Rafter Five
Rafter Five
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Rafter Five is a clever, compact balancing and dexterity board game from Oink Games where players work together to build an increasingly precarious raft — while secretly trying to make life difficult for everyone else.
Using the game box as the foundation, you'll build your raft piece by piece, carefully adding lumber cards, wooden rafters and treasure chests.
But there's a catch.
The bigger the raft gets, the more unstable it becomes.
Place your treasure chest in a safe position and you might be fine. Place it somewhere dangerously close to the edge and you could make your opponents' next turn much more difficult.
Then someone moves a supporting rafter...
CRASH!
The raft collapses, treasure chests go flying and someone has to take the blame.
With simple rules, a tiny footprint and surprisingly tense gameplay, Rafter Five is a brilliant little dexterity game for families, friends and board gamers who enjoy games that are easy to learn but full of suspense.
Why You'll Love Rafter Five
- A fun and surprisingly tense balancing board game.
- Designed by Jun Sasaki and Mashiu.
- Published by Oink Games.
- Build an ever-expanding raft using cards and wooden rafters.
- The game box itself becomes part of the playing area.
- Add treasure chests to your increasingly unstable raft.
- Carefully balance the structure while trying to make things difficult for your opponents.
- A collapse can happen when you least expect it.
- You can deliberately place your own treasure chests in risky positions.
- Knocking your own treasure chests into the sea isn't a penalty.
- Knock other players' treasure chests off and you'll have to keep them.
- Collect five of another player's treasure chests and you're eliminated.
- Simple rules make it accessible to new gamers.
- Great for families and mixed-age groups.
- Around 20 minutes to play.
- Compact enough to play almost anywhere.
- The tiny Oink Games box makes it an excellent travel board game.
- Includes a solo mode.
- Advanced rules add extra challenges involving nails and joints on the lumber cards.
How to Play Rafter Five
Rafter Five is easy to learn, but building the raft without causing a disaster is another matter entirely.
1. Build the Foundation
The clever part starts before you've even taken your first turn.
The game box becomes the foundation of the raft.
Place the box pieces together and set up the starting card and five wooden rafters.
From here, you'll gradually expand your raft outwards.
2. Expand the Raft
On your turn, you'll carefully lift one of the wooden rafters, add a new lumber card to extend the raft and then replace the rafter.
It sounds straightforward.
Until you realise that the entire structure is becoming increasingly precarious.
3. Add Your Treasure
Once you've expanded the raft, place one of your treasure chests somewhere on it.
You could put it somewhere safe.
Or...
you could put it somewhere incredibly awkward.
A precariously positioned treasure chest can become a problem for the next player — especially if moving a rafter causes it to tumble into the sea.
4. Try Not to Cause a Collapse
Every new section makes the raft larger.
Every new treasure chest adds another potential problem.
Every rafter is another point of balance.
Eventually, someone has to make the risky move.
Will the raft hold?
Or will the whole thing come crashing down?
5. Collect Fallen Treasure
If another player's treasure chest falls, you have to take it into your hold.
If you collect five treasure chests belonging to other players, you're eliminated.
Interestingly, your own treasure chests can fall without giving you the same penalty.
That means you can sometimes deliberately put your own treasure in danger to make the raft more unstable for everyone else.
Build Big. Balance Carefully. Don't Let It Collapse.
That's the entire appeal of Rafter Five.
At the beginning of the game, the raft looks manageable.
Then you start extending it.
And extending it.
And extending it.
Soon you're looking at a strange, sprawling structure held together by cards, wooden rafters and a worrying amount of optimism.
One player moves a rafter.
Someone reaches for a treasure chest.
The table goes quiet.
Will it hold?
That tension is what makes Rafter Five so much fun.
Rafter Five Is More Than Just a Balancing Game
Although dexterity is important, there's also a surprisingly clever tactical element.
You aren't simply trying to build the safest raft possible.
You're trying to make things difficult for your opponents.
A treasure chest placed in a precarious position can become a trap for the next player.
If they have to move a supporting rafter, they might send your chest — or somebody else's — straight into the sea.
And because players can deliberately sacrifice their own treasure, there's plenty of room for clever and slightly devious decisions.
Build carefully.
Place your treasure wisely.
And make someone else deal with the consequences.
A Board Game That Uses the Box as the Board
One of the cleverest things about Rafter Five is that you don't need a traditional game board.
The box becomes the foundation.
The raft then grows on top of it as you play.
That makes the game:
- Compact.
- Portable.
- Easy to set up.
- Easy to put away.
- Ideal for small tables.
- Great for holidays and travel.
It's a particularly good example of the clever design philosophy associated with Oink Games, where a surprisingly small box can contain a remarkably engaging game.
Rafter Five for Families
With straightforward rules and a light complexity level, Rafter Five is a great choice for families and mixed-age groups.
You don't need to understand complicated strategies or spend an hour learning the rules.
Instead, everyone can get involved immediately.
The dexterity element also means that younger players can compete with adults on something other than traditional board-game strategy.
And when the raft collapses...
everyone gets to laugh.
The official Oink Games listing gives Rafter Five a recommended age of 7+, while the UK edition listing from Hachette gives 6+, so use the age printed on the specific edition you're selling.
Rafter Five for Adults
Don't be fooled by the simple rules.
Rafter Five can become surprisingly competitive.
The real fun comes from deciding how much risk you're willing to take.
Do you:
Build safely?
Or:
Make the raft as awkward as possible for the next player?
A perfectly balanced raft might be good for everyone.
A slightly unstable raft might give you an advantage.
But push things too far and you could be the person who causes the entire structure to collapse.
That's where the tension comes from.
A Great Alternative to Jenga
If you enjoy Jenga, Rafter Five is well worth trying.
