Banana Governance

About this board game

Banana Governance is a drafting and auction game for 3–4 players that takes about 45 minutes to play. To become the boss monkey, you must win the support of the other monkeys while carefully managing your limited banana supply.

The game unfolds in two distinct phases. First, players receive cards that cannot be rearranged, then use divider cards to separate them into groups. These groups are passed to other players in an engaging “I split, you choose” style draft, making every division and selection matter.

In the second phase, bananas become your bidding power. Across five auction rounds, players use banana cards to compete for monkey cards worth points. Giving bananas generously can help secure valuable support, but spending too freely may leave you without enough reserves to maintain your position.

• Draft cards through a split-and-choose system.
• Bid banana cards across five auction rounds.
• Gain monkey cards for points while managing your reserves.
• Face bird penalty cards as the lowest bidder.

The lowest bidder in each auction takes bird penalty cards, adding another risk to every contest. Success depends not only on collecting strong monkeys, but also on judging when a bid is worth the cost and when preserving bananas is the wiser move.

At the end of Banana Governance, scoring multiplies the total value of your remaining banana cards by the total value of your monkey cards after bird penalties are subtracted. The winning monkey is the player who gains the most support with fewer bananas, balancing influence, timing, and careful resource management.