How To Play: Red Rising

Overview

If you’ve ever wanted to boss around a bunch of fictional Romans in space, Red Rising is your jam. In this guide, I’ll first give a quick rundown of the rules so you don’t have to painfully read the manual like I did. After that, I’ll share my best (and funniest) strategies for winning, learned from playing with my oddly competitive friends. Let’s find out How To Play red rising and crush your enemies!

What’s in the box

• 112 Character Cards
• 6 House Cards
• 1 Wolf Head First Player Token
• 60 Helium Tokens
• 1 Sovereign Token
• 1 Rising Sun Token
• 1 Score Pad
• 6 Fleet Track Tokens
• 60 Influence Tokens
• 6 Card Holders
• Game Board
• Rulebook

How To Play Red Rising: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Unfold the board. Place it in the center of your table, unless your table is more like a mountain range. Then, just pick the flattest bit.
2. Sort all the cards by house color. Shuffle the deck and deal five cards to each player.
3. Place four cards face-up at each location on the board: Jupiter, Mars, Luna, and The Institute. This is not a personality test, it’s just the rules.
4. Pick your color and grab the matching cubes, Fleet marker, and the Sovereign token. Be warned: everyone will want to play Gold.
5. Put your cubes beside the board, not in your mouth. I learned this the hard way. Place your Fleet marker on the zero space of the Fleet Track.
6. Shuffle and set out the Helium tokens, banish pile, and the deck nearby. Now, you are ready for action!

Gameplay

1. On your turn, you must choose: lead or scout. This is not as deep as it sounds.
2. To lead, pick a card from your hand and add it to a location. Then, do that location’s effect. Next, pick up the top card from any other location. You also get to do that card’s bonus, if any.
3. To scout, skip playing a card from your hand, just draw the top card from the deck and place it on a location. Do the location’s effect. You also get a small bonus for being a rebel.
4. After your action, check for endgame triggers. Otherwise, pass the turn to the next player, and try not to look smug.

Winning

1. The endgame triggers once any two of the following three things happen: someone has 7+ helium, someone’s cubes fill The Institute, or a Fleet marker reaches 7+ on the track.
2. When that happens, you finish the round so everyone has the same number of turns. Then comes scoring.
3. Add up the points from your hand, helium, Fleet rank, and cubes at The Institute. Subtract penalties from any banned cards you hoarded like a magpie.
4. The player with the most points wins. If there’s a tie, the winner is the one with the lowest emotional attachment to their hand. Just kidding—check the remaining tiebreakers in the rules!

Special Rules & Conditions

1. Some cards let you break rules or change how things work. Always read your cards and don’t assume your fellow players are bluffing—they probably know what they’re doing, unlike me on my first game.
2. The Sovereign token gives you a special bonus. Don’t forget it. I did, and it haunts me to this day.
3. If you ever need to draw a card but can’t, reshuffle the banished pile. If you have to eat a card, you’re playing wrong.

There you have it: the basics of How To Play Red Rising. If you mess up, just make up a new rule and pretend it was in the book.

Best Red Rising Strategies

Unlocking Victory: Card Synergy and Combos in Red Rising

Nothing feels better than pulling off a wild combo in Red Rising! When you focus on good card synergy, you can stack points fast and leave your friends in the dust. Here are some key tips to master card combos:

1. Match Factions Carefully

1. Look for cards that score more points when played with others from the same faction.
2. Pair cards that give you bonuses for collecting certain colors. It’s like peanut butter finding its jelly.

2. Chain Abilities For Big Effects

1. Play cards with “when gained” or “when deployed” effects, then set up moves to activate those triggers back-to-back.
2. If you gain a card that lets you immediately play another, give yourself a high five. That’s a double whammy!

3. Hold Versatile Cards

1. Keep cards with flexible conditions for late game scoring. I once won by saving a wild card till the final turn!
2. Swap out cards that don’t fit your combo theme—don’t get attached, even if you gave one a silly name.

Remember, when you try How To Play red rising, always keep combo potential at the front of your brain. Good combos mean big scores and bragging rights!

Outrace Your Rivals: Mastering the Fleet Track in Red Rising

Push the Pedal Early

Start your fleet track climb as soon as you can. The earlier you move, the more pressure you put on your friends. Often, people ignore this at their own risk.

1. Use cards that grant instant Fleet advances.
2. Pick up cubes from Jupiter or Luna to fuel movement.

Maintain the Momentum

Keep your position strong. Never let someone leapfrog you, or you could regret it by the end.

1. Chain abilities for extra movement.
2. Grab bonuses that help you surge ahead.

Finish Line Frenzy

With the finish in sight, save a surprise move or two. Nothing beats the look on your best mate’s face when you clinch the top spot.

1. Play late-game cards with Fleet boosts.
2. Time your last moves for max points.

In short, Fleet track wins games. Every time I ignored it, I paid the price—don’t be like past Jamie!

How To Play red rising often comes down to Fleet track timing, so keep your eyes on the stars!

Score Like a Pro: Crush the Endgame in Red Rising

Count Your Bonuses

1. Check every card in your hand for bonuses that score off your other cards. These add up fast, so don’t ignore them!

Seize House Powers

1. Always use your House’s unique scoring bonus. Sometimes it’s easy to forget, especially if you’re in a panic because your friend just shot ahead on the fleet track.

Watch for Combo Points

1. Stack card combos that grant extra points together—sometimes late-game swaps win those last few points you need.

Don’t Forget Helium & Influence

1. Helium tokens and Influence cubes sneak up on you, so count them carefully to squeeze out that final win in How To Play red rising.

Rise Above the Rest!

So there you have it. If you want to win Red Rising, you need more than luck and a fancy Gold card. After many late nights shuffling cards and trying (and mostly failing) to outsmart my friends, I’ve learned that the best move is always thinking ahead and staying flexible.

Don’t get hung up on one card—your house loyalty won’t help if you’re stuck with a bunch of Banished. Mix up your strategy, go for those sweet combos, and remember, the Fleet track isn’t just for show. The best advice? Don’t let your buddy Rob convince you that tossing Helldivers is a good idea. It never is.

Hopefully my silly mistakes help you avoid your own. Good luck, keep your hand balanced, and may your endgame score make Darrow proud! Oh and if you forget everything else, just remember: How To Play red rising is really all about having fun (and maybe bragging rights at the end).

Want to know what we think of Red Rising? Read our detailed review of Red Rising here