- BGG rating
- 8.1
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King – Return to the Valley of the Dead King
- 1–7 players
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,996
- BGG rating
- 7.8
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King
2017
Rules assistance for HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–6 players
- 60–180 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.2/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King is a board game released in 2017 for 1–6 players, 60–180 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Jonathan Mariucci, Nathan Loos, and Kat Kimoundri and its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Grid Movement.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.9
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King – Living Card Deck
- 1–7 players
- 2020
- BGG rating
- 8.0
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King – Encounter Deck
- 1–7 players
- 2022
- BGG rating
- 8.5
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King – Klik's Madness Campaign Book
- 1–6 players
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2022
- BGG rating
- 8.2
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King – Klik's Madness Legends: A Taste for Adventure!
- 1–4 players
- 2024
- BGG rating
- 8.1
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King – Klik's Madness Legends: Corrosive History
- 1–4 players
- 2024
- BGG rating
- 8.0
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King – Klik's Madness Legends: Shadow of the Forsaken Crown
- 1–4 players
- 2024
- BGG rating
- 7.5
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King – Klik's Madness Legends: Volume I
- 1–6 players
- 2025
About the game
HEXplore It is a hero building adventure board game. Enter a realm teeming with fantasy creatures, heroes and villains. Select your hero by combining two character options: your Role and Race. Your Role is your profession and your Race is your heritage and species. This combination drives your Hero's strengths, weaknesses and defines their special abilities. You'll use dry erase markers to keep track of your hero's strength. Travel across the map earning power ups by completing quests and battling opponents of several different types. Move carefully to avoid multiple dangers and travel from city to city, visiting shrines and ruins along the way. Gain power quickly, for the Dead King also moves... He takes away your cities as you play the game. For each city he destroys, he gains more power. The object of HEXplore It is to power up your heroes as quickly as possible, to eventually defeat the Dead King himself. The game is won if you confront and defeat him, bringing light back to the Valley.
Mechanics
Publishers
- Mariucci J. Designs, LLC
Questions and answers
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King 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 HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King is 60–180 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 HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King for ages 12 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.
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King has a complexity rating of 3.2 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.
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Fighting, and Travel. Its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Grid Movement. 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 HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King are: Jonathan Mariucci, Nathan Loos, and Kat Kimoundri. 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 HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King 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.