Kolejka

About this board game

Kolejka is a board game for 2–5 players that takes about 60 minutes, recreating everyday shopping in Poland at the tail-end of the Communist era.

Each player sends family members to five neighborhood stores, hoping to collect every item on a personal shopping list. The challenge is that the shelves are empty, and nobody knows which shop will receive a delivery. As product delivery cards are revealed, only the people nearest a store’s entrance may get what they need.

Players must manage their places in line and use their queuing cards at the right moment. A Mother carrying small child, This is not your place, sir, or Under-the-counter goods card can move someone ahead, while Closed for stocktaking and Delivery error can disrupt carefully made plans. Black pawns representing speculators add another obstacle to the queues.

• Send family members to five stores with uncertain deliveries.
• Use queuing cards to improve positions and compete for scarce goods.
• Watch for shop closures, delivery problems, and speculators.
• Visit the outdoor market, where prices are high unless you make a deal with the trader.

The product cards feature photographs of sixty original objects from the Communist era, including Relaks shoes, Przemysławka eau de cologne, and Popularna tea. These details give the game a realistic setting while highlighting the scarcity that defines its tense shopping queues.

In Kolejka, completing a shopping list requires timing, awareness, and clever use of the cards in hand. Can your family come home with full shopping bags?