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- BGG rating
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Shiver Me Timbers
- 2–4 players
- 90–150 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2021
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- BGG rating
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Why First?
2015
Rules assistance for Why First?
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 15–25 min
- 7+
- Complexity 1.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Why First?
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Why First? is a board game released in 2015 for 2–6 players, 15–25 minutes per game, and ages 7 and up. It was designed by Simon Havard and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
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About the game
Why First? is a racing game in which players vie to be second in order to win. The game lasts five races, with each race lasting five turns. At the start of each race, players receive a hand of five cards, with each card bearing a value from -4 to +5. The players' pawns start each race on 0 of the racing track. Each turn, players choose a card from their hands and choose which pawn to move with this card, then reveal them simultaneously and move the selected pawns forward or backward based on the cards they played. After five turns, the race ends and the player in second place on the racing track wins, scoring a number of points equal to his position on the race track. All other players score nothing. (If the winner is in the negative portion of the racing track, he loses points instead.) After five races, sum all of the points scored; the player with the second highest total who has won at least one race wins. This revised version of Why First? has new rules, including simultaneous actions by players that cuts down the playing time from the original release.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Pegasus Spiele
- Swan Panasia Co., Ltd.
- Lucrum Games
- Ediciones MasQueOca
- 999 Games
- Alderac Entertainment Group
Questions and answers
Why First? supports 2–6 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 Why First? is 15–25 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 Why First? for ages 7 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.
Why First? has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Why First? belongs to these categories: Racing. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, 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 Why First? are: Simon Havard. 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 Why First? 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.