Cover of the game Rats of Wistar

Rats of Wistar

Cranio Creations, Capstone Games, CrowD Games · Board game · 2023
Ludopedia
8.4 Ludopedia
BoardGameGeek
7.5 BoardGameGeek
Players
1–4 · best 3
Players
Solo
Play Time
90 min
Weight
Weight 3.4/5
Year
Year 2023
Minimum age
Minimum age 13+
Buy
8.4 rating Ludopedia
7.5 rating BoardGameGeek
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 Upload the PDF rulebook to ask questions about this game with AI.

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.

Expansions

Published additional content

2 items

Rules videos

Learn by watching before you open the box

5 videos

Best player count

BGG community vote

1–4 players
1 REC
2 REC
3 BEST
4 REC

Soundtrack

Ambience suggested by Melodice

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Where to Buy

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Game details

Mechanics, categories, families and credits

Categories

Families

Animals: Rats Digital Implementations: Board Game Arena Mechanism: Tableau Building Theme: Anthropomorphic Animals
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

6,806owners
2,126wishlist
256want to play

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers before you buy

7 questions
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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