---
product_id: 329451946
title: "Stonemaier Games: Red Rising by Jamey Stegmaier | A Competitive Strategy Game Based on the Pierce Brown Novels | Craft a Hand of Powerful Characters from the World of Red Rising | 1-6 Players, 60 Mins"
brand: "stonemaier games"
price: "R2516"
currency: ZAR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/329451946-stonemaier-games-red-rising-by-jamey-stegmaier-a-competitive-strategy
store_origin: ZA
region: South Africa
---

# 112 unique character cards 1-6 players, 60 min playtime Asymmetric House tiles for varied strategy Stonemaier Games: Red Rising by Jamey Stegmaier | A Competitive Strategy Game Based on the Pierce Brown Novels | Craft a Hand of Powerful Characters from the World of Red Rising | 1-6 Players, 60 Mins

**Brand:** stonemaier games
**Price:** R2516
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> ♟️ Rise to Power, Outsmart the Society — Your Strategy, Your Legacy!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Stonemaier Games: Red Rising by Jamey Stegmaier | A Competitive Strategy Game Based on the Pierce Brown Novels | Craft a Hand of Powerful Characters from the World of Red Rising | 1-6 Players, 60 Mins by stonemaier games
- **How much does it cost?** R2516 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.za](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/329451946-stonemaier-games-red-rising-by-jamey-stegmaier-a-competitive-strategy)

## Best For

- stonemaier games enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted stonemaier games brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Solo & Social Mastery:** Engage in competitive play with up to 6 players or challenge the smart Automa AI solo for a dynamic experience anytime.
- • **Endless Strategic Depth:** 112 unique characters and 6 asymmetric Houses create infinite combo possibilities to outwit your opponents.
- • **Fast Setup, Deep Gameplay:** Only 5 minutes to set up, but every 60-minute game demands sharp hand management and tactical decision-making.
- • **Immersive Thematic Design:** Authentic character abilities and rich artwork bring Pierce Brown’s dystopian universe vividly to your table.
- • **Accessible Yet Challenging:** Easy to learn rules with complex scoring balance keep every game fresh and rewarding for casual and hardcore strategists alike.

## Overview

Stonemaier Games’ Red Rising is a beautifully illustrated, hand management strategy board game for 1-6 players inspired by Pierce Brown’s bestselling novels. Featuring 112 unique character cards and 6 asymmetric House tiles, it offers deep replayability and multiple paths to victory in a 60-minute playtime. With a smart solo Automa mode and quick setup, it’s perfect for millennial professionals seeking a rich, thematic, and strategic gaming experience that fits their busy lifestyle.

## Description

Buy Stonemaier Games: Red Rising by Jamey Stegmaier | A Competitive Strategy Game Based on the Pierce Brown Novels | Craft a Hand of Powerful Characters from the World of Red Rising | 1-6 Players, 60 Mins: Board Games - desertcart.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

