
The Dead Eye: XP
- 1 player
- 15–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5

2021
Rules assistance for The Dead Eye
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Dead Eye is a board game released in 2021 for 1 player, 15 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Simon McGregor and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Deck, Bag, and Pool Building, and Multi-Use Cards.
Buckle up your Rad Suit. Fire up the Rig. Beware the Tox. The Dead Eye is an adventure card game for one player. Assume the role of a lone thermo-bandit downed on a hostile backwater planet. Your mission? Find the next safe haven before you lose all hope and strength… and maybe, just maybe, find a way off of this desolate rock. Cards in The Dead Eye represent Encounters that can have one of two Outcomes: Good or Bad. A Bad Outcome is triggered by a buildup of dangerous Heat while a Good Outcome is triggered by a buildup of valuable Juice. Your starting Draw Deck includes 6 cards with Juice and 6 cards with Heat. As you play through the deck, some of these cards will raise your Heat and Juice levels, while at other times the cards will be used as the Encounter itself. Face dangerous Encounters, salvage useful Parts and reach safe Haven. The Dead Eye includes a 12 page prelude comic book, 20 page rule-book, 1-fold double-sided game board, 2 pairs of stereoscopic-3D glasses, 1 pair of “hook-behind” stereoscopic-3D glasses and 54 unique cards. —description from the publisher
The Dead Eye 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 The Dead Eye is 15 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 The Dead Eye 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.
The Dead Eye has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
The Dead Eye belongs to these categories: Card Game, Comic Book / Strip, and Science Fiction. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Deck, Bag, and Pool Building, and Multi-Use Cards. 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 The Dead Eye are: Simon McGregor. 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 The Dead Eye 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.