Deep Water Games, publisher of Welcome To and Fantastic Factories, is adapting the New York Times Best-Selling comic series Rat Queens into an official board game, coming to Kickstarter this Summer.
You know the Rat Queens. A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire, in the business of massacring monsters for money. When the darkly comedic sass-and-sorcery comic debuted in 2013, it put a “Bridesmaids” spin on “Dungeons and Dragons” and campaigned its way into the hearts of many. Now, it’s your turn to join the Queens on their ale-swigging misadventures in Rat Queens: The Board Game.
“Years before I ever started Deep Water Games or teamed up with Source Point Press, I wanted to explore indie comics. Not sure where to start, I asked a couple friends for recommendations and the unanimous consensus was that I’d love Rat Queens. They were beyond right, Rat Queens quickly became my favorite comic.
“Getting to pitch Kurtis this game, him trusting us with the Queens, and working with Sen and Erica to bring it to life has been an absolute privilege. The whole team has poured so much passion and love into this project and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you,” says Nolan Nasser, Deep Water Games CCO.
Rat Queens: The Board Game is a cooperative deck-building boss-fighter based on the award-winning Image Comics series Rat Queens, created by Kurtis Wiebe. It plays 1 to 4 players in under an hour with learn-as-you-go mechanics and loads of content for endless replayability.
“I’ve always wanted to see some form of adaptation of Rat Queens into game form. The series is clearly inspired by my early years of playing RPGs with friends and to have Deep Water Games do their spin on the series is very exciting. I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on the game, it looks fantastic and it rings true to the tone and chaos from the comic series. To the Slaughter!,” says Weibe.
Just like the comics, players will have to manage the relationships between the queens and suffer the consequences of their chaotic actions. Unique asymmetric powers immerse players in the role of each of the four Queens:
* Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, a black-haired necromancer with a bad attitude and a mysterious past.
* Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, a red-haired Dwarf of the Blackforge Clan who rejects her family’s old-fashioned traditions.
* Dee the Atheist Human Cleric, a human ex-high priestess who left her faith and family after she became disillusioned with the horrors they worshipped.
* Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief, a lover and a fighter who is as dangerous as she is small.
Rat Queens: the Board Game is designed by Erica Hayes-Bouyouris and Sen-Foong Lim. Bouyouris is a game designer from Toronto, Canada, whose previous works include the Steven Universe Miniatures Game, Bosk, and Kodama 3-D. She’s part of the Game Artisans of Canada and co-hosts the Meeple Syrup show with Lim.
Lim is one half of the Bamboozle Brothers; the designers of award winning games such as Belfort and Junk Art. Sen’s previous games also include Kingdom Rush, Legend of Korra, Godfather, and Mind MGMT.
Look for Rat Queens: the Board Game on Kickstarter, Summer 2021. Find out more at ratqueensgame.com.
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