Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Description from the publisher: Drawing Dead is a card game where you assume the role of a saloon patron from the Wild West in order to lie, cheat, and steal your way through a game of stud for the highest stakes imaginable: your soul.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Betting and Bluffing
Risk resources on uncertain outcomes while disguising intentions or information.
Open Drafting
Select cards or items from a shared face-up display.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Role Playing
Make decisions or communicate from the perspective of an assigned character.
Trick-taking
Play one card each and award the trick according to suit and rank rules.
Variable Player Powers
Each player has different abilities, restrictions, or strategic advantages.
Read the full game description
Description from the publisher: Drawing Dead is a card game where you assume the role of a saloon patron from the Wild West in order to lie, cheat, and steal your way through a game of stud for the highest stakes imaginable: your soul. The characters in this world are doomed to walk the land of both the living and the dead, hoping to win this game in order to buy themselves a restful sleep - six feet under. In order to win the hand, you will have to draft one of the many roles available to the players and use the character's special powers to improve your own hand and stop your opponents'. The game is familiar enough for those who know only the basics of poker, but robust enough to keep even the most avid gamer invested from start to finish.