Both games involve:
- Dexterity.
- Balance.
- Increasing tension.
- Carefully moving pieces.
- Trying not to be the person who causes everything to fall down.
But Rafter Five adds a strategic layer.
You're not simply trying to keep the tower standing.
You're building the structure yourself, placing treasure and making decisions that can deliberately affect your opponents.
And unlike Jenga, the structure is built from cards and wooden rafters, creating a very different type of balancing challenge.
Rafter Five as a Travel Game
One of the biggest advantages of Rafter Five is its size.
Oink Games is famous for producing games in compact boxes, and Rafter Five is no exception.
The box is small enough to make it an excellent choice for:
- Holidays.
- Weekend trips.
- Camping.
- Caravan holidays.
- Family visits.
- Hotel rooms.
- Game nights.
- Small tables.
- Taking to a friend's house.
And because games take around 20 minutes, it's easy to fit a game into an evening without committing hours to it.
Solo Mode
Rafter Five also includes a single-player mode, giving you a challenge when there isn't anyone else around to play with.
The solo challenge is all about seeing how effectively you can build and load the raft without bringing the whole thing crashing down.
So this isn't just a multiplayer party game — it's also a compact solo dexterity game.
Advanced Rules
Once you've mastered the basic game, Rafter Five offers additional challenges.
The advanced rules introduce the nails and joints shown on the lumber cards, giving you additional restrictions to think about when building your raft.
This adds another layer of challenge without making the basic game difficult to learn.
It's a nice way of increasing the difficulty once you've got the hang of keeping your raft afloat.
Who Is Rafter Five For?
Rafter Five is a great choice for:
- Families.
- Children aged around 6/7+.
- Adults.
- Casual gamers.
- Experienced board gamers.
- Fans of dexterity games.
- Fans of balancing games.
- Fans of Jenga.
- Oink Games fans.
- People looking for a quick game.
- People looking for a compact board game.
- People looking for a travel game.
- People looking for a solo game.
- Families looking for a holiday game.
- Players who enjoy games with a little chaos and a lot of tension.
It's particularly good if you're looking for:
A small game that creates a surprisingly big amount of tension.
Why Buy Rafter Five From Roll The Dice?
At Roll The Dice, we love games that are easy to learn, quick to play and fun to bring out again and again.
Rafter Five ticks all three boxes.
It's small enough to take almost anywhere, simple enough to teach quickly and tense enough to have everyone around the table holding their breath when someone moves a rafter.
Build the raft. Load the treasure. Keep your balance.
And whatever you do...
Don't be the one who makes it collapse.
Game Information
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Players | 1–6 |
| Recommended Age | 7+ |
| Playing Time | 20 minutes |
| Game Type | Dexterity / Balancing / Family |
| Mechanics | Stacking / Balancing / Layering / Player Elimination |
| Designer | Jun Sasaki & Mashiu |
| Artist | Jun Sasaki |
| Publisher | Oink Games |
| Released | 2023 |
| Complexity | Light |
The official Oink Games listing gives 1–6 players, 20 minutes and 7+; some UK editions/listings specify 2–5 players and 6+, so check the information on your particular stock before publishing the specifications.
What's Included?
The box contains:
- 5 wooden rafters
- 42 treasure chests
- 42 lumber cards
- 1 raft card
- 6 penalty boards
- Game manual
The English edition includes an English-language rulebook.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rafter Five?
Rafter Five is a compact balancing and dexterity board game from Oink Games. Players build an increasingly large raft from cards and wooden rafters while placing treasure chests on the structure.
How do you play Rafter Five?
Players take turns extending the raft by moving rafters, adding lumber cards and placing their treasure chests. The challenge is to keep the structure balanced while making it difficult for other players to avoid knocking treasure into the sea.
Is Rafter Five like Jenga?
Yes, if you enjoy Jenga's balancing and tension, Rafter Five is likely to appeal. However, Rafter Five adds more strategy because players build the raft themselves and can deliberately place treasure in precarious positions.
How many people can play Rafter Five?
Depending on the edition, Rafter Five is listed for 1–6 players, with some UK listings specifying 2–5 players. Check the player count on your particular edition.
How long does Rafter Five take to play?
A game takes around 20 minutes.
What age is Rafter Five?
The official Oink Games listing recommends 7+, while some UK listings give 6+. Check the age recommendation on your specific edition.
Is Rafter Five a family game?
Yes. Its simple rules and dexterity-based gameplay make it a good choice for families and mixed-age groups.
Is Rafter Five a dexterity game?
Yes. Balancing and carefully manipulating the raft are central to the game.
Is Rafter Five a strategy game?
It has a light strategic element. Players need to decide where to expand the raft and where to place their treasure, while considering how their choices might affect the next player.
Can you play Rafter Five solo?
Yes. The game includes a solo mode.
Is Rafter Five good for travelling?
Yes. Its compact Oink Games box makes it particularly well suited to holidays, trips and playing where table space is limited.
What games are similar to Rafter Five?
If you enjoy Rafter Five, you may also enjoy Jenga, Rhino Hero, Menara, Bandido and other compact dexterity, stacking and balancing games.
You May Also Enjoy
If you enjoy Rafter Five, try:
- Jenga – The classic balancing challenge.
- Rhino Hero – Build a skyscraper while trying to keep it standing.
- Menara – A cooperative architectural balancing challenge.
- Bandido – A compact Oink Games puzzle game.
- Deep Sea Adventure – Another clever, compact Oink Games title from designer Jun Sasaki.
For more games like Rafter Five, explore our Dexterity Games, Family Games, Travel Games, Quick Games, Solo Games, Oink Games and Games for Kids collections
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