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Ascension: Valley of the Ancients
2017
Rules assistance for Ascension: Valley of the Ancients
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 30 min
- 13+
- Complexity 2.0/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Ascension: Valley of the Ancients
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Ascension: Valley of the Ancients is a board game released in 2017 for 1–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Ben Lundquist and its main mechanics are Deck, Bag, and Pool Building.
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About the game
Description from the publisher: Ascension is a deck-building game in which players spend Runes to acquire more powerful cards for their deck. It offers a dynamic play experience where players have to react and adjust their strategy accordingly. Each player starts with a small deck of cards, and uses those cards to acquire more and better cards for their deck, with the goal of earning the most Honor Points by gaining cards and defeating monsters. In Ascension: Valley of the Ancients, players compete with one another to maintain control over powerful temple cards. Players can control three different temples: the Temple of Life, the Temple of Death, and the ultimate Temple of Immortality. Players race to collect keystones, which aid them in their quest to acquire temples or steal them from their opponents!
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Stone Blade Entertainment
Questions and answers
Ascension: Valley of the Ancients supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Ascension: Valley of the Ancients is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Ascension: Valley of the Ancients for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Ascension: Valley of the Ancients has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Ascension: Valley of the Ancients belongs to these categories: Card Game and Fantasy. Its main mechanics are Deck, Bag, and Pool Building. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Ascension: Valley of the Ancients are: Ben Lundquist. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Ascension: Valley of the Ancients as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.