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Villagers & Villains

Villagers & Villains

Studio 9 Incorporated · 2011
2–530 min9+ yrs1.8/5 complexity6.6 BGG#9.118 BGG651Family
short answer

How do you play Villagers & Villains?

Theme: "In the untamed wild, villains lurk in wait, terrors haunt dark lairs, tradesfolk seek riches, and heroes come to prove their valor." As the mayor of a frontier town, you stand in the center, eyeing the roads for talent and trouble.

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Villagers & Villains box art
official art · Studio 9 Incorporated

Theme: "In the untamed wild, villains lurk in wait, terrors haunt dark lairs, tradesfolk seek riches, and heroes come to prove their valor." As the mayor of a frontier town, you stand in the center, eyeing the roads for talent and trouble. Will you take on challenges or hire help, develop your town or command its heroes? Your strategies, risks, and fortune can transform your village into a thriving city or forgotten ruins.

Overview: Villagers and Villains is a card game with over 100 unique cards. The game is played over several rounds. Each round has 6 distinct Phases. During each Phase, all players (Mayors) have a chance to take specific actions. The Mayor who builds the most successful village wins.

Game play: Villagers and Villains is a building game. In the 1st phase players recruit cards from a common pool neutral to all players. 4 classes of cards could appear in the pool: Challenges, citizens, buildings, and heroes. Each card has different game play applications and different effects on end scoring. In the 2nd phase each player has a chance to defend their town from challenges. In the 3rd phase challenges loot towns left unprotected. The 4th phase is when each town earns money. In the 5th phase money can be spent to expand a town by hiring heroes and citizens or creating buildings. The final phase resets the board for a new round of phases. The starting player changes and rounds continue until a town reaches a fixed size. At that time the game is scored.

Goal: In the end each town is scored based on a variety of facets and features. Players have to assess which facet will score the most points as the game is played--and circumstances dictate.

Features: The game ships with a basic and advanced version for experienced and novice gamers and special 2-player game rules. In the advanced game players gain access to the king's favor, special card powers, and pairing options for final scoring. In addition, the home site offers a variety of rules variations for added game play. While chance plays a part in the game (via a die-roll for certain elements) choices in recruiting, and how to use town's abilities and resources play a large role.

The game includes: 100 different playing cards (challenges, citizens, heroes, buildings) 10 starting cards (5 citizens, 5 angry mobs) 5 player aid cards a die 1 kings favor token 1 start marker 1 score pad 2 punch-out sheets of gold coin tokens rules sheet.

🔬 game anatomy
Complexity1.8 / 5
BGG rating6.6 / 10
Vibe
Family
Language dependence
Extensive text — heavy translation needed
Play time
30 min
Players
2–5
Recommended age
9+ yrs
BGG rank
#9.118

from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does Villagers & Villains cost?
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Q2Where can I buy Villagers & Villains cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play Villagers & Villains?
Villagers & Villains is a card game game, for 2–5 players, taking ~30 minutes, featuring dice rolling. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Villagers & Villains — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does Villagers & Villains support?
Villagers & Villains is played by 2–5 players.
Q5How long does a game of Villagers & Villains take?
A game of Villagers & Villains takes about 30 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is Villagers & Villains for?
Villagers & Villains is recommended from age 9.
Q7How complex is Villagers & Villains?
Villagers & Villains has a BoardGameGeek complexity of 1.8 out of 5.
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