Bored Game Company's Indian BraveRats (BRIN01), the box our link goes toPhoto: Bored Game Company
Two clans of nine cardsPhoto: Bored Game Company
Cards and victory tokensPhoto: Bored Game Company
Win four rounds, collect four crowns (Blue Orange's edition shown)Photo: Blue Orange
Video

Card game

BraveRats

A five-minute rat duel of bluff and second-guessing for two

2players · best with 2
5–15 minplaying time
7+recommended age
Learning curve
Easy2 / 5
EasyDemanding
Luck & skill
Luck and skill
LuckSkill
Interaction
High
Set-up
Under a minute
Reading
Little

The quick verdict

Full verdict ↓

Great for Couples, siblings and two friends who want a quick head-to-head game after dinner

Think twice if You usually have three or more players: BraveRats is strictly for two

How we rate it

Learning curve. Each round is just 'pick a card, reveal', but the nine powers interact (the Musician against the Wizard, the Assassin against the Prince), so new players check the rules now and then. That puts it with Love Letter at 2 on our scale.

Luck & skill. There is no deck to draw from, so both players start with the same cards. The luck lies in guessing what your opponent will play; reading their habits and counting what they have left is where skill comes in.

Interaction. Every round is a head-to-head clash, and the whole game is about predicting the other player.

Set-up. Each player takes the nine cards of one colour and the crown tokens go in the middle. Nothing to shuffle or deal.

Reading. Each card carries one short line of English describing its power; once players know the nine cards, no reading is needed.

Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.

Is BraveRats right for you?

Great if

  • Couples, siblings and two friends who want a quick head-to-head game after dinner
  • Travel and small tables: a small box of cards that needs very little space
  • Fans of Love Letter who want the same designer's two-player duel
  • Children from about 7 who can read a short line of card text or learn the nine cards by heart

Skip it if

  • You usually have three or more players: BraveRats is strictly for two
  • You dislike guessing games, where reading your opponent matters more than planning ahead
  • You want a longer, deeper two-player game for a whole evening

How BraveRats plays

Each player takes one clan of rats: the blue Yargs or the red Applewoods. Both clans have the same nine cards: eight rats numbered 0 to 7, each with a special power printed on it, and the Mime, a card added in Blue Orange's later edition. Put the crown tokens between you. There is no board, no shuffling and no dealing, so you start at once.

  • Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
  • Reading and language: Each card has a number and a one-line power printed in English. Once you know the nine cards you hardly need to read, so a child who can't read yet can learn them with a parent. Only the person teaching needs to read the rulebook.

How to play - BraveRats - A quick and easy 2player game · Bored Game Company · Official

Choose a video · Watch right here

If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.

A turn, step by step

  1. 1
    Choose

    Both players secretly pick one rat card from their hand and lay it face down.

  2. 2
    Reveal

    Flip both cards together. The higher number wins the round and a crown, unless a card's power changes the result; a tie puts the round on hold.

  3. 3
    Win

    The first to win four rounds wins. If your Princess meets the other player's Prince, you win the whole game at once.

Read the official rules (PDF)BraveRats rules (English) · English
The full explanation: how a game of BraveRats goes

A round is simple. Both players secretly choose one card from their hand, lay it face down, and flip together. The higher number wins the round and takes a crown, unless a power changes the result. Played cards stay on the table, so you can both see what has been used and work out what the other player still holds. If the numbers are equal, the round is put on hold and the winner of the next round takes it as well.

The powers are what make it a battle of wits. The Prince (7) beats almost everything, but if your opponent answers it with the Princess (1), they win the whole game on the spot. The Musician (0) puts the round on hold, the Spy (2) makes your opponent reveal first next round, the Assassin (3) makes the lower number win, the Ambassador (4) counts as two wins, the Wizard (5) cancels the other card's power and the General (6) adds 2 to your next card. The Mime copies the card your opponent played in the round before.

The first player to win four rounds wins the game. If both of you run out of cards first, it is a draw and you play again. A game takes about five minutes, so most pairs play best of three, which the rulebook calls the Emperor variant.

The rulebook has more variants for later: Fast Rat (first to three wins), Lucky Draw (draw three cards and choose one), a Draft and a Random Deal that mix the two clans, and Princess Attack, where one player starts with both Princes. A tip: keep an eye on which big cards your opponent has already spent, because the end of the game often comes down to the last two or three cards.