Review: Thinky hand management game with beautiful production. - I'm currently reading the Red Rising series of books, so when I saw this game drop to an astonishingly low price for the holidays I couldn't resist. After playing multiple rounds with my wife, and multiple games solo, here are my thoughts. ----- The Good: The production of this game is amazing. I purchased the base game - not the collector's edition that I've seen around - and the components are still great. The cards are heavy duty and feel great in hand, and the artwork looks fantastic. All of the character cards (112 I believe) have unique artwork, and even the "unnamed" characters look interesting. House markers & the game board are heavy cardboard with good artwork, and while nothing fancy, the plastic cubes & various other markers are bright and acceptable for what they are. Even the instructions are heavy duty, look great, and are easy to follow. Once you know how the game is setup, you can do so fairly quickly, and it looks great on the table. While appearing complicated, the rules are super simple to follow. After only a couple games, the only thing I need to refer back to the manual for is endgame scoring. The expansive card roster creates countless hand combos, and so far every game has felt like a new strategy. Speaking of strategy, you will need it to beat the solo variant of the game. That's not a bad thing... the AI in this game is very well done. In fact, I like the solo variant equally as well as against a second person. ----- The Bad: Until you get really familiar with the different characters and colors (castes), you'll spend a good deal of time reading the different abilities and post-game actions of cards. This can lead to a bit of analysis paralysis for some as they try to determine what their best option is. As with any game relying on card draws, randomness & luck will play a part. You could start off the game with a great hand and not need much hand management, or you may feel like your whole game is just trying to get two cards that really work well together. A large majority of your end-game points come from your hand totals, so that can make games seem really one sided at times. However, there are other options to score significant points, so you may need to shift your focus. While the game looks great, it's also a huge box for what it contains. I'm not sure if they used the same box for the collector's edition (which has card holders and maybe some other extras), but I feel like the box could have been half the size and held the components just as well. ----- The Indifferent: When it comes to the theme, you can take it or leave it. Since I'm reading & enjoying the books, I love seeing the different characters and how they synergize (good or bad) with other characters. However, at the end of the game, I'm going to base my hand purely on how the cards combo and score points, regardless of who I assemble my "team" from. On the flip side, my wife has had no problems playing & enjoying the game with zero knowledge of the books. So while I'm sure fans of the Red Rising series will get a bigger kick out of the theme, it can be played equally well by non-fans. It's fairly light-weight, plays quickly, and just enough strategy to keep things interesting without bogging it down. You'll have to decide if that's for you. ----- Overall I am really enjoying this game. It has enough strategy that when you put together a great hand combo, it feels really good, but it doesn't turn the game into a slog. I also really, really enjoy the solo mode of this game. Whether playing the AI, or other players, every game seems to necessitate a different strategy. Just one more game...
Review: Glad I bought it! - Great game! It did take me a while to read through the instructions and figure out what all the pieces do, but the gameplay is actually very straightforward. Knowledge of the books isn't necessary. In a group of 3, 2 of us were familiar with the books (okay, we were geeking out), and the 3rd did not know them, but we are all able to enjoy the game. If you are familiar with the books, you're in for a treat. The card art is amazing! The overall quality of all the materials is also fantastic. Even the manual is printed on high quality, textured paper. Great value for the money, and the replayability is definitely there.

## Features

- Based on the Red Rising Book Series: Enter the futuristic universe of Red Rising, based on the exciting book series by Pierce Brown featuring a dystopian society divided into fourteen castes. You represent a house attempting to rise to power as you piece together an assortment of followers (represented by your hand of cards). Will you break the chains of the Society or embrace the dominance of the Golds?
- Gameplay: Start with a hand of 5 cards, and on your turn, deploy 1 of those cards to a location on the board, activating that card’s deploy benefit. Gain the top card from another location or the deck, gaining that location's benefit and adding the card to your hand as you enhance your end-game point total. When the game ends, the cards left in your hand are what you score, making each card you play a difficult balance between victory points at the end and immediate benefits.
- High Replayability: Red Rising includes 112 unique character cards and 6 different asymmetric House tiles. There are also many different routes to victory, which means that this game provides endless opportunities for combos.
- No Book Spoilers: Lots of easter eggs to explore and attention to detail. Knowledge of the books heightens your enjoyment, but it is not necessary to love the game.
- Beautifully Designed and Illustrated: Designed by Alexander Schmidt and Jamey Stegmaier (Scythe). Illustrated by Miles Bensky (Rolling Realms), Jacqui Davis (Viticulture), and Justin Wong.
- For families, solo gamers, and game groups alike: This hand management and set collection strategy game for 1-6 players has a 45-60 minute playing time with only a 5 minute setup time. Great game for couples, solo gamers, 2 players, family, and friends. Red Rising was heavily inspired by the game Fantasy Realms. Easy to learn, hard to master!
- Solo Play: Features an Automa to play against in a 1-player game for a fun solitaire experience. The Automa simulates an opponent for you to compete against, while your game as a player remains the same. On the Automa’s turn, flip a card to see what action it takes.
- Thematically Designed Mechanisms: Rich relationships between the card identities, the themes, and the mechanisms. The way the character abilities work matches the specific character from the book series. Some characters pair well with others, while some lose points if paired up with specific other characters or factions.
- Published by Stonemaier: Stonemaier is a tabletop game publisher based in St. Louis and distributed worldwide. Stonemaier's brands include Viticulture, Euphoria, Between Two Cities, Scythe, Charterstone, My Little Scythe, Between Two Castles, Wingspan, Tapestry, Pendulum, Red Rising, Rolling Realms Collection, Libertalia, Smitten, Expeditions, Apiary, Wyrmspan, Stamp Swap, Finspan, Tokaido, Vantage, and Origin Story.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN | B08XZNGH9Y |
| Age Range Description | Adult |
| Best Sellers Rank | #81,519 in Toys & Games ( See Top 100 in Toys & Games ) #1,801 in Board Games (Toys & Games) |
| Brand Name | Stonemaier Games |
| CPSIA Cautionary Statement | Choking Hazard - Small Parts, No Warning Applicable |
| Color | Multi-colored |
| Customer Package Type | Standard Packaging |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 747 Reviews |
| Edition | Standard Edition |
| Educational Objective | Develop strategic thinking, planning, and decision-making skills |
| Estimated Playing Time | 60 minutes |
| Genre | Hand Management, Set Collection, Strategy |
| Included Components | 1 Sovereign token, 1 crescent moon first-player token, 1 custom Rising die 6 fleet tokens, 6 reference cards, 1 game board, 1 wolf-head tray and lid, 1 scorepad, 1 multiplayer rulebook, 1 Automa rulebook, 30 Automa cards, 112 character cards, 6 asymmetric House tiles, 60 helium tokens (red gems), 60 influence tokens (plastic cubes) |
| Indoor Outdoor Usage | Indoor |
| Item Dimensions | 2829.92 x 11.42 x 0.04 inches |
| Item Dimensions L x W | 11.7"L x 11.7"W |
| Item Type Name | Board Game |
| Item Weight | 1000 g |
| Language | English |
| Manufacturer | Stonemaier Games |
| Manufacturer Part Number | STM350 |
| Manufacturer recommended age | 14 years and up |
| Material Type | Cardboard, Cardstock, Plastic |
| Minimum Age Recomendation | 14 |
| Model Number | STM350 |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Number of Packs | 1 |
| Number of Players | 1-6 |
| Operation Mode | manual |
| Rulebook Availability | Printed Included |
| Set Name | Red Rising |
| Size | 11.7 inches x 11.7 inches |
| Theme | Dystopian, Science Fiction |
| UPC | 644216628421 |
| Unit Count | 1 count |

