Cult comic series The Boys gets the board game treatment

A competitive board game based off the gritty superhero comic The Boys has landed on Kickstarter, eschewing the recent television series for the line art style of the original print run.

The Boys: This is Going to Hurt is published by 1First Games, a new board game-focused branch of the indie comic publishing house. Players take on the role of a CIA agent tasked with taking down Homelander, leader of a group of superheroes known as The Seven. He’s loved as much as he is feared, so each operative will need to rally allies to their cause and gain enough muscle to finally confront the iconic figure.

Amassing the force necessary to force a fight composes the meat of the game. As players move around the board, they will encounter other superheroes, operatives and individuals with talents that could prove useful. Everyone can be coerced with money or blackmail, but if a soft hand doesn’t work players can always fall back on pure violence. Beating a potential ally into submission could be your key to victory.

Recruited forces can attempt smaller missions to gain the resources needed to further your mission, but Homelander will continually harry everyone’s efforts as they attempt to kill him. Sabotage or steal money and other heroes from your opponents to gain a tactical edge and make sure your team is the only one successful.

The Boys first premiered as a comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, which ran from 2006 to 2012. Its world took a decidedly more cynical look at how superheroes would change society, becoming dictatorial populist heroes who ruled with cunning and violence even as they smiled for the crowd. Amazon adapted the comic into a television show in 2019, which currently has two seasons.

The Kickstarter for The Boys: This is Going to Hurt will run until December 24th. Backers can secure a physical copy of the game for $60 (£45), which will begin shipping next June.