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Tribes of the Wind
- 2–5 players
- 40–90 min
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Deadly Dowagers
2023
Rules assistance for Deadly Dowagers
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 30–90 min
- 14+
- Complexity 1.9/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Deadly Dowagers
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Deadly Dowagers is a board game released in 2023 for 2–6 players, 30–90 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Sarah Shipp and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Race, and Closed Drafting.
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About the game
Deadly Dowagers is a game of marriage, murder, and money. You compete with the other lovely ladies in your town by strategically growing your dowry, while being careful not to gain too much infamy, or the duke may pass you over for another bride! You play as a middle-class Victorian woman who would kill to be a duchess. Since you were not lucky enough to be born into the aristocracy, the only way to attract a noble is to have a large enough dowry. Fortunately, when your parents died, they left you with a small dowry and some land. You must build wealth through investments and strategic serial marriages. Gameplay is divided into rounds; each round consists of four separate phases: drafting, investment, husband, and housekeeping. In each round, each player drafts a hand of cards, pick-and-pass style. Certain cards are played into players' tableaus. Instant cards are used and discarded. Players using death cards partially reset their tableau and get income. Players discard down to eight cards in hand, then draft four new cards. The game ends when one player has no current husband, no more than 9 infamy, spends 120 crowns, and plays a remarry card to marry the Duke. That player wins. —description from the publisher
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Starling Games (II)
- Tycoon Games
- Corax Games
- Tabletop Tycoon Inc.
- Sparkworks
Questions and answers
Deadly Dowagers supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Deadly Dowagers is 30–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Deadly Dowagers for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Deadly Dowagers has a complexity rating of 1.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Deadly Dowagers belongs to these categories: Card Game, Humor, and Murder / Mystery. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Race, and Closed Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Deadly Dowagers are: Sarah Shipp. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Deadly Dowagers as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.