Tales of the Borrowers
2017
BGG Average Rating
4.0
community average
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Players
2-4
Weight
2.00/5.00
⚙️ Game Mechanics
How this game works - core systems and player actions
📂 Categories
🏢 Publishers
📖 About This Game
A card game based on the Borrowers, the tiny people that live hidden in our houses and borrow only what they need.
Players share a common deck comprising 10 cards of each of 7 card types: Places, Threats, Escapes, Friends, Foods, Objects, and Tools. Players start with a hand of 7 cards.
Players take turns with each turn comprising 3 phases:
1. Draw Phase
- Draw Cards from the deck to fill your hand to 7 cards.
2. Action Phase
- You may discard 1 card for its effect:
• Places = Discard 1 more card and draw 2 cards
• Threats = Opponent discards 1 random card from hand
• Escapes = Steal 1 random card from an opponent’s hand
• Friends = Give this card to opponent and draw 2 cards
• Foods = Draw 1 card
• Objects = Put any card from the discard into your hand
• Tools = Discard hand and draw 7 new cards
3. Meld Phase
- You may make a meld of 7 cards of one of the following 10 types:
• Borrower’s Feast: 3 Friends + 4 Foods
• Dangerous Journey: 3 Places + 2 Escape + 2 Threats
• Monty Haul: 3 Objects + 2 Tools + 2 Foods
• Friendly Visit: 2 Friends + 3 Places + 2 Escapes
• Great Adventure: 1 of each Type
• Tricks of the Trade: 3 Tools + 4 Escapes
• Home and Hearth: 4 Objects + 3 Foods
• Full House: 4 Friends + 3 Objects
• A Big Scary World: 4 Threats + 3 Places
• Weapons of Choice: 4 Tools + 3 Threats
- You cannot make a meld of a type already made this game.
- If you complete a meld discard your hand and draw 7 new cards.
- If you don’t have a meld, you must discard your hand down to 6 cards.
The winner is the first player to complete 3 melds.