Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
The original version of Pecking Order is played with standard cards - one suit for each player and another to represent 13 perches.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Read the full game description
The original version of Pecking Order is played with standard cards - one suit for each player and another to represent 13 perches. Players take turns playing a card at a perch; if a card is played where there is an opposing card, the lower card is discarded, with ties going to the defender. Only one of the cards is revealed - if the defender is already revealed the attacker remains hidden, otherwise the attacker is revealed. The only other rule is that the ace beats the king but is otherwise low. The player controlling the greatest total value of perches wins the game. The boxed versions of the game have a number of changes: Players have cards numbered 1-12 and a jaguar, which has special rules There are only ten perches, three of which have special rules The defending card is always revealed A game consists of four rounds