
- BGG rating
- 6.0
What the Rule?!: Community Regeln Erweiterung
- 2–10 players
- 2024

2023
Rules assistance for What the Rule?!
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.
What the Rule?! is a board game released in 2023 for 2–10 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Julian Braunwarth and Nils-Lucas Schönfeld and its main mechanics are Pattern Recognition and Induction.
Find the rule! Play your hand cards cleverly to find out which card can be placed according to the secret rule. If you get it right, you will be rewarded with points. Will you be able to uncover the secret rule? Or will you end up thinking, "What the Rule?!". At the beginning of each round, one player makes up a rule and becomes the game master for that round. The other players play their hand cards in turn. When a card matching the rule is played, the player may try to guess the secret rule. When a player reveals the correct rule, the round ends. The next round begins with a new game master and a new rule. The game is played with 144 playing cards, with each card appearing exactly twice in the game. The cards are distinguished by four different characteristics: The shape: "circle", "triangle" or "square". The number of shapes: "1", "2", "3", "4", "5" or "6". The filling of the shapes: "filled" or "unfilled". The color of the card: "white" or "black". A simple rule would be, for example: "Always alternate black and white cards". The game ends after each player has been the game master once. The player with the highest score wins.
What the Rule?! supports 2–10 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 What the Rule?! is 15 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 What the Rule?! 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.
What the Rule?! has a complexity rating of 2.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
What the Rule?! belongs to these categories: Card Game, Deduction, and Puzzle. Its main mechanics are Pattern Recognition and Induction. 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 What the Rule?! are: Julian Braunwarth and Nils-Lucas Schönfeld. 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 What the Rule?! 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.