One of the greatest strengths of Deadly Dowagers is simultaneous play. While there is no set game length, two to four dead husbands per player ought to have someone ready to bring the affair (pun dreadfully intended) to a conclusion. The idea is to deftly climb the social and financial ladder while managing Infamy in preparation for the Duke. Each husband also has a different view towards or effect upon Infamy. The dowry they require in marriage (payable in Crowns) increases along the way, as does the subsequent inheritance. Three are of a common background and four of a noble class. There are 24 husband cards consisting of seven types. For a minimal cost in Crowns, these husbands advance in their respective vocations becoming more valuable in death. There are two husbands-the academic and the man of God-that are eligible for promotion. One last action available during the Husband phase is promotion. Players must be careful, though, because each dead husband adds a penalty of one Infamy to each successive death. The benefit of Elopement is the possibility of offing husbands in consecutive rounds should there be a tactical advantage in doing so.
When a Remarry card is unavailable, players may Elope with a new husband at a cost of 5 Infamy. When a murder card is unavailable, players may Strangle their husband without a card for a brutal penalty of 7 Infamy-even murder has its limits. The Husband phase allows for the play of a single card-for murder or marriage-and/or one of three available actions taken in any order. The Investment phase is a simultaneous free-for-all of laying cards, collecting and dispensing Crowns, discarding, and exercising the special abilities of the various husbands. Charity cards provide one additional chance to share Crowns in exchange for a reduced Infamy rating. Various murder weapons and Remarry cards fuel the addictive marital revolving door. While the land itself survives death, none of the accoutrements do.Įach round’s Draft includes investment cards along with the deviant activity cards mentioned above. Estates serve only to reduce Infamy through coin payments. Shipping cards represent overseas interests and pay off when the set is large enough. Likewise, Mills match with Mechanical Upgrades that grant extra coins based on the specialties of the Farms and Tenants.
Within the life of each husband, Farms can pair with Rent for added cash upon death. Players gain wealth by creating a tableau of property nvestment cards: Farms, Mills, and Estates.
Apparently the Duke is only marginally more honorable than his “ladylike” suitors. When multiple dowagers are eligible for victory, ties are settled by the shallow means of excess money and the least damaged reputation.
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If a player enters the Husband phase widowed with a Remarry card in hand plus 120 Crowns and an Infamy rating below 9, they are eligible for victory. However, each dowager must then track Infamy as they spread rumors, have affairs, and dispatch husbands of varied social status. (You know how fickle these affairs can be.) The final “phase” is hardly a phase at all beyond reminding everyone that no more than three cards may remain in hand moving into the next round where five cards are drawn and the process repeats.Īlong the way, players earn Crowns (coins) as they amass inherited wealth from the recurring sound of croaking spouses. The third is the Husband phase where you might marry or, if already married, arrange for the untimely death of said husband, or perhaps marry and kill on the same turn. The second involves playing cards into a tableau as Investments. Each round consists of four phases: The first is a Draft in which players select one card from a dwindling hand and pass the rest, collecting four altogether. “Darling, could you fetch the cake knife?”ĭeadly Dowagers plays over an unspecified number of rounds until someone marries the Duke and rides off into the suspiciously blood-stained sunset.
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Sounds like a ripping good time, doesn’t it?ĭesigned by Sarah Shipp with art by Mercedes Palacios, Sparkworks ( Panorama and the Princess Bride series of games) has a fitting release for International Womens’ Day.
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Two to six players compete as Victorian dowagers to accumulate a dowry sufficient to attract a Duke by investing in properties and “strategic serial marriages.” It is a satirical card game of murder and manipulation. Maybe it says something about my personality, the speed with which I leapt at the chance to review Deadly Dowagers. Climb the social ladder in the most questionable ways with Bob as he explores Deadly Dowagers from Sparkworks. Some ladies will do anything to marry a Duke.
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