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Shadows of Malice
- 1–8 players
- 120 min
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- 2014
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Random Encounters
2015
Rules assistance for Random Encounters
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 20–120 min
- 14+
- Complexity 1.8/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Random Encounters
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Random Encounters is a board game released in 2015 for 1–4 players, 20–120 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Joshua Garrett and Jordan Basaldua and its main mechanics are Trading, Dice Rolling, and Role Playing.
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About the game
Random Encounters is a co-operative fantasy card game where you play as adventurers on a journey. Each player chooses a character and then set off to explore the Forest, Caves, and Abandoned Kingdom. The players must work together to defeat Monsters, gather Loot, and use their talents to overcome the powerful Boss Monsters at the end of each level. Each character has a unique Leader Ability. Players take turns being the Leader of the Party, which grants their allies a benefit or bonus. Tumble the Mischievous can help the party Flee from Monsters and draw a new Encounter, Golias the Rugged lowers the Strength Skill of enemies and challenges. Random Encounters takes inspiration from classic console role-playing games and combines them with tabletop elements to create a streamlined, compact adventure experience that can be played solo or with a group of fellow adventurers. There are 9 characters, 9 Boss Monsters, 75 Loot cards (like Weapons, Armor, Trinkets, and Familiars), and 75 Encounter cards (like Monsters, Traps, and Events), skill tokens, star tokens and custom, six-sided dice.
Designers
Publishers
- Regular People Gaming
Questions and answers
Random Encounters 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 Random Encounters is 20–120 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 Random Encounters for ages 14 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.
Random Encounters 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.
Random Encounters belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Number. Its main mechanics are Trading, Dice Rolling, 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 Random Encounters are: Joshua Garrett and Jordan Basaldua. 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 Random Encounters 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.