- BGG rank
- BGG #15,049
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Dungeon Brawler
2019
Rules assistance for Dungeon Brawler
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 30–45 min
- 13+
- Complexity 1.8/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Dungeon Brawler
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Dungeon Brawler is a board game released in 2019 for 1–4 players, 30–45 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Patrick Petersen and Joey Turco and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Role Playing.
About the game
Dungeon Brawler takes the dungeon crawl game genre and mashes it with side-scrolling beat 'em up brawler arcade games from the 80's and 90's. Players each control a hero, arrange them in a formation, and prepare for the oncoming waves of monsters, traps, treasure, etc. If they can survive this automatically-advancing onslaught, then they win as a team. This is not your father's "move-and-attack" dungeon crawler: by combining deck-building elements with a blazingly fast "conveyor belt" mechanic, this game has deep tactics, but plays incredibly quickly. Each player controls one hero. Each hero represents a different theme: chaos, order, harmony, or discipline. Their hero choice decides their starting deck of cards. Each different theme has a different playstyle, but also informs what future cards they can add to their deck. But, the players are not locked into these themes - they can combine others into their decks to create new twists and combinations on classic fantasy characters. These heroes line up in a row, with the “marching order” formation extremely tactically important. Don’t worry, they can (and will) rearrange throughout the game. Across from the party line-up is the deadly dungeon itself. Whenever a card is removed from the dungeon, be it by killing a monster, overcoming a challenge, or taking some treasure, the dungeon automatically shifts towards the players and refills the missing card. This way, the game is incredibly fast-paced: no moving, exploring, or down-time. This dungeon is coming at you full-speed! Fighting is resolved by playing unique combinations of cards, but be careful! Your hand of cards is also your lifebar! Overextend and you’ll leave yourself vulnerable. —description from the publisher
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Hypercube Games
Questions and answers
Dungeon Brawler supports 1–4 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 Dungeon Brawler is 30–45 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 Dungeon Brawler for ages 13 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.
Dungeon Brawler 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.
Dungeon Brawler belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Fighting. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Role Playing. 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 Dungeon Brawler are: Patrick Petersen and Joey Turco. 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 Dungeon Brawler 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.