Deadly Dowagers
2023Sarah Shipp
- Videos
- 14
- Creators
- 12
Mainly reviews. Deadly Dowagers is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 9 reviews, 4 how-to-play guides, and 1 unboxings.
2 - 6 players
30 - 90 min
Light weight: Learn it in minutes
From BoardGameGeek
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
Watch first
Which Deadly Dowagers video should I watch?
Deadly Dowagers has 14 videos from 12 creators: 9 reviews, 4 how-to-play guides and 1 unboxing. They date from 2023 to July 2025.
To learn the rules, start with "Deadly Dowagers - BGG How to Play" by BoardGameGeek, which runs 13 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "Deadly Dowagers & HerStory: 2 Game Recs for Women's History Month" by Gnarly Carley Gaming. 9 creators have reviewed it.
If you like it, try Monsters Love Vegas, also by Sarah Shipp, or Riftforce, Knarr and Race! Formula 90: 2nd Edition, which share several of its mechanics.
All videos
8 of 12
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Games like this
2023Alessandro Lala
- Videos
- 33
- Creators
- 11
Mainly playthroughs
1 - 6 players90 - 270 minHeavy weight
About Deadly Dowagers
From BoardGameGeek:
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
Designer
Sarah Shipp
Artist
Mercedes Palacios
Publisher
Sparkworks
Categories
Mechanics