The new Exquisite Corpses: The Game website, which debuted during a Live Play panel at New York Comic Con, teaches fans the game and shares information about the upcoming Kickstarter campaign—and now, a play through video with the creators is available to watch
As first revealed by IGN this morning, Tiny Onion has added a new 40-minute play through video of Exquisite Corpses: The Game to the recently launched Exquisite Corpses: The Game website. The play through video features Eisner Award-winning horror masterminds, James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh, co-creators of the bestselling Tiny Onion & Image Comics comic book series Exquisite Corpses, alongside a “Corpse Crew” of A-list comic book talent.
For the play through video, Tynion and Walsh are joined by Corpse Crew creators writer Che Grayson and artist Adam Hughes, Tiny Onion Director of Production Courtney Menard, and popular ASMR creator ALB, competing against each other. Shot in a studio and directed by ALB, the in-depth video features behind the scenes commentary from Game Master Walsh and the Exquisite Corpses talent. It was produced by Tiny Onion Director of Communications Jazzlyn Stone, shot by Camera Operator Ishkhan Ghazarian, with Aaron Losty as the Script Coordinator.
“The concept of ‘play’ has been at the core of everything we’re building at Tiny Onion, and Exquisite Corpses: The Game is our first big shot across the bow,” said Tynion. “Whether you’re a lifelong tabletop gamer or brand new to the experience, we’re excited for you to get your hands on the full game and tell your own version of the Oak Valley tournament with your closest friends/enemies.”
The Exquisite Corpses: The Game website includes instructions on how to play the social strategy battle royale tabletop card game based on the hit comic book series which has sold over 400,000 copies. The new site has a set of 12 printable Event cards, and fans can get access to a set of 6 printable Killer cards if they sign up for alerts for the Kickstarter.
Created and developed fully in-house, Tiny Onion’s Exquisite Corpses: The Game, originally announced as a project by Polygon, will be launching as a Kickstarter campaign in spring 2026 so that fans can not only get the game deck, but also special edition cards and game accessories. Fans can beta test an early version of the game now with cards either collected from the polybagged Variant C editions of the comics (inclusive of the rare foil cards), as well as Event cards found at Tiny Onion’s Corpse Tour. Walsh is no stranger to TCGs; he has illustrated a number of Magic: The Gathering cards.
“I have had so much fun developing Exquisite Corpses: The Game,” said Walsh. “My intention was to build something that integrated well into the comics world, but could also stand on its own as a fun social strategy game. I’ve had a blast killing all my friends over the past couple of years as the game came into focus, and I can’t wait for the fans to be able to roleplay as some of their favourite killers from the comic book.”
The Exquisite Corpses: The Game website was announced during a Live Play panel at this year’s New York Comic Con that was moderated by Hector Navarro and featured Tynion and Walsh as panelists & players, fighting against Menard and Production Manager DeAna Avila. Ultimately Tynion took the win at the NYCC Live Play with a close call.
Exquisite Corpses: The Game is a casual tabletop game perfect for fans of trading card classics like Magic: The Gathering and party experiences like Ultimate Werewolf. Needing only a deck of cards and some dice, a group of 4-12 players each pick their favorite Killer and proceed to attack, bluff, and barter with their fellow Killers until just one remains. This is a widely accessible game with deceptive complexity; each Killer possesses unique skills that can harmonize or clash with the other Killers in play. No two games are alike, so players can immediately play again and again and get different results.
The newly launched website features a section where fans can subscribe to be notified of the upcoming Kickstarter campaign. The site also includes 6 printable Killer cards, 12 printable Event cards, and printable status effect tokens, with a page of information about the dozen Killers in the game. The “How to Play” section includes details about how to get a game going, including a step-by-step guide, information about game actions and status effects, and Event card rules. Under “Resources,” players can find not only the printables, but also a randomizer to determine the order of Killer selection, play order, and whenever an attack, skill, or Event card calls for a roll of the die.
“It’s gratifying to see everyone going complete sicko mode for these cards, and I’m pleased to say ‘Sickos, rejoice’ for we are putting out a full game,” said Menard. “Sign up to be alerted of the crowdfunding campaign launch and we’ll give you an alpha deck to print on your own. Long live physical media!”
Walsh started designing the game mechanics even ahead of the first story summit in Buffalo, where the Corpse Crew and Tiny Onion team gathered in a writers room to break out the first season. Via dry-erase cards, the Corpse Crew did the first beta test at the summit. To ensure quality gameplay and balance, Walsh has been playtesting the game since early 2024 with a dedicated playtester group, dubbed “The Barn Burners.” The goal was to create a game that is easy to pick up, but hard to put down.
In Exquisite Corpses, every five years on Halloween, the wealthiest families in America play a game. Twelve of the deadliest people in the world are dropped into a small town with just one goal: last killer standing wins. For the citizens of Oak Valley, Maine—this year’s unlucky arena—the goal is much simpler. They must survive the night. The first issue can be read digitally for free on the Image Comics site.
The series came together in a writers’ room led by Tynion IV and Walsh and made up of “Corpse Crew” comics superstars Adam Gorham (Hellhunters), Becca Carey (Absolute Wonder Woman), Che Grayson (upcoming Absolute Catwoman), Claire Roe (Dark Spaces: The Hollywood Special), Gavin Fullerton (The Closet), Jordie Bellaire (Redlands), Marianna Ignazzi (Catwoman), Pornsak Pichetshote (The Good Asian), Tyler Boss (You’ll Do Bad Things), and Valentine De Landro (Bitch Planet). Each issue of the series builds upon the last in a true ‘exquisite corpse’ game style, with a passing of the storytelling baton from creator-to-creator in a collaborative and competitive fashion.
The Exquisite Corpses comics are available in comic book shops and across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
