designed by Marek Mydel and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Role Playing.
Waste Knights is a post-apocalyptic game of adventure and combat on the ruins of Australia. Welcome to Australia. The continent has been bought and broken in two by experiments of a powerful corporation Cerbero. Now it kneels divided waiting for the fall. The government is non-existent and so are any laws of men. Desolated wastelands are roamed by mutated beasts, decades-old machines running on corrupted software and degenerate humans who are even more dangerous. In those few pockets of civilization left people are more interested in survival than in progress. Values like compassion and responsibility are scarce – even scarcer are fuel and ammo needed to face new reality. But things are about to change as there are still those who care. Will you muster enough hope to fight for better future? Will you stand tall and shine the beacon of your courage in this darkest of times? The Waste is calling – better be ready to answer… Waste Knights is a post-apocalyptic adventure game for 2-4 players set in dystopian Australia now called the Waste. Each player becomes a hero who travels around the continent fighting monstrous enemies, accomplishing Tasks to acquire new Gear Cards and hoping to gain enough Reputation in order to fulfill the Mission being played. All players share a common goal set by the Mission, but only the quickest and the most cunning will manage to win! Waste Knights features unique rules’ systems. Players need to manage 4 different resources: Fuel, Ammo, Health and Radiation as reaching a certain level in any means almost certain death in the Waste. They move using different Vehicles, face threats shown on Wasteland Cards and explore various locations on a modular, hexagonal map that is formed of 37 hexes. Combat is both deadly and rewarding as players set the range, utilize Combat Cards with different maneuvers and have various melee and ranged weapons at their disposal. Additionally the Waster, the person opposite the active player, controls the game to some extent choosing threats and making combat decisions for enemies. But Waste Knights is not only about fighting and moving. Players progress by accomplishing Tasks – short quests given by inhabitants of the Waste. Some of them require tactical acumen, others are based on Skill tests or getting certain goods. Finally, a unique barter system allows players to trade Gear Cards of different colors as in the post-apocalyptic future there is no currency system whatsoever. Thanks to this some players will win by strength while others by brains – and all will have a good time playing!
Waste Knights supports 2–4 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 Waste Knights is 90–240 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 Waste Knights for ages 16 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.
Waste Knights has a complexity rating of 3.6 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.
Waste Knights belongs to these categories: Exploration, Adventure, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, and Role Playing. 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 Waste Knights are: Marek Mydel. 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 Waste Knights 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.