- BGG rank
- BGG #3,503
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Death Valley
- 1–2 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,994
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Death Valley: Highs & Lows
2024
Rules assistance for Death Valley: Highs & Lows
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 2.0/5
Rules assistant for Death Valley: Highs & Lows
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Death Valley: Highs & Lows is a board game released in 2024 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.
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About the game
Death Valley: Highs & Lows is the second entry in the Death Valley series. Its 18 cards can be played as a standalone game or combined with the previous Death Valley game to create an all-new set of 18 cards every time you play. In this tableau-buillding game for 1-2 players, each traveler is striving to assemble the best mix of cards in their Journey and Scrapbook to win the game. Each turn, the active player chooses whether to add a card to their Journey row or to Rest and move cards from their Journey to their Scrapbook row. Adding new cards runs the risk of revealing too many Hazards of the same type, which causes them to shuffle away all cards in their Journey. At the end of the game, each player scores the cards in their two rows. Stars earn points, while Skulls cost the player points. Any special abilities also apply, typically earning the player points based on specific placements or conditions. The player with the highest total is the winner!
Designers
Publishers
- Button Shy
Questions and answers
Death Valley: Highs & Lows 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: Highs & Lows 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: Highs & Lows 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: Highs & Lows 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.
Death Valley: Highs & Lows belongs to these categories: Card Game 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: Highs & Lows 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: Highs & Lows 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.