
- BGG rating
- 5.6
Death Wish: NSFW Infect Deck
- 2–8 players
- 30–45 min
- 2017

2017
Rules assistance for Death Wish
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Death Wish is a board game released in 2017 for 2–8 players, 20–45 minutes per game, and ages 15 and up. It was designed by Jason Hibbert and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Set Collection.
Death Wish is a light-hearted party card game where the goal is to be the first player to die from fictional diseases. Truly a game you're dying to win. Players take turns to collect matching symptoms and afflicters with the aim of contracting the diseases displayed on the table. Diseases are always changing on the table so it’s a race before they’re snapped up by other players. The colours play a part in the game with white strains the most common, less harmful types contrasted with the rare and deadly reds. Share your weird diagnosis! Contract a disease and declare the the disease you caught, how you caught it and the terrible combination of symptoms you are suffering from. With over 240 different diseases, afflicters and symptoms, the combinations are vast. Does your disease have an outbreak? Read out an outbreak card to the group. Outbreaks allow events such as mutating diseases, puking on players or even de-fibrillating someone back to life. These cards have an array of random creative effects that change the dynamic of every game.
Death Wish supports 2–8 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 Death Wish is 20–45 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 Death Wish for ages 15 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.
Death Wish has a complexity rating of 2.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Death Wish belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Set Collection. 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 Death Wish are: Jason Hibbert. 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 Death Wish 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.