- BGG rating
- 7.6
Desolate: Dark Matters Pack 1
- 1 player
- 15–20 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,483
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Desolate
2018
Rules assistance for Desolate
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1 player
- 15–20 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.6/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Desolate
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Desolate is a board game released in 2018 for 1 player, 15–20 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Jason Glover and its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Solo / Solitaire Game.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Desolate: Dark Matters Pack 2
- 1 player
- 15–20 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2018
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Desolate: Insurgence
- 1–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2019
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About the game
There had been no communication with station 04 on the distant moon X483. A rescue mission was mounted, and you were on that ship as it lost use of its controls and crashed but meters from the station's entrance. After the smoke cleared, you realized you were the only survivor. You made your way into the station in hopes of finding help, only to be shocked by the horrors within. You are alone. You must escape. You must survive... What is Desolate? Desolate is a solo-play card and dice game. You have many choices that will ultimately equate to your survival or your demise. Do you explore the first room you reveal, or press-your-luck and skip it to move on to another, and be forced to resolve the second? When you encounter an alien you must decide how much ammo you want to spend (Each ammo equals 1 die roll) in order to defeat it. Do you over-spend for a certain victory, or take a chance a spend less? When you defeat a foe and open a crate, do you take the larger more valuable resource, or the lesser valued resource that may be more useful now? Do you use a powerful one-use item early on in the game, or wait? There are many choices per game, and when you die, and you will often, you will not be able to blame the roll of a die or the draw of card as much as you will have to blame yourself. You will be invested. You may yell at the dice before rolling. You may jump to your feet when you find that final power cell and fire up the escape shuttle for a sweet sweet victory.
Designers
Publishers
- Grey Gnome Games
Questions and answers
Desolate supports 1 player according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Desolate is 15–20 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 Desolate for ages 10 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.
Desolate has a complexity rating of 1.6 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.
Desolate belongs to these categories: Card Game, Print & Play, and Dice. Its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Solo / Solitaire Game. 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 Desolate are: Jason Glover. 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 Desolate 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.