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Mountain Goats: Legacy
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White Elephant
2021
Rules assistance for White Elephant
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–8 players
- 20–30 min
- 8+
Rules assistant for White Elephant
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
White Elephant is a board game released in 2021 for 3–8 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Michael Mihealsick and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Trading, and Open Drafting.
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About the game
White Elephant is a gift exchange card game, and as might be expected for anyone familiar with a "white elephant" exchange, the gifts are terrible — except if you can complete a collection of them, that is. Each gift is a suit of cards numbered 0-10, and you want the lowest score possible. You collect cards by choosing them from the "gift exchange" in the center of the table or by trading for cards already taken. If you trade, you must place a trade chip in the center of the table, with this chip going to the player who chooses to take all remaining cards from the gift exchange. The round ends once each player has cards in front of them. Aside from having low numbers, you can lower your score by having a collection of gifts as then each gift in the collection has a value of 1 instead of its indicated value. A collection, however, is determined by having a majority of cards in the set, so if others steal cards from you, they might also knock you out of contention for a collection...
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Atheris Games
Questions and answers
White Elephant supports 3–8 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 White Elephant is 20–30 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 White Elephant 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.
White Elephant belongs to these categories: Card Game, Animals, and Party Game. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Trading, and Open Drafting. 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 White Elephant are: Michael Mihealsick. 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 White Elephant 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.