As Tim Curry once said, "Heroes are boring," and in the upcoming game, Dreadquarters, you will get to play on the villain side, trying to defend their shared lair:
Evil has never required this much teamwork. From the wicked minds of Headlock Games comes Dreadquarters, a 1-4 player strategy game of villainous cooperation and tactical defense, launching on Kickstarter April 7, 2026.
In Dreadquarters, players take on the roles of supervillains who have been “strongly encouraged” to cooperate while establishing a new shared evil lair. Each villain brings their own unique deck of cards, playstyle, minions, and objectives. Objectives include building doomsday devices, harvesting souls, and hatching insect swarms all while working together to defend your lair from waves of do-gooders aiming to destroy it.
“We wanted Dreadquarters to feel like you're building an engine that should actually work, while balancing the need to defend yourself, enact your evil scheme, and begrudgingly fit your masterwork together with those of your allies. With so many different villain playstyles, hazards, and cities, every game should feel unique,” said Paul Kramer, founder of Headlock Games. “It’s packed with more original art than any sane person would usually attempt for one game, but the
visuals are a huge part of what makes it come alive."
15+ artists have contributed to Dreadquarters, each bringing their own distinct style and imagination to its world of villains. Every card, token, and board is a piece of original art, handcrafted without the use of any AI.
Each round, players expand their wing of the lair with bizarre rooms, reinforce them with over-engineered upgrades, and deploy their minions to work stations, city raids, or last stands. When the heroes arrive, the villains’ traps trigger, and combat erupts. Everything either works together beautifully or collapses. With dozens of villains, cities, and scenario combinations, no two lairs will ever look, or collapse, the same.
Dreadquarters plays in 60-120 minutes and is recommended for ages 14 and up.
Kickstarter and Extras
The Kickstarter campaign will feature the core game along with an array of collectibles and expansions including:
- Villain Deck Expansion
- Neoprene Playmat
- 10 Enamel Pins
- Art Prints and Art Book
- Stickers and Themed Tuck Boxes
- “Insolence” Plush Mascot
Those interested in backing this project can follow the prelaunch page now at https://prelaunch.dreadquarters.com/ to receive updates and early reveals before the campaign launches.
