Rat Queens: To The Slaughter First Look and Gameplay Details Revealed (Exclusive)

There are mercenaries and then there are the Rat Queens, a group of four battle-ready mercs who [...]

By Matthew Aguilar - June 2, 2021 10:44 am EDT

There are mercenaries and then there are the Rat Queens, a group of four battle-ready mercs who will take on any monster for a price and are guaranteed to have a ball while doing so. Hannah, Dee, Betty, Violet, and Braga have become fan favorites for a reason, and now they are making their way from the world of comics into the world of tabletop courtesy of Deep Water Games in a new game titled Rat Queens: To The Slaughter. If that sounds awesome, we've got even better news, as you can get an exclusive look at the new player boards and miniatures ahead of the Kickstarter launch right here, and we've even got new gameplay details as well, and you can check it all out starting on the next slide.

Rat Queens: To The Slaughter is based on the Image Comics series by creator Kurtis Wiebe, and is a cooperative experience for 1 to 4 players. You can play a full game in under an hour, and it prioritizes learn as you go mechanics but also features plenty of replayability once you master those mechanics.

You'll take on monsters, upgrade your decks, and level up your friendships across four phases, which culminates in a massive boss fight that will challenge you to defeat the monster before Palisade crumbles, and you can get all the details on those phases below.

The Preparation Phase: The monsters charge the gates of Palisade! Each player draws three cards, playing Preparation cards when appropriate to turn the tides of battle.

The Monster Phase: The monsters roll to attack the Queens! If their Attack is greater than their target's Armor, that Queen will take 1 hit point of damage.

The Regroup Phase: The monsters buy us a drink! Players may now spend gold in order to purchase upgrade cards, hire allies, and improve their decks. Any undefeated monsters invade Palisade, though, and once the monster deck is finished, it's time to move onto…

The Big Bad: Determine your opponent based on whether more Magic, Melee, or Flying monsters invaded Palisade. Shuffle the defeated monsters to form a new Monster deck. The Big Bad will reveal the top card of the monster deck, attacking once... and then it'll attack again! After resolving the Big Bad's two attacks, players take turns playing cards from their hand, discarding cards to move to an adjacent gate, and activating abilities in order to defeat the boss. If the boss's hit points reach 0, everyone wins! However, if the deck of monster cards ever runs out, Palisade is lost!

Rat Queens: To the Slaughter is designed by Erica Hayes-Bouyouris and Sen-Foong Lim, and it hits Kickstarter later this summer. You can head to the Kickstarter page right here to get notified on launch day, and you can get more details on the game on the next slide.

Let us know what you think of Rat Queens: To the Slaughter in the comments or as always, you can talk all things tabletop with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

Hannah Miniature

Rat-Queens-To-The-Slaughter-Kickstarter-Hannah-Mini — (Photo: Deep Water Games)

Hannah Player Board and Gameplay

Rat-Queens-To-The-Slaughter-Kickstarter-Hannah-Player-Board — (Photo: Deep Water Games)

You can check out Hannah's awesome player board above, and you can get an idea of how she plays in the official description below.

"Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, a black-haired necromancer with a bad attitude and a mysterious past. Hannah is built to deal heavy damage, but be careful, her unpredictability means that the other Queens might accidentally get caught in the crossfire. If other players call for Hannah's aid, she'll use her necromancy to call forth the power of previously defeated monsters."

Betty Miniature

Rat-Queens-To-The-Slaughter-Kickstarter-Betty-Mini — (Photo: Deep Water Games)

Betty Player Board and Gameplay

Rat-Queens-To-The-Slaughter-Kickstarter-Betty-Player-Board-1 — (Photo: Deep Water Games)

You can check out Betty's player board above, and you can get an idea of how she plays in the official description below.

"Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief, a lover and a fighter who is as dangerous as she is small. Betty is a rogue that always has her eyes on the prize! Her skullberry slingshot will do massive damage to the enemy when she hits a bullseye, but first she'll see what kind of gold that son of a kitten's got on him. Unless her friends are in trouble; then she's going right for the surprise spine tickler!"

Dee Miniature

Rat-Queens-To-The-Slaughter-Kickstarter-Dee-Mini — (Photo: Deep Water Games)

Dee Player Board and Gameplay

Rat-Queens-To-The-Slaughter-Kickstarter-Dee-Player-Board — (Photo: Deep Water Games)

You can check out Dee's awesome player board above, and you can get an idea of how she plays in the official description below.

"Dee the Atheist Human Cleric, an ex-high priestess who left her faith and family after she became disillusioned with the horrors they worshipped. She's a healer that can always be counted on to restore the other Queens' HP, but her ability to deal damage should not be underestimated! With a wide area of attack, a fully upgraded Dee can take down waves of enemies at a time."

Violet Miniature

Rat-Queens-To-The-Slaughter-Kickstarter-Violet-Mini — (Photo: Deep Water Games)

Violet Player Board and Gameplay

Rat-Queens-To-The-Slaughter-Kickstarter-Violet-Player-Board — (Photo: Deep Water Games)

You can check out Violet's player board above, and you can get an idea of how she plays in the official description below.

"Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, a red-haired Dwarf of the Blackforge Clan who rejects her family's old-fashioned traditions. Violet is a versatile fighter who continues to swing her sword until there's nothing left to hit. She can be built as a tank to soak damage up from the rest of the Queens, or as a relentless melee fighter to steamroll through monsters. When called upon by her friends, Violet will give them her own HP and swat at an enemy while she's at it!"

Braga

Rat-Queens-To-The-Slaughter-Kickstarter-2 — (Photo: Deep Water Games)

You'll be able to add Braga to your party through the game's first expansion, which will also come with a new boss fight and a scenario based on her story arc from the comics. You can get an idea of how she plays in the official description below.

"Braga the Brutal Orc Warrior, a fierce barbarian who's unafraid to swing her great axe for the greater good. While she loves her Queens unconditionally, enemies are far more familiar with the unrelenting fury she brings to every fight. Braga is a highly mobile warrior that can charge around the battlefield, landing blow after bloody blow. Her giant axe and tactical mind make her great at cutting through the fodder to get to the real prize. Braga will be available on launch as the first of many character expansions. Along with Braga as a playable character, the expansion will feature a brand new boss fight and scenario pulled from her story arc."