How do you play Scoundrel?

Build a 44-card dungeon from a standard deck (remove red face cards and red aces). Each turn, flip four cards to form a Room and resolve any three of them — fight monsters (clubs and spades), equip weapons (diamonds), or drink potions (hearts). The fourth card carries over to the next Room. Survive the entire dungeon or die trying.

What does a weapon do in Scoundrel?

A weapon (a diamond card) absorbs damage equal to its value when you fight a monster. Weapons degrade with use: each monster a weapon kills must have a value less than or equal to the previous monster killed by that weapon.

Can I play Scoundrel with a real deck of cards?

Yes. Scoundrel was designed by Zach Gage and Kurt Bieg in 2011 to be played with a standard deck of playing cards. Remove red face cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings of hearts and diamonds) and red Aces — the remaining 44 cards form the dungeon.

How long does a game of Scoundrel take?

A single run takes about 10 minutes. Scoundrel is built for quick, replayable sessions you can fit into a coffee break.

10♦

K♠

9♥

Q♠

7♣

6♦

A solo roguelike card game

Scoundrel The Descent

Forty-four cards. One dungeon. No second chances. Fight your way through with whatever weapons you find, and decide when to run.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play Coming soon to Steam

★★★★★ Apple App Store · Free to play, no ads · Plays in 10 minutes

Descend

The game

A dungeon you can hold in one hand.

Flip a room

Four cards form a room. Three you must face. The fourth follows you to the next.

Choose your fight

Bare hands or a weapon. Every weapon degrades with each kill, so pick your battles.

III

Survive to the bottom

Forty-four cards stand between you and a clear run. Twenty health. No checkpoints.

Rules at a glance

Four suits. Four rules.

Scoundrel reduces dungeon-crawling to a 44-card deck. Here’s every card you’ll meet.

9♥

Hearts

×9

Health Potions

Restore health up to 20. One per room.

8♦

Diamonds

×9

Weapons

Equip to absorb monster damage. They degrade with use.

J♣

Clubs & Spades

×26

Monsters

Damage equal to their value. Aces are 14.

Read the full rules, with animations

The app

Beautifully painted. Brutally fair.

Faithful to the original rules, with custom card art, ambient torchlight, and an original soundtrack that pulls you deeper into the dungeon. An optional Dungeon Run upgrade lets you carry weapons and healing across floors.

Scoundrel main menu showing the candlelit dungeon entrance — Main Menu

Scoundrel room of four cards in play — A Room

Combat dialog facing a monster card — Combat

In-game tutorial explaining how to play Scoundrel — Tutorial

Get the game

Take the dungeon with you.

Classic mode is always free. No ads. Just cards and fate. An optional Dungeon Run upgrade adds multi-floor progression and an inventory to carry weapons and healing across floors.

iOS & Mac

Universal. Works on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Silicon Macs.

App Store →

Android

Phones & tablets, Android 8 and up.

Google Play →

Steam

PC & Steam Deck. Get notified at launch.

Email for Steam updates →

About the original

Designed in 2011 by Zach Gage and Kurt Bieg.

Scoundrel is a tight solo card game that has quietly become a classic. We built The Descent to honor the rules exactly, and to bring its tense, ten-minute decisions to a screen with custom card art, ambient torchlight, and an original score. An optional Dungeon Run mode is there for players who want a deeper challenge.