# High Society

High Society is a board game for 3–5 players. It plays in 15–30 minutes and is meant for ages 10 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 7.6 out of 10 by 123 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $15.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 3–5 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 15–30 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 10+
- **Complexity:** 1.5 out of 5
- **Year published:** 1995
- **Categories:** Card Game
- **Mechanics:** Constrained Bidding, Auction: Turn Order Until Pass, Auction / Bidding, Hand Management
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.6 out of 10, from 123 reviews
- **Owned by:** 238 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 1,434
- **Unique players:** 1,286

**Designers:** Reiner Knizia

**Artists:** Marie Bergeron, Medusa Dollmaker, Yusuke Mamada, Paul Niemeyer, Björn Pertoft, Dahee Lee, Wesly Gibs, Mateusz Bielski, Ulf Marckwort, Alvin Madden, Rolf Vogt, Markus Wagner, Piotr Sokołowski

**Publishers:** Ravensburger

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Atomic Empire | 15.99 $ | https://www.atomicempire.com/Item/394664 |
| Cardhaus Games | 19.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/high-society-mojc/ |
| 401 Games | 21.95 $ | https://store.401games.ca/products/high-society |
| Board Game Bliss | 25.95 $ | https://www.boardgamebliss.com/products/high-society-2 |
| Pelipeikko | 17.95 € | https://pelipeikko.fi/fi/lautapelit/5115-high-society |
| Spelexperten | 219 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/kortspel/high-society.html |
| World of Board Games | 219 kr | https://www.worldofboardgames.com/high-society-allplay |
| Gameology | 31.95 $ | https://www.gameology.com.au/products/high-society-1 |
| La Gameria | 19.95 € | https://gameria.es/juegos-de-mesa/high-society-ingles-20110.html |
| Fantasiapelit | 20 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_245716 |
| Alphaspel | 249 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/89159-high-society-osprey-edition |
| Spilforsyningen | 179.95 kr | https://spilforsyningen.dk/products/high-society-eng-1 |

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## Rules questions

### Can I pick up money cards I've already played to increase my bid?

No — you cannot pick up cards you have already played; you may only increase your bid by adding new money cards to the ones already on the table (page 4).

### If I pass after placing a bid, do I get my money back?

Yes — if you have already bid and then pass you return all your face-up money cards to your hand, but you may no longer bid that round (page 4).

### What changes when the revealed card is a disgrace? How does that auction work?

You are bidding to avoid taking the disgrace: the round ends as soon as any one player passes, that passing player picks up their money cards and must take the disgrace, while all other players discard their money cards face-down; the passing player starts the next round (page 5).

### If I take the Faux Pas card, what do I have to discard?

If you take the Faux Pas you must immediately discard one luxury card you have in front of you (or the next luxury you receive if you have none), and once a luxury has been discarded the Faux Pas card itself is discarded (page 5).

### When does the game end and what does 'cast out' mean?

The game ends immediately when the fourth dark-green card (the three prestige cards and the Scandale) is revealed — there is no bidding for that card — then all players reveal their hands and the player(s) with the least remaining money are cast out and cannot win (page 6).

### How is final status calculated and how are ties broken?

Add up luxury card values, apply prestige multipliers (each prestige doubles your status; two = ×4, three = ×8) and apply disgrace effects (e.g., Passé −5, Scandale halves status); the highest status among players not cast out wins, with ties broken by most money left and then by the single most valuable luxury card (pages 5–6).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/high-society)
- [High Society in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/high-society)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/220)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._