Brandon the Brave

Official Rules

The official rules are available here. They are well explained including helpful illustrations.

Enhanced Rules

See our Custom Rules section for ideas on how to improve gameplay.

How many players?

• Playable with 2 - 4
• Best with 2 - 4

What ages can play?

• Playable for ages 2 to Adult
• Best for ages 2 to 7
  
  2 year olds will be able to play this because it's fundamentally a matching game. However, there is also some strategy that should allow kids to stay interested up to around 7.

Can different skill levels or ages play together?

Most kids won't fully grasp the elementary strategy in this game until about 4, but this is largely a luck driven game so older kids would not have a big advantage.

How long does it take to play?

5-15 minutes

Will we get bored after a few games or does it have good replayability?

For the correct age range, this game is quite replayable.

Setup/Cleanup

How much work is it?
This game takes a few minutes to setup because the game tiles must all be placed in a pile facedown. It's not complicated at all and takes less time than a game of Memory, but there is some time involved. Cleanup is very simple, just placing everything back in the box.

Would kids be able to do it on their own?
Yes, as long as one of the kids can count to pass out the Task Cards.

Will parents have fun too...

...when playing with the kids?
Parents will find this more enjoyable than most games a 2 or 3 year old could play.

...without the kids?
No, this would be much too simple.

What skills will this game help develop?

Matching (Pattern/Color Recognition)
The fundamental mechanic of this game is matching though it's not as simplistic as a game like Memory. Players must make sure that all sides of the field tile they are placing match all adjacent tiles. This means kids will sometimes needs to match two sides of the triangular tile to place it properly. This is a good step up from other more simple matching games.

Strategy Introduction
While this does not have a strong strategic element to gameplay, it seems to be just enough to begin introducing these concepts to young kids.

Motor Skills
For very young kids of 2 to 3 years old, placing the tiles properly is a good exercise of fine motor skills.

But will my kids actually have fun playing it?

Yes, the game is fast paced and fun.

Simplify gameplay for very young kids

Only require young kids to match one side of the field tile
If very young kids (2 - 3 years old) are playing, it may be best to only require they match one side of a field tile. This may affect gameplay for others slightly as it could block some spots for placing tasks, but this should not be a big problem. It should also be apparent when a child begins to understand the official rule, so this may not be required for long.

Do you use custom rules we haven't thought of? If you have found some other ways to customize the rules, please share them with us through our Contact page. We're always interested in new ways to improve gameplay.

If you like this game, we suggest these others

• Monza
• Roll & Play
• Monkey Beach

Or check out our full list of Reviews where you can sort by any of these categories

• Our Ratings
• Number of Players
• Playing Time
• Competitive vs Cooperative
• Educational Skills