Just like it’s videogame counterpart, in Darktide The Card Game, you’ll play as a replaceable Reject, fighting the enemies of the Imperium.
The Warhammer 40K universe lets you battle monsters and heresy in yet another way with the Darktide The Card Game. In this fast-paced, high-stakes, cooperative card game, players will work together to battle hordes of all of the worst things to come out of space. The decision you have to make will be stressful, and the mission must be a success at any cost. No pressure.
| Quick Guide | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mechanics | Cooperative, Hand Management, Push Your Luck | |
| Players | 1 – 4 Players, Age 14+ | |
| Playing Time | 45 – 90 Minutes | |
| Similar Games | Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game, Gloomhaven: Buttons and Bugs | |
| Publisher | Cubicle 7 Entertainment |
Darktide: The Card Game Overview
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide originated as a video game in 2022. The game focused on a squad of ‘rejects’ as they investigated a Chaos uprising on Atoma Prime. Warhammer is known for being brutal, and the player’s status as entirely expendable cannon fodder didn’t lessen this theme. Darktide earned decent reviews and did okay among fans. And a few years later, the concept was reimagined as a meat grinder-style card game.
In Darktide The Card Game, up to four players face off against hordes of enemies by chaining cards from their decks and trying to take down as many as possible. Over the course of six possible missions, the squad will have to make quick, life-and-death decisions. What can be saved? What needs to be abandoned? And what gives you the highest chance of winning the day and living to see another near-impossible mission?
Missions are set in different parts of Tertium, so players may recognize similarities between these missions and those from the video game. And each round of gameplay introduces more and more enemies to contend with. But this is a (usually) cooperative game. So you’ll be able to strategize with your team and work together to heal, build stamina, reload weapons, and build trust.
How To Play Darktide: The Card Game
To set up a game of Darktide the Card Game, players will need to set up their Command Card – this keeps track of your six missions as well as your resources, your ‘Front of Tide’ card – it helps keep track of your squad defense, and pick a player archetype and the corresponding player board and action deck. Green chits can be used to keep track of the various scores, abilities, and bars on these boards. Finally, players will need to layout the enemy and event cards face-down.
The goal of a game is to complete six missions, which are each played in seven rounds. Rounds and missions both get more challenging as the game goes on.
Gameplay consists of players taking turns playing cards and attempting to activate weapons and abilities, make combos, and deal as much damage to their enemies as possible. doing enough damage to any given enemy means that they are destroyed and removed from battle, but the next enemies behind them will move up to the front of the battle.
Players will work through missions before an event spawns the boss. And of course, the boss must be defeated in order to call the mission a success and move on to the next one.
Should I Buy This Game?
If you’re a fan of Warhammer and card games, then yes. This game is a fun, creative take on Darktide. And the fast pace and constant, looming threat keep things exciting. But this would be a tough game-night pitch with your not-Warhammer friends. The 40K tag alone is sure to scare a few people off, and grimdark definitely isn’t for everyone. But honestly, I don’t expect those people to have made it this far. You did, though, so this may just be the card game for you.
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