## Images

![Stonemaier Games: Red Rising by Jamey Stegmaier | A Competitive Strategy Game Based on the Pierce Brown Novels | Craft a Hand of Powerful Characters from the World of Red Rising | 1-6 Players, 60 Mins - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71GfAdh4dZL.jpg)
![Stonemaier Games: Red Rising by Jamey Stegmaier | A Competitive Strategy Game Based on the Pierce Brown Novels | Craft a Hand of Powerful Characters from the World of Red Rising | 1-6 Players, 60 Mins - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81zKY++zREL.jpg)
![Stonemaier Games: Red Rising by Jamey Stegmaier | A Competitive Strategy Game Based on the Pierce Brown Novels | Craft a Hand of Powerful Characters from the World of Red Rising | 1-6 Players, 60 Mins - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91F1Go39scL.jpg)
![Stonemaier Games: Red Rising by Jamey Stegmaier | A Competitive Strategy Game Based on the Pierce Brown Novels | Craft a Hand of Powerful Characters from the World of Red Rising | 1-6 Players, 60 Mins - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81lPQ70358L.jpg)
![Stonemaier Games: Red Rising by Jamey Stegmaier | A Competitive Strategy Game Based on the Pierce Brown Novels | Craft a Hand of Powerful Characters from the World of Red Rising | 1-6 Players, 60 Mins - Image 5](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81OymI90kxL.jpg)

## Questions & Answers

**Q: Is this the collector's edition as it appears from the box image or is it the standard edition?**
A: I wouldn't but the collectors edition.  The cubes are metallic in color and it's very hard to tell the colors apart.

**Q: Will this game spoil the books?**
A: No.  It will not.

**Q: Is this 1-6 players or 2-6 players? Details and description give conflicting info.**
A: 1- 6 There is a solo version of the game you can play.

**Q: Is this game cooperative or competitive?**
A: It is competitive. Its a game where you are trying to outscore the other player based of the cards in your hand. Each card has a base victory point amount, a unique ability, and bonus points (only achieved when fulfilling the card’s bonus requirements) that will contribute to your overall victory points at the end of the game. There are also other ways of scoring points; but to make a long story short, the person with the most points at the end of the game wins.

