Our Verdict
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
If you love strategy with a dash of humor, Rats of Wistar will surprise you.
Highlights
- Engaging tableau building
- Dynamic hand management
- Events that shift the game
Keep in mind
- Requires attention to turn order
- Variable setup can be confusing
Rules manual not indexed yet
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About the game
What you do in a play session
Rats of Wistar is a strategy game where you play one of four rats that escaped a lab and now must lead the colony to freedom. Each game is split into five rounds, matching five days of survival, and the goal is to rack up victory points by building beds, excavating new areas, inventing gadgets from discarded human artifacts, completing farm missions, and recruiting rats and mice to join the family. Hand management forces you to decide when to play your cards, while worker placement lets you deploy rats across the farm to maximize resources. Turn order is claimed at the start of each round, giving a strategic edge to whoever can act first. Random events pop up, altering the landscape and demanding quick adaptation. Variable setup ensures each game feels fresh with new challenges. The game shines with its fun anthropomorphic rat theme, evolving tableau building as you expand your burrow, and the option to play online via Board Game Arena. If you enjoy construction, resource management, and stories with charismatic animal characters, Rats of Wistar will hook you from start to finish.
The standout component is building a real underground home, with beds, excavation rooms, and gadget inventors, all while dealing with the pressure of unexpected events. Scoring is straightforward: whoever has the most points wins, and in a tie, turn order decides the champion. So planning who gets where in the action queue can be decisive. In short, a game that blends fun, strategy, and a dash of animal humor, perfect for those looking for something light yet tactically demanding.
The standout component is building a real underground home, with beds, excavation rooms, and gadget inventors, all while dealing with the pressure of unexpected events. Scoring is straightforward: whoever has the most points wins, and in a tie, turn order decides the champion. So planning who gets where in the action queue can be decisive. In short, a game that blends fun, strategy, and a dash of animal humor, perfect for those looking for something light yet tactically demanding.
Expansions
Published additional content
Gallery
Box and component photos
Tap any photo to open fullscreen. Photos submitted by the community or publisher.
Rules videos
Learn by watching before you open the box
Best player count
BGG community vote
1
REC
2
REC
3
BEST
4
REC
Soundtrack
Ambience suggested by Melodice
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Mechanics, categories, families and credits
Mechanics
Categories
Families
Publisher
Cranio Creations, Capstone Games, CrowD Games, DSV Games, Game Harbor, Grok Games, HIT Games, Intrafin Games, Maldito Games, PD-Verlag, Portal Games, TLAMA games
Designer
Danilo Sabia, Simone Luciani
Artist
Candida Corsi, Sara Valentino
Community
Data from BoardGameGeek
6,688owners
2,122wishlist
253want to play
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers before you buy
How many players can play?
1 to 4 players.
What is the playtime?
About 90 minutes.
What is the game complexity?
Medium, ideal for players familiar with hand management and worker placement.
What are the main components?
Board, action cards, worker tokens, bed and excavation pieces, and invention tokens.
Is there a digital version?
Yes, available on Board Game Arena.
Is it suitable for kids?
Yes, but the complexity may need adult supervision.
How is victory determined?
The player with the most victory points after 5 rounds wins; ties are broken by turn order.
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