What's in the box

Two clans of nine cards · Photo: Bored Game Company
  • 18Rat cards
    two clans, blue and red, with nine cards each: rats numbered 0 to 7 plus the Mime
  • 7Victory tokens
    crown tokens for counting the rounds you win
  • 2Result cards
    reference cards for what happens when two powers meet
  • 2Rulebook

Box: 0.11 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.

From the back of Bored Game Company's Indian box (read by Claude on the maker's photo): 18 cards, 7 victory tokens, 2 result cards and 2 rulebooks. Blue Orange's current edition has the same 18 cards, nine per clan including the Mime; its first English box, from 2014, had 16 cards and no tokens.

Where to buy

Check price on Amazon.in
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.

About the editions

Bored Game Company publishes BraveRats in India and says it gave the game a fresh look for its Indian edition; its photo of the box back shows a Made in India line. It is the same game as Blue Orange's current edition, with nine cards per clan and tokens for keeping score. Blue Orange's US arm has discontinued the game and its own box now comes from its European side, so the Indian edition is the one to buy here. Our Amazon.in link goes to Bored Game Company's edition.

Before you choose

  • The box should carry the BraveRats name and Bored Game Company's name, with Seiji Kanai credited as designer and Christophe Swal as illustrator
  • Inside: 18 cards in two colours, blue and red, nine per clan (numbers 0 to 7 plus the Mime), crown-shaped victory tokens and a rulebook
  • The back of Bored Game Company's box prints Made in India
  • On Amazon.in, check that the listing names the maker and links Bored Game Company's brand store
  • Older Blue Orange boxes have only 16 cards and no tokens; they are the real game, just an earlier edition

What reviewers and players say

Reviewers see BraveRats as a clever little duel that is over in about five minutes: simple rules, strong art and a real battle of second-guessing, which suits couples, siblings and travel. The flip side is that much depends on predicting your opponent, so it can feel lucky, and a few card powers clash in ways that send you back to the rules. It is often compared with Love Letter from the same designer; one reviewer preferred Love Letter, while an Indian buyer of this edition found BraveRats more strategic because you hold all your cards from the start. That buyer also wished the box protected its tokens better.

What people love

  • Rules that can be taught in a minute or two, and games short enough to play several in a row
  • The mind games: you learn your opponent's habits and try to guess their next card
  • Strong artwork for a small card game, with clear power text on every card
  • Small enough to carry for travel and quick breaks

Common complaints

  • Results depend heavily on guessing what the other player will do, so it can feel lucky
  • Some powers contradict each other, so new players need the results table in the rulebook
  • One buyer of the Indian edition found the parts loose in the box, with some crown tokens bent, and the power guide card printed too small
5 research sources

Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.

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Play time5–15 min15–30 min30 min15–45 min
Age7+10+10+10+
RulesEasyEasyEasyEasy
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Questions people ask about BraveRats

Can more than two people play BraveRats?

No. BraveRats is built for exactly two players, one for each clan of rats. For a group, Love Letter by the same designer plays 2 to 6. With more people around, two can play a best-of-three while the others wait for the winner.

Is BraveRats like Love Letter?

Both come from Seiji Kanai and both use numbered characters with special powers, so fans of one usually enjoy the other. In BraveRats both players hold all their cards from the start and play them at the same time, which makes it a duel of second-guessing. Love Letter has a shared deck, more players and knocks players out of each round.

What age is BraveRats for?

Blue Orange's current rulebook and Bored Game Company both say 7 and up. The card powers are short lines of English text, so younger children can join in once a parent has helped them learn the nine cards.

What is the Mime card in BraveRats?

The Mime is a ninth card in each clan, added in Blue Orange's later edition. It copies the card your opponent played in the round before; played in the very first round, it simply counts as a 5 with no power. Bored Game Company's photos of its Indian cards appear to include it.

Is BraveRats made in India?

Yes. The back of Bored Game Company's box says Made in India. The game itself was designed in Japan by Seiji Kanai and published in English by Blue Orange, whose logo is on the Indian box too.

Game facts

Designed by
Seiji Kanai
Publisher
Blue Orange (first published in Japan as R); Indian edition by Bored Game Company
In India
Bored Game Company (Pune), which publishes its own Indian edition of BraveRats
First published
2011
Players
2
Barcode
8908016390042
Language
Little reading – Each card has a number and a one-line power printed in English. Once you know the nine cards you hardly need to read, so a child who can't read yet can learn them with a parent. Only the person teaching needs to read the rulebook.
Box size and weight
0.11 kg
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.

Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.