
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,991
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Noises at Night
- 2–4 players
- 10–20 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2018

2016
Rules assistance for The Refuge: A Race for Survival
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Refuge: A Race for Survival is a board game released in 2016 for 2–6 players, 5–60 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Floyd Lu and its main mechanics are Area Movement, Area Majority / Influence, and Pattern Recognition.
The Refuge: A Race for Survival is a post-apocalyptic zombie strategy game. The goal of the game is to be the first to reach the refuge while fending off zombies and other players. Each time you move, you activate a floor tile which have special features. The only tournament style zombie board game out there where you compete with six players in order to be the first one to reach the final refuge. Learning it takes less than five minutes, mastering it will take a while. Decisions make a big impact, and gameplay ranges heavily on the players skills: five minutes to one hour.
The Refuge: A Race for Survival supports 2–6 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 The Refuge: A Race for Survival is 5–60 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 Refuge: A Race for Survival 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.
The Refuge: A Race for Survival has a complexity rating of 1.3 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.
The Refuge: A Race for Survival belongs to these categories: Horror and Zombies. Its main mechanics are Area Movement, Area Majority / Influence, and Pattern Recognition. 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 Refuge: A Race for Survival are: Floyd Lu. 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 Refuge: A Race for Survival 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.