- BGG rating
- 8.4
Rules assistance for Deep Madness: Rise of Dagon
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–6 players
- 60–120 min
- 16+
- Complexity 3.0/5
Rules assistant for Deep Madness: Rise of Dagon
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Deep Madness: Rise of Dagon is an expansion for Deep Madness released in 2018 for 1–6 players, 60–120 minutes per game, and ages 16 and up. It was designed by Roger Ho and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Dice Rolling.
About the game
Deep inside the mine, the investigators have stumbled across something sinister. They have previously encountered fear embodied. They have stared into the depths of madness. They have even fought against a madman who sought to dominate their psyches. But how will they be able to defeat a demon born out of the darkness infesting their own souls? Dagon is coming. And he is not rising from the sea: he is rising from the filth inside your own mind. This is Rise of Dagon, a new expansion for Deep Madness. Rise of Dagon features three new investigators: the celebrity "single mother" who runs the Leng Corporation, Meredith Waite, her sheltered but oh-so-special daughter, Regan, and a strange writer who seems to have stepped right out of another century, Ward Phillips. Rise of Dagon is also populated with several new horrors. There's the Deep Ones: mutated, shambling creatures who were once men and women. There's the Hydras: High Priestesses of a dark, malevolent, and very present power. There's the Shadows of Filth: oozing, nightmarish beings who cling to their matching investigator like a bad rash. And then there is, of course, Dagon himself. Rise of Dagon features several new mechanics, both for good and bad. First of all, Rise of Dagon functions as an ongoing campaign. Search cards, infection cards, filth cards, infection tokens, and filth tokens are carried from one game to the next, and the three scenarios must be played in order. It is very possible to slowly lose your humanity throughout the course of Rise of Dagon. there's the new Domain and Enlighten mechanic. When you rest during Dagon, you will take a domain card. These cards are sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but often feature a trade-off: a positive effect for a negative effect. Once these cards are used they aren't discarded. They're just wiped clean, and you can build them again.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Czacha Games
- Diemension Games
Questions and answers
Deep Madness: Rise of Dagon supports 1–6 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 Deep Madness: Rise of Dagon is 60–120 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 Deep Madness: Rise of Dagon for ages 16 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.
Deep Madness: Rise of Dagon has a complexity rating of 3.0 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.
Deep Madness: Rise of Dagon belongs to these categories: Fighting, Horror, and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Dice Rolling. 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 Deep Madness: Rise of Dagon are: Roger Ho. 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 Deep Madness: Rise of Dagon as an expansion for Deep Madness. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Deep Madness to use it. Check that your edition of Deep Madness is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.