3–8 players · 20–40 min · Ages 8+
How to play
Bananarchy is simple. The easiest way to learn is by playing.
Quick reference
- Your turn
- Draw a Monkey Card. Play up to one Action Card and any Anytime Cards. Refill to five and pass the Active Player Card.
- Banana values
- Rotten −1 · Unripe 0 · Single 1 · Double 2 · Triple 3
- Card colours
- Action
- Reaction
- Anytime
- Scoring
The goal
Hoard the most bananas by stealing, picking, plucking and bamboozling. The game ends when the last Banana Card is drawn.
One round lasts about 30 minutes. Two rounds suggested.
Set up
- Sit in a circle. Separate the Banana and Monkey Cards. Set aside the Active Player Card.
- Deal each player a one point value “Single Banana” card, face up in front of them.
- Shuffle the remaining Banana Cards and place them with the Rotten side facing up. This is the Banana pile. Leave space for a discard pile. When drawing or discarding Banana Cards, flip them face up (rotten side down).
- Shuffle the Monkey Cards and deal five to each player, face down.
- Place all remaining Monkey Cards face down within easy reach of all players. This is the Monkey pile. Leave space for a discard pile.
- The Active Player Card goes to the player who last ate a real banana. They start first. All players pick up and look at their Monkey Cards.Or, for a faster start: players pick up their hands at the same time. The first to play an Anytime Card becomes the Active Player. Complete the action on the card, then begin the first turn as normal.
On your turn
To play
- The Active Player starts their turn by drawing a Monkey Card.
- The Active Player can choose to play up to 1 Action Card per turn, and as many Anytime Cards as they want. To play a card, the player reads it out loud and places it face up on the Monkey discard pile.
- During the Active Player's turn, other players may play an Anytime Card, which can be played, you got it, anytime. Players may also play a Reaction Card to interrupt a Monkey Card that was just played. Multiple cards played at once? See the questions below.
To end your turn
- The Active Player may end their turn at any time by clearly announcing, “I am ending my turn.”
- The Active Player refills their hand back up to five cards total and passes the Active Player Card clockwise to the next player. It is now their turn.
Special actions
The Active Player may choose one of the following special actions before playing their turn. They do not draw or play any Monkey Cards. Other players cannot play cards during a special action.
Stash a Banana
Save your hard-earned Banana Cards. Stashed Bananas are safe from other players' mischief: they cannot be stolen, smashed and so on.
- Discard your entire hand.
- Choose 1 of your Banana Cards to stash (turn it horizontally to indicate a stash).
- Refill your hand back up to five Monkey Cards and pass the Active Player Card, thus ending your turn.
Discard & Refill
Your hand is not great, mistakes were made… let's reset!
- Select up to five Monkey Cards from your hand and place them in the discard pile.
- Refill your hand back to five Monkey Cards total.
- Pass the Active Player Card to the next player.
Winning and scoring
The game ends immediately when the last Banana Card is drawn from the Banana pile. Monkeys don't work for peanuts, you know? Count up your banana points. The player with the most banana points wins and is crowned Monkey King. All hail the mighty leader!
- Total the points on your Banana Cards.
- Add points from Scoring Cards in hand.
- Subtract points from “Rotten Banana” cards (unless you have the Bake Banana Bread card).
The four Monkey Cards
The colour of the border tells you when you can play it.
Action Cards
Played during your turn, one per turn.
Reaction Cards
Played in reaction to other Monkey Cards.
Anytime Cards
Played during anyone's turn.
Scoring Cards
Adds to your score at the end of the game.
Questions monkeys ask
What happens when the Monkey pile runs out?
Don't sweat bananas, we got you. Just reshuffle the cards in the discard pile for a brand new Monkey pile.
When am I allowed to play Anytime and Reaction Cards?
Any time after the Active Player has drawn their first card, except when the Active Player is Discarding & Refilling or Stashing a Banana.
Can I shield myself?
No, you silly monkey. Sharing is caring, use your shield to defend a friend. What are we? Animals?
What if there's a tie after scoring? What then, smarty-pants?
In a tie, the player with the most Banana Cards wins. If the game is still tied, the player with the fewest Rotten Banana cards wins. Still tied? Too bad. Be more greedy next time.
What happens if multiple cards are played?
Action and Anytime Cards are resolved in turn order, starting with the Active Player. Reaction Cards interrupt and cancel the Monkey Card currently being resolved.
How much time do I have to react to a played Monkey Card?
Monkeys are vocal creatures. All players must read their Monkey Cards aloud at a normal pace before performing the actions. This gives other players time to respond.
Team Play variant
Divide players into teams and work cooperatively to collect the most points. Players should not sit directly beside teammates. Setup, play and score the same as regular play. Scoring Cards are scored for the individual and may not be shared with a teammate. The team with the most points wins.
