- BGG rating
- 8.4
Dead Reckoning: Deep Legends
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #364
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Dead Reckoning
2022
Rules assistance for Dead Reckoning
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.4/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Dead Reckoning
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Dead Reckoning is a board game released in 2022 for 1–4 players, 90–150 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by John D. Clair and its main mechanics are Area Movement, Area Majority / Influence, and Layering.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 8.5
Dead Reckoning: Salt & Thunder
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2022
- BGG rating
- 8.3
Dead Reckoning: Sea Dogs Expansion
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2022
- BGG rating
- 8.5
Dead Reckoning: Letters of Marque
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 8.2
Dead Reckoning: Sea Dogs Expansion 2
- 1–4 players
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 8.7
Dead Reckoning: Port of Call
- 1–4 players
- 90–150 min
- 2025
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Dead Reckoning: Sea Dogs Expansion 3
- 1–4 players
- 2025
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,615
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Edge of Darkness
- 1–4 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #141
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
- 1–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #145
- BGG rating
- 7.9
The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-Earth
- 1–5 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #706
- BGG rating
- 7.4
StarCraft: The Board Game
- 2–6 players
- 180–240 min
- Complexity 3.9/5
- 2007
- BGG rating
- 8.5
Stormlight: War for Roshar
- 2–4 players
- 150–240 min
- 2027
- BGG rank
- BGG #324
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Shogun
- 3–5 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2006
- BGG rank
- BGG #991
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Wallenstein
- 3–5 players
- 150 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2002
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,018
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Wallenstein (Second Edition)
- 3–5 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #376
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Frostpunk: The Board Game
- 1–4 players
- 120–150 min
- Complexity 4.4/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #604
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Mystic Vale
- 2–4 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #391
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Tikal
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 1999
- BGG rank
- BGG #337
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Oath
- 1–6 players
- 45–150 min
- Complexity 4.1/5
- 2021
About the game
Dead Reckoning is a game of exploration, piracy, and influence based in a Caribbean-esque setting. Each player commands a ship and crew and seeks to amass the greatest fortune. They do this through pirating, trading, treasure hunting, and (importantly) capturing and maintaining control over the uninhabited but resource-rich islands of the region. During the game, you can: • Customize your ship: Your ship is represented by a token on the board. The board starts mostly unexplored and will be revealed as you venture into uncharted waters. You also have a ship board where you load cargo and treasure, and you can customize the guns, speed, or holding space of your ship. • Card-craft your crew: You have a small deck of cards that will drive your actions in the game, with each card representing one of your crew members. This deck functions like one in a deck-building game, but the cards in the deck are sleeved, and rather than add new crew cards to your deck, you improve the skill and abilities of your crew cards by placing transparent "advancement" cards in those sleeves. Aside from the transparent advancements, your crew will also "level up" naturally during the game using a new card-leveling mechanism not seen in other card-crafting games such as Mystic Vale. • Control the region: The region is filled with many deserted islands. These islands are a major source of treasure, and players will battle for control of these islands. • Battle via a dynamic cube-tower: You can battle other players' ships or NPC merchant ships, and these battles are resolved via a new take on what a cube tower can be, with crew cards and ship powers increasing your chances of victory. • Uncover secrets of the sea: Expansions for Dead Reckoning use a "saga" system in which certain content remains hidden and is discovered and added to the game organically only via playing. Rather than add everything at once, you gradually add it by playing and discovering. Depending on luck and player choice, less or more new content may get added each game. —description from the publisher
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Korea Boardgames
- YOKA Games
- Alderac Entertainment Group
- Tabletop KZ
Questions and answers
Dead Reckoning 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 Dead Reckoning is 90–150 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 Dead Reckoning for ages 14 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.
Dead Reckoning has a complexity rating of 3.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Dead Reckoning belongs to these categories: Fighting, Territory Building, and Exploration. Its main mechanics are Area Movement, Area Majority / Influence, and Layering. 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 Dead Reckoning are: John D. Clair. 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 Dead Reckoning 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.