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thinky hand management game with beautiful production.
*by C***S on January 13, 2025*

I'm currently reading the Red Rising series of books, so when I saw this game drop to an astonishingly low price for the holidays I couldn't resist. After playing multiple rounds with my wife, and multiple games solo, here are my thoughts. ----- The Good: The production of this game is amazing. I purchased the base game - not the collector's edition that I've seen around - and the components are still great. The cards are heavy duty and feel great in hand, and the artwork looks fantastic. All of the character cards (112 I believe) have unique artwork, and even the "unnamed" characters look interesting. House markers & the game board are heavy cardboard with good artwork, and while nothing fancy, the plastic cubes & various other markers are bright and acceptable for what they are. Even the instructions are heavy duty, look great, and are easy to follow. Once you know how the game is setup, you can do so fairly quickly, and it looks great on the table. While appearing complicated, the rules are super simple to follow. After only a couple games, the only thing I need to refer back to the manual for is endgame scoring. The expansive card roster creates countless hand combos, and so far every game has felt like a new strategy. Speaking of strategy, you will need it to beat the solo variant of the game. That's not a bad thing... the AI in this game is very well done. In fact, I like the solo variant equally as well as against a second person. ----- The Bad: Until you get really familiar with the different characters and colors (castes), you'll spend a good deal of time reading the different abilities and post-game actions of cards. This can lead to a bit of analysis paralysis for some as they try to determine what their best option is. As with any game relying on card draws, randomness & luck will play a part. You could start off the game with a great hand and not need much hand management, or you may feel like your whole game is just trying to get two cards that really work well together. A large majority of your end-game points come from your hand totals, so that can make games seem really one sided at times. However, there are other options to score significant points, so you may need to shift your focus. While the game looks great, it's also a huge box for what it contains. I'm not sure if they used the same box for the collector's edition (which has card holders and maybe some other extras), but I feel like the box could have been half the size and held the components just as well. ----- The Indifferent: When it comes to the theme, you can take it or leave it. Since I'm reading & enjoying the books, I love seeing the different characters and how they synergize (good or bad) with other characters. However, at the end of the game, I'm going to base my hand purely on how the cards combo and score points, regardless of who I assemble my "team" from. On the flip side, my wife has had no problems playing & enjoying the game with zero knowledge of the books. So while I'm sure fans of the Red Rising series will get a bigger kick out of the theme, it can be played equally well by non-fans. It's fairly light-weight, plays quickly, and just enough strategy to keep things interesting without bogging it down. You'll have to decide if that's for you. ----- Overall I am really enjoying this game. It has enough strategy that when you put together a great hand combo, it feels really good, but it doesn't turn the game into a slog. I also really, really enjoy the solo mode of this game. Whether playing the AI, or other players, every game seems to necessitate a different strategy. Just one more game...

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Glad I bought it!
*by K***. on March 9, 2025*

Great game! It did take me a while to read through the instructions and figure out what all the pieces do, but the gameplay is actually very straightforward. Knowledge of the books isn't necessary. In a group of 3, 2 of us were familiar with the books (okay, we were geeking out), and the 3rd did not know them, but we are all able to enjoy the game. If you are familiar with the books, you're in for a treat. The card art is amazing! The overall quality of all the materials is also fantastic. Even the manual is printed on high quality, textured paper. Great value for the money, and the replayability is definitely there.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fantastic fun
*by L***. on January 10, 2025*

This game can take a minute to grasp because it is slightly more complicated than your average family card game, but once you do, it becomes wildly competitive with a dynamic and fairly deep strategy element. While initially you may be tempted to focus on the non-card elements of the game (Helium, Fleet Track, Institute) these are present to a: Trigger the endgame b: Supplement your endgame hand score - and not be your primary source of points. Once you understand this, the real game begins. Highly recommended, especially for what you get at the price point. Good Quality, Great replayability, lots of fun. Players do not need to have read the books for any element of the game, those in the midst of the series will not have anything spoiled, and regardless of where readers are in the series, they will enjoy all the references.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Stonemaier Games: Red Rising | A Competitive Strategy Game Based on The Novels from Pierce Brown | Craft a Hand of Powerful Characters from The World of Red Rising | 1-6 Players, 60 Mins, Ages 14+
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*Product available on Desertcart South Africa*
*Store origin: ZA*
*Last updated: 2026-10-14*