- BGG rating
- 7.0
Death Valley: Panamint City
- 1–2 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,502
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Death Valley
2021
Rules assistance for Death Valley
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–2 players
- 15 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.8/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Death Valley
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Death Valley is a board game released in 2021 for 1–2 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Kevin Ellenburg and its main mechanics are Take That, Push Your Luck, and Pattern Building.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Death Valley: Solo Challenges
- 1 player
- 15 min
- 2024
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About the game
Sunlight glaring through the windshield. Your favorite songs blasting through the speakers. Candy bar wrappers piled next to a warm drink in the cheap plastic cupholder. Your companion riding in the passenger seat, snapping pictures of landmarks as you settle into the hypnotic rhythm of the road. But be careful as this fun road trip could get dangerous as you drive through Death Valley. Death Valley is a pocket-sized, push-your-luck, tableau-building game for 1-2 players, with each traveler striving to assemble the best mix of cards in their journey and scrapbook in order to win the game. Each turn, players choose whether to assign a card to their journey, or move cards from their journey to their scrapbook. Cards feature stars (points), special abilities (which affect the value and position of cards), and some interesting facts about Death Valley. Each card also lists a hazard: heat, terrain, flood or animals. Having three of the same hazard visible in their tableau causes the player to bust and lose all the progress in their journey. At the end of the game, players sum the stars in their journey and any additional points from card abilities to determine who wins. Death Valley was a top-three finalist in Button Shy's 18-Card Challenge: Design a game about a real life location.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Matagot
- KOSMOS
- Geekach LLC
- Banana Games
- Button Shy
- Salt & Pepper Games
Questions and answers
Death Valley supports 1–2 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 Death Valley is 15 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 Death Valley for ages 8 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.
Death Valley has a complexity rating of 1.8 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.
Death Valley belongs to these categories: Card Game, Print & Play, and Travel. Its main mechanics are Take That, Push Your Luck, and Pattern 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 Death Valley are: Kevin Ellenburg. 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 Death Valley 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.