Kingdom Death: Monster
A cooperative board game of survival and settlement building.
Kingdom Death: Monster is a cooperative board game designed by Adam Poots and first published in 2015. The game unfolds over multiple sessions, with players building up both their individual characters and a shared settlement across a single campaign. At the outset, characters are unarmed and unarmored, but after their first monster fight they acquire gear and establish a settlement, using resources gathered in combat to craft new weapons and armor.
Each hunt begins with a Hunt phase, where players encounter beneficial and harmful effects that shape the upcoming battle. This leads into a Showdown phase against the monster. The monster’s behavior is governed by a deck of cards shuffled at the start of combat, which determines its targets and attack types. Players and the monster resolve actions through dice rolls. The goal is to wound the monster or survive until its card deck runs out. Survivors gain resources or gear from the defeated monster, while characters killed in combat are permanently removed and replaced by other survivors from the settlement. A full game ends either when players defeat a final boss monster or when the settlement’s population hits zero.
The core game can be expanded with additional monsters, each including a miniature, cards for the Hunt and Showdown phases, new Gear cards, and sometimes new Settlement cards. These expansions are typically introduced through Settlement Events that force players to fight the monster, tying into the core campaign. Each expansion also comes with a small rulebook explaining its integration and any new special rules or Story Events.
Adam Poots developed the game, first conceiving the idea around 2008 while waiting for jury duty and reading a role-playing game rulebook; he believed he could improve its systems. A key element was the use of miniatures, and he invested about $10,000 of his own savings to commission freelance artists for character and concept art for the “Kingdom Death” setting, using 3D printing to produce figurines. In 2009, he ran a small Kickstarter campaign raising roughly $1,700 for one figurine. By 2010, he was working with a European artist capable of mass-producing the figures in resin. Although the miniatures gained attention, Poots wanted to create a full game alongside them, drawing inspiration from HeroQuest and its spinoff Warhammer Quest for the mechanics. His background i
- type
- Board game
- creator
- Adam Poots
- release_year
- 2015
- genre
- Cooperative horror survival
- notable_for
- Highest-earning game-related Kickstarter project at the time of its 1.5 edition campaign
Lore & Background
Kingdom Death: Monster was developed by Adam Poots, who conceived the initial idea around 2008 while awaiting jury duty and reading a role-playing game rulebook. He invested about $10,000 of his own savings into freelance artists and 3D printing to produce figurines. A small Kickstarter in 2009 raised about $1,700 for one figurine, and by 2010 Poots worked with a European artist for mass resin production. Poots drew inspiration from HeroQuest and Warhammer Quest for the game's mechanics, and his background in web browser-based applications helped ensure the gameplay systems had proper flow. A 2009 Kickstarter to develop an iOS app failed, but a November 2012 campaign seeking $35,000 raised over $2 million, enabling expansion plans.
Reader's Guide
Kingdom Death: Monster is considered a boutique board game, with the base game costing US$563 without expansions, a price often justified by the quality of its production. Sam Machkovich of Ars Technica described the game as 'brutal' in its volume and playing time but called it a 'four-player co-op adventure of your wildest dreams.' The game has a steep learning curve and is frequently compared to the Dark Souls video game series. However, the game has drawn criticism for its sexualized art. Lillian Cohen-Moore of Bitch stated that the scale of female sexualization outweighed any other merits. Poots responded that the game is intended for mature audiences and that he allowed his artists to explore a nightmare horror world without hampering them, noting that pinup poses were inspired by 1950s and 1960s pin-up models of both genders. Charlie Hall of Polygon found some imagery grotesque and explicit, potentially turning off players, though he considered the game itself 'masterful.' The 1.5 edition Kickstarter in 2016 raised nearly $12.4 million from 19,264 backers, making it the highest-earning game-related Kickstarter project at that time.
Did You Know?
- The initial idea for the game was conceived around 2008 while Adam Poots was awaiting jury duty.
- A 2009 Kickstarter campaign for the game as an iOS app failed to reach its $10,000 goal.
- The 2016 Kickstarter for Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5 raised $1 million within 19 minutes of going live.
- The game includes licensed crossovers from the Pathfinder role-playing system and the video game Hyper Light Drifter.
From Jury Duty to a $2 Million Breakthrough
Adam Poots first conceived Kingdom Death: Monster around 2008, during a wait for jury duty while reading a role-playing game rulebook. He felt he could improve upon its systems, and the use of physical miniatures became central to his vision. He poured roughly $10,000 of personal savings into hiring freelance artists for character design and concept art, and into 3D-printing figurines. A small 2009 Kickstarter raised about $1,700 for a single planned figure. By 2010, he had partnered with a European artist capable of mass-producing resin figures. Poots drew mechanical inspiration from HeroQuest and its Warhammer Quest spinoff, while his background in web browser applications helped him shape coherent, flowing gameplay systems. An earlier 2009 Kickstarter for an iOS app version failed to hit its $10,000 target. With mechanics more solidified, he launched a third campaign in November 2012 seeking $35,000. It closed with over $2 million pledged, and Poots described the team as having over-delivered, feeling responsible and humbled by the support.
A Long-Horizon Cooperative Survival Loop
Kingdom Death: Monster is structured as a long-form cooperative experience spanning multiple sessions. Players begin their characters essentially naked and weaponless, only gaining gear and establishing a settlement after surviving their first monster encounter. Resources harvested from combat fuel expansion, new weapons, and armor. Each subsequent encounter follows a two-phase structure: a Hunt phase where players trigger beneficial and negative effects that shape the upcoming battle, followed by a Showdown against the target. Every monster carries its own shuffled card deck that governs its targeting and attack patterns, giving each foe a distinct intelligence. Combat resolves through dice rolls, and players must either wound the monster or outlast its deck. Permadeath is a core mechanic—characters killed in combat are permanently removed, replaced by other survivors from the settlement. A full game concludes when players defeat a final boss or their population hits zero. Expansions add new monsters, gear, settlement events, and story hooks that integrate into the core experience.
The 1.5 Campaign That Broke Kickstarter Records
In 2016, Poots launched a Kickstarter during American Thanksgiving weekend to fund Kingdom Death: Monster 1.5, an updated printing with improvements and sixteen new expansions slated for 2017. He set a $100,000 goal and offered upgrade incentives for existing owners. The campaign shattered expectations almost immediately: $1 million was pledged within 19 minutes, a record for fastest funding that Kickstarter's David Gallagher confirmed. Within a week, pledges had surpassed $5 million. Poots also announced special crossover expansions drawing on the Pathfinder role-playing system and the video game Hyper Light Drifter. The campaign ultimately closed with nearly $12.4 million from 19,264 backers, making it the highest-earning game-related project funded through Kickstarter at that time. The extraordinary response allowed Poots to channel profits into further development and expansion of the game's world, cementing Kingdom Death as a cultural touchstone in the board gaming community.
Boutique Pricing, Dark Souls Comparisons, and Art Controversy
Kingdom Death: Monster occupies a unique niche as a boutique board game, with a base cost of $563 before expansions—far above typical board game pricing, though reviewers often attribute the expense to production quality. Critics have drawn parallels to the Dark Souls video game series, citing the steep learning curve and punishing difficulty. Sam Machkovich of Ars Technica described the game as brutal in its sheer volume of materials and estimated playtime, yet framed it as a four-player co-op adventure of your wildest dreams. The game's art has drawn significant criticism, particularly from Lillian Cohen-Moore of Bitch, who argued the sexualization of female figurines and artwork outweighs any other merits. Poots responded that the game targets mature audiences and that he wanted his artists to bring forth their full potential in exploring a nightmare horror world, citing 1950s and 1960s pin-up inspiration for both male and female characters. Charlie Hall of Polygon noted that some imagery in the manual and figures felt grotesque and explicit, potentially alienating players and distracting from the gameplay itself.
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