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L'Auberge des pirates
- 2–8 players
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Deadfall
2016
Rules assistance for Deadfall
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–7 players
- 20 min
- 12+
- Complexity 1.0/5
Rules assistant for Deadfall
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Deadfall is a board game released in 2016 for 2–7 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by James Ernest and Nora Miller and its main mechanics are Push Your Luck.
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About the game
Deadfall is a gambling / bluffing game. Players ante one coin to begin and start with a hand of six cards. Everyone plays one card, and the lowest of these will go first. On your turn you may either play a new card face up or call one of your opponents. When you play a card, you are trying not to play the last card of that rank. For example, if you play a 5, you are declaring that someone's hand still contains a 5. If you have one, you know you're safe. If not, you're making an educated guess. A call ends the hand. When you call another player, you are saying that they were wrong when they played their last card, and there are no more cards of that rank left in anyone's hand. If the caller is right, she wins the pot, plus a penalty equal to the rank of the card, paid by the called player. (For example, 7 coins for calling a 7.) If the caller is wrong, the called player wins the pot, and he wins the same penalty from the caller. There are two ways to get ahead in Deadfall: You can catch people when they play the wrong cards, and you can trick others into calling you when you're safe.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Cheapass Games
Questions and answers
Deadfall supports 2–7 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 Deadfall is 20 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 Deadfall for ages 12 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.
Deadfall has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
Deadfall belongs to these categories: Card Game and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Push Your Luck. 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 Deadfall are: James Ernest and Nora Miller. 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 Deadfall 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.