Boardgames

Ascension: Theme Pack – Rat Queen

Add a dangerous Rat Queen and Giant Rats to Ascension, blocking the center row until players defeat the infestation.

2 - 6
player(s)

Medium

Ascension: Theme Pack – Rat Queen board game cover

About this expansion

Ascension: Theme Pack – Rat Queen is a 2012 Ascension theme pack for 2–6 players that adds a new challenge to the center row with a dangerous Rat Queen and Giant Rats.

To set up, shuffle the Rat Queen cards into the center deck and place the Giant Rats to the side. When the Rat Queen appears in the center row, the other cards in that row are turned face down and shuffled.

Each of those hidden cards is then covered with a Giant Rat. The infestation blocks access to the rest of the center row, so players must deal with the rats—or defeat the Queen herself—before they can reach the covered cards.

  • Two Rat Queen cards to shuffle into the center deck
  • Ten Giant Rat cards placed beside the play area
  • A center-row obstacle that must be defeated before other cards become available

The Rat Queen creates a distinct moment of disruption whenever she enters the center row. Instead of simply choosing among the available cards, players face a concealed group protected by Giant Rats, with the Queen offering an alternative target.

Ascension: Theme Pack – Rat Queen includes enough components for the rodent infestation to strike twice in a single game. It is a compact way to introduce a memorable monster-focused twist while preserving the central structure of Ascension’s center-row play.

Other expansions for